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By Jayanthi Liyanage

Shivani Wedanayake nee Vasagam was born in Jaffna to a Tamil household. Her most vivid memory of her childhood home is picking purple fruits in a bowl with her only sister and eating them with salt. Shivani was a dreamer from her very young days. "Keep on dreaming," her academically-inclined sister laughingly admonished her.

A: Vasagam, Shivani's father, had been involved in the making of "Dheevarayo," "Sri 296," and "Parasathu Mal" as a senior cameraman at Ceylon Theaters Ltd. Later, with Shivani, he went to France to study cinematography where renowned film-makers, Lester James and Sumithra Peiris were his batch-mates.

Shivani was the fourth Sri Lankan beauty to win international recognition after Maureen Hingert, Manel Illangakoon and Rosy Senanayake. 15 Years after Rosy became the Mrs World, Shivani had the distinction of being the 4th runner-up at Mrs. World 1999. Previously, she had won the titles, Model of the Year 1992, Miss Sri Lanka 1995 for Miss Universe and Mrs. Sri Lanka 1999. After marriage, Shivani and her husband became pioneers in the local web development industry and run the "Web Syndicate", a leading web-development company in the country.

A mother of a little boy she has just commenced her grooming school "Models" for women who seek success through the embodiment of "total woman", through good grooming, grace and poise and hopes it will pave the way to draw out the talents of young hopefuls to the beauty and fashion industry.

Q: Shivani, what do you think is the secret behind a model's success?

A: I say that a model should have a beautiful face and not be typecast. She should be able to wear different faces and styles. Don't project the same look every year. People get bored.

Q: What is your own secret for success?

A: You really have to work hard at success. At the end of the day, it's you who count. Ask "what are my goals ? What do I want to be ? How would I see myself next year and after ?" Nobody can teach you to be somebody. You should be able to say, "I want to reach these goals in the fashion and beauty industry. These are my weaknesses which I need to correct to be an achiever." Take it as a career and be ambitious enough to achieve your goals. Achieving is all about believing and you have to believe in yourself that you can do it.

Q: And your recipe for success, in a nutshell?

A: Perseverence, hard work, determination and confidence - Cultivate these and you will progress.

Q: What obstacles did you face in your path to success?

A: The fashion and beauty industry is glamour. Wherever there glamour, there is backbiting, jealousy and bitchiness. I came from a conservative family and the first time I entered the industry, I was taken aback. My family didn't want me to get involved. I couldn't understand why people were passing remarks at me when actually we were working as a team.

Q: Why did you become a model?

A: Life is a stage. You can either be in the audience, watching the show, or you can be a performer, making changes in the story. In my small way, I wanted to make a positive change. Soon after my A/Ls, I was at a transition period, making a decision whether to go for higher studies or do something else. When Senaka de Silva advertised for models, my friends urged me to go for it. It was first by chance. But I always had it in me that whatever I take on, I do it with a commitment. Look at time - it flies so fast that you can't waste your time idling, not knowing what you want to be in life.

Q: What is your advice to an aspiring model?

A: A few close professional models told me, "If you are a model, you have to have guts of steel. And never allow others to affect you or influence you." When I decided to make a career in modelling, people discouraged me. They said influence played a big role in modelling and that I would have to sleep with men in the industry in order to win career opportunities.

Q: Did you find that true? And how far would you go in order to wear a crown on your head?

A: I have ambitions, goals and dreams but my conscience speaks to me. How far would I go to compromise my self-respect and integrity in order to achieve something ? At the end of the day, I would have to sleep with my guilt. I may have lost a few chances but I have the satisfaction of knowing I was never used or treated shabbily as just another woman in somebody's tick list. The ideals of a very ambitious international model may be totally different from mine and it may be nothing for her to sleep with a man in order to be the number one cover model. She gets something in return and life is great! Such a woman doesn't have emotions.

They are hard-core professionals. Even they will find that everything in life has a lifespan and there is an expiry date. Don't blame the industry for the fall of an individual. There are many devils in the industry but every woman should have her own values and not allow them to brainwash her.

Women have come a long way but men still think we are in a man's world and women are sexual objects. We live in a small industry and it's easy to spoil your name and reputation. Through my background and education, I was able to use my intelligence, common sense and make the right choices.

Q: When you made the right choices, did you find yourself alone in the industry and not getting the right opportunities?

A: Yes. And I had to fight on my own. It was my grit, determination and inner strength which kept me going. I wanted to give my best and create an example for the younger ones to follow. I made a decision on my own to take part in the Model of the Year 1992 contest and won. Some people were saying - why is she winning so many pageants ? People in Sri Lanka don't look at an achiever as an example and encourage others to come up. They say, "Oh, we must stop her from achieving." It's just jealousy. What are we and the country getting out of it ?

Q: Is the local fashion and beauty industry dominated by men?

A: There are more men than women in the fashion industry. Men are a fad lot there. My Kandy grooming school had more male applicants than females. Men are particularly interested in grooming and personal hygiene and fashion designer industry has a lot of male designers.

Q: What reason would you attribute for the short supply of women in the fashion industry?

A: Men commonly feel that when women get married and become pregnant, that's the end of their career and they will stay at home, neglect their bodies and shouldn't be given responsible jobs. That's not true. Sri Lankan women have shown the ability to balance her work and family well. Even rural women play very strong dual roles, running home and the work field in parallel. You have to be professional in your attitude and do your job perfectly. That's what I learnt from the modelling industry.

Q: What is the difference between the fashion industry and the beauty industry?

