'I could be curvy, fit and toned'

The singer and former MTV VJ was a judge at the LFW model auditions. 

"I was not born with a skinny body type," says Sophie Choudry candidly during the Lakme Fashion Week model auditions which were held at St Regis, Mumbai. 

"When I moved to Mumbai, a lot of people would actually make me look I'm bigger, even though I was a UK size 8, which is actually small.

"Here in Mumbai, the girls had very skinny legs and not so skinny stomachs. And it always made me feel that I'm different," she adds.

"But when I embraced that I realised that my greatest asset is that I could be curvy, fit and toned. That's a body a lot of people aspire to be especially in the West. 

Sophie believes in working out in a healthy way and eating right.    

"It is just the fine balance of the two," she admits adding that fitness is a lifestyle and doesn't last for a week or two. 

"Make it part of your life. It has to be something you enjoy."

Talking about her experience judging the model auditions, Sophie added, "I thoroughly enjoyed the experience judging the LFW auditions for 2018.

"We must have seen over a 100 girls who came in for the auditions  

"It is a wonderful initiative and Lakme discovers new talent every year. 

"People would know that Katrina Kaif, Yana Gupta and Deepika Padukone were also discovered during Lakme auditions. 

"A lot of them have gone on to become famous because of Lakme Fashion Week. 

"It was good to see a lot of faces, talent and of course, the enthusiasm. It was good to be there." 

When quizzed about the things that she was looking out for in the contestants, she added, "This year the biggest factor was the height. 

"Interestingly enough, there were a lot of pretty girls who were 5 ft 7 inches tall, but that wasn't tall enough. 

"We were looking for girls who were 5 ft 8 inches and above. Which is incredibly tall, but it makes a huge difference on the ramp.

"Me personally, I was looking for that certain confidence on the ramp, a good strong walk, some energy --which is really, really important -- and a sense of ease and comfort on the ramp. 

"For most of these girls, it is their first or second time, and comfort is something that comes with practice. 

"And then you always know that special girl when you see her. She's got that little bit of magic when she walks."  

Sophie had a couple of important pieces of advice that she'd like to give aspiring contestants. 

"First, you don't have to be stick thin to be a model. You have to be fit and in proportion.

"A lot of the girls were rejected as they were far too skinny. We are trying to promote a healthy body image. 

"That doesn't mean that you should lack proportion or not worked out. You need to have a worked out, fit body.

"Second, practice your walk before you come. I think a lot of the girls have just walked and not thought about it. 

"I think if you can't find somebody to teach you how to walk, there is enough stuff out there on the Internet.

"You can find and look, and really learn how to walk before you come. 

"Any audition you go for, whether it is singing, dance or modelling, everyone needs to be prepared."

Video: Afsar Dayatar/Rediff.com

Throwing light on the mistakes models make during auditions, she added, "Definitely don't wear shoes that you are not used to walking in. 

"A lot of the girls were uncomfortable in their shoes," she says. 

"Don't dress in clothes that you are uncomfortable in, because that shows on the ramp. 

"Don't over do the make up because it looks so harsh.

"Be well groomed. It is important to make sure that your hair is in place."  

 Lead photograph: Courtesy Sophie Choudry/Instagram