Colour Outside the Lines

For our diversity and inclusion issue, models Sonya Danita Charles and Vanizha Vasanthanathan talk about inspiring others

- Aaron Pereira

Despite celebrating multiculturalism, Malaysia and Malaysians sometimes neglect to see a subtle yet dangerous form of discrimination: the lack of visibility and access for dark-skinned people, particularly Malaysian Indians. Be it their appearance in commercials or television shows, or trying to rent properties, this segment of society has it tougher than most in the country. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they can’t make it big in their respective fields, as our cover stars Vanizha Vasanthanathan and Sonya Danita Charles have proven. Both have learnt to embrace their beauty against the odds, and gained recognition for themselves and their community, thanks to their success on various catwalks, billboards and campaigns.

Vasanthanathan has been open about her low self-esteem and the bullying she received growing up, based on the colour of her skin. Meanwhile, Charles, who was diagnosed with vitiligo at the age of eight, was also teased and mocked for her appearance.

“Growing up, I didn’t see people like me in advertisements and billboards; that was one of the driving forces behind me starting my modelling career,” says Vasanthanathan of her decision to pursue modelling full-time. “It’s more than the glamour, or becoming famous, and having more followers or likes: I truly want to represent people like me in this industry.”