A: In a beauty pageant, you are a spokesperson for the women of your country. In modelling, you represent the designers who want to show off their creations. Modelling gave me the chance to travel and build my confidence. Then I came to a point where I felt saturated, wanted change and my next step was taking part in Miss Sri Lanka 1995 and Miss Universe for the same year held in Namibia.

Q: Do you think the local pageants are far below international standards?

A: Yes. The organisers are not attracting the right people to take part in the pageants. Girls are not willing to come forward and accept an opportunity to represent their country. They are not ambitious and committed enough. They just hang around and next day they say, "Oh, I got married to my boy friend." Through my school "Models", I want to attract talent. I have been asked to take up a few franchises for beauty pageants, probably Miss Universe, and to do so, I must have the right material in hand. I want to change the way they have been happening all these years.

Q: Is it because they think that by taking part in beauty pageants, they will fall into bad repute?

A: That is one reason. And people believe there is a lot of favouritism involved. Some people work in camps - one camp promoting one girl and another camp, another girl and there is a clash of opinion. This "I'll promote you and you promote me" practice.

They don't look at the overall picture. Some organisers don't want the involvement of experienced people who have previously taken part in international pageants. People who have never been abroad are trying to organise pageants locally. What do they know about international judging criteria ? At times, it embarrasses us to listen to people who have seen international beauty pageants, giving their first impressions of the Sri Lankan representative. The only information the international organisers gather about Sri Lanka is from this representative and that can give them a low opinion. But I must say that Miss Sri Lanka contest did always maintain international standards and unfortunately, we don't have that contest here any more.

Q: Do you think beauty pageants can demean women?

A: Many feminists think so. They think these pageants make women look "fluffy-headed bimbos." The impression is that women who are not bright are being used for men to have "cattle-shows." But that is changing. If you look at the last ten years, more intelligent women who can relate to women in their ideals, aspirations and goals are now getting involved in organising beauty pageants. The pageants are really a platform for women to succeed in their careers, may be in the entertainment industry or the beauty industry. Since I became a public figure, I was able to use my image in my business.

You have to look at the positive side without making it a cattle market. The old myth that beauty queens are there to satisfy a man's sexual desire or entertain the men in the gallery is now dying. Though men own franchises, it is women who mostly organise pageants now.

Q: How do you feel about wearing a swim-suit and parading before men?

A: Actually, a swim-suit gives a sense of glamour. No woman is forced to take part in a pageant and does it through her own sheer will. She should adopt her own perception as to why she should parade in a swim-suit on a stage or a television audience. Since this a glamour industry, you should be able to model any thing. In a beauty pageant, a swim-suit assess your fitness level. When your swim-suit exposes your stomach or other bulges, it shows you are not taking care of your body.

Q: How do you think a beauty representative should be selected?

A: You can't prepare a beauty candidate overnight to measure up to international criteria. She needs time and training to prepare herself. Here the pageants are held this month and next month, the winner has to go for the international contest. This is what happened in 1996, the last time Miss Sri Lanka contest was held. There is a no longer a Miss Sri Lanka at international pageants and nobody is coming forward to make a change.

Q: When you took part in Miss Universe contest, did you receive proper training?

A: Absolutely no proper training. After winning the local pageant, I had to leave for Miss Universe in three weeks. I only had time to organise my wardrobe for my month overseas. Only my experience as a model helped me to put my best foot forward. Local organisers didn't tell me what kind of clothes to wear and what kind of questions I would be asked. Nothing at all. I was given just Rs. 25,000/-. What can you do with that amount of money ?

I had to use my own money and the help of a private sponsor. The cocktail dresses and the evening gown the organisers did for me was so embarrassing for me to look at. What they don't realise is that each candidate has a different personality. I wasn't given the choice to choose my wardrobe. Finally, through my private sponsorship, I was able to get my evening gown done on by Mrs. Chryshanthi Fernandopulle and it scored 9.12 out of 10 at Miss Universe, one of the highest scores from a Sri Lankan candidate.

What the local organisers never told me was how important the interview round is. Each candidate is beautiful in her own special way. What sets them apart is their personality and how well they speak and carry themselves. The first impression is what sets the lasting impression of how you are seen in your swim suit or evening gown or at the interview. I had not been told that I had to wear a suit for the interview and I had to borrow a suit from my roommate. For the local organisers, it was just another show - they didn't bother to spot candidates with potential and get them involved in the pageant. Miss Sri Lanka was canned because they failed to come up with big sponsors.

Q: In international pageants, one finds contestants who are of high academic achievements, with Master Degrees. Why is that not so common in Sri Lanka?

A: I totally blame our education system for that. In India, a salesperson in a grocery had a BA in History. I was wondering how she acquired those qualifications ? If educated people come into the beauty industry, they will bring up the standards. In this country, people think a fashion show is a joke. "Some women are parading. Let's go and oggle at them." That is because the fashion shows we have give that impression. Can you believe that a hotel has asked some models to bring their own clothes to hold a fashion show for the foreign hotel guests ? For them, it's just entertainment. Just having beer and cashew nuts, looking at pretty women and at the end of the show, giving their cards and saying, "Can you come with me ?"

Q: Does it happen frequently?

A: It has happened in shows I have taken part. That's the time I thought this is not taking me far and left the modelling industry soon after I won the Miss Sri Lanka contest.

Q: Can such men be very forceful and pester you for days?

A: I have got a few crank calls. But I have been very professional and not encouraged the impression that I would be available.

Q: Would show organisers do such things?

A: I have noticed and I have heard so. Fortunately, I have not been a victim of that, because I don't hang around after a show but pack up my clothes and leave.

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