'Of course there is discrimination against dark-skinned girls!'

What does a dusky skin model do when a fairness cream brand wants her to be the face of their product?

Being dusky hasn't exactly come in the way of Bangalore girl Nidhi Sunil's way.

The fashion industry, she says, love her skin tone.

Commercial modelling though is another ball game.

"(That) world wants light skin," she says.

So what did Nidhi Sunil do when she was shotlisted to endorse a fairness cream?

Read on!

How did modelling happen to you?

While I was studying law at Pune's Symbiosis CollegeI was scouted and I ended up meeting Elite Model Management.

They got me to to audition at Lakme Fashion Week and I was selected by the judges.

You are from Bangalore South. Would you vote for Nandan Nilkani (who is contesting as a Congress candidate from your constituency)?

I like Nandan Nilekani and I'd definitely vote for him.

It doesn't matter what party he works for.

I have heard inspiring stories about this man and I admire anybody who works at the grassroots level and climbs up the ladder.

Governing is very different from running a company and politics is different from business.

But I think politics requires a change agent and I am very hopeful that all the educated people coming in would help change the direction of the country.

It is very heartening to see good people joining politics with an aim to cleanse the system.

Have you considered joining politics too? :-)

I should doubt it.

I would like to be a model.

Then again (Tamil Nadu chief minister) Jayalalitha was a model and actor too before she joined politics.

So you never know!

What sort of challenges have you faced as a model?

I have been modelling for a while.

I have been the face of Garnier for two years and have done lot of editorial and campaign work

But I am not much of runway girl because I am not very tall.

Being dusky was not much of an issue; in fact I got a lot of assignments because of my skin colour.

The fashion industry loves my skin colour!

It's the TV commercial and (music) video world that wants a lighter skin tone.

about Nidhi Sunil's interview...

Kindly click here for full coverage of Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2014.

So, there is discrimination against dark girls!

Of course there is discrimination!

Especially when you want to do commercial work or print jobs for retail brands.

But as far as the designers and this part of the fashion industry is concerned (runway fashion, magazine editorials etc), it loves my skin tone, my body measurement etc.

I've always had a problem with my height but that hasn't really affected my career in the fashion world much.

You said you were the face of Garnier. So, there was no discrimination there?

I think that was a big decision on Garnier's part (to have hired me).

I had a contract with them for two years and the client told me that I was the duskiest girl they had booked so far.

In fact, I also got called in to audition for one of the fairness skin companies.

They said that it is easier to brighten a dark girl's skin tone.

Even though I was shortlisted, I didn't go for the audition because I don't believe in such rubbish products.

It disturbs me that I would be selling such a product.

I really find this trend of people wanting fair skin colour weird because as a race we are all brown.

We are all super-duper brown and I don't think anything can change your genetics once you are a full grown human.

Kindly click here for full coverage of Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2014.