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Model Wages In India Are A Joke. It’s Time To Speak Up

“If you don’t come from money or have support, modelling can really break you. Abroad, you’re recognised as a professional. Here, you’re forced to tick-mark ‘other’ on a professional form,” says model Roshni Sharma.

Model Wages

Glossy spectacles, polished runways and backstage mania woefully romanticised to the T. Fashion weeks and Page 3 events enjoy a grade-A status in high-profile circles, but what do the insiders feel about them? “You work ten to twelve-hour days, do four to five shows in that span, and walk away with say ₹10,000. That’s not sustainable—it’s exploitation,” says Roshni Sharma, whose now-viral reel shedding light on the reality of model wages has prompted a supportive response from co-collaborators in the industry. It’s not just models, photographers and stylists–those partiicularly at the bottom of the food chain tackle similar concerns despite a very challenging trajectory that leaves them with scanty time and even scantier payments. 

Unpaid labour cloaked in glamour? Sounds like it. WhenSharma posted a reel calling out this broken system, it went viral. The backlash was quick to follow. “People said I was throwing tantrums. But after eight years in the business, I’ve seen enough to know when something needs to be said,” she adds, unfazed. She’s built a career from scratch—no family connections, no initial support, just grit. From playing rugby as a teenager to becoming a pageant finalist and later navigating international waters, Sharma’s story is far from typical. Enter her perspective that I personally found to be refreshingly unfiltered and deeply pragmatic. As it should be.

She’s actively refrained from doing runway, mainly because of her concerns with the pay but still, she insists she’s not anti-industry. “The runway is beautiful when it’s fair. But if a job is not paying, I’d rather say no. It’s about self-respect.” She also emphasises on the lack of unionisation for models here. “Abroad, you’re a recognised worker. There are set rates based on experience. In India, even the best models hit a pay ceiling. After a point, the jobs just don’t come, especially if you’re not a celebrity.”

She then expressed disappointment as to why an internationally acclaimed (celebrated, rather) Indian model was clubbed into a pool just because a celebrity was onboarded for closing a recent showcase. I nod helplessly, my mind replaying this done-to-death conversation I’ve had, with multiple co-journalists in the front row at such shows. 

“It looks glamorous on Instagram, but the truth is very different,” she states firmly. “If you don’t come from money or have support, modelling can really break you. Abroad, you’re recognised as a professional. Here, you’re forced to tick-mark ‘other’ on a professional form.” Still, she’s strived to make it work. Be it modelling for global brands, launching a wellness-driven bikini label and self-publishing a book on how to break into the industry.

Her bikini brand Rawwsh was thus born with this set of values. Expounding more on her entrepreneurial baby, she adds, “People often think it's just about swimwear. But every shoot, every campaign is about healing and authenticity.” She passionately stresses on a need for a collective voice. A forum maybe. Somewhere safe where models can speak up without fear. She’s also big on finding a trustworthy and staunch mother agent, touting Sangeeta Bhatia and Atrayee Dutta Gupta as her guardian angels when she started out.

If you really dissect the situation, one can tell her agenda is way bigger than calling out some numbers, she’s just tired of being undervalued–repping countless other names rendered voiceless behind-the-scenes. She caps the interview by saying "If you want the labour, pay for it. If you want the beauty, honour the person behind it, that’s all.”

Mic drop.

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