Tsunaina is done with making 'beautiful images'. Although it's what the Nepali model turned musician is best known for, she wants to take back agency, to reveal her authentic persona, instead of surrendering to what other people project on her. “I want my images to feel emotional and sincere," she says, referring to narratives that fashion her into a mythical being, rarely opening the channel to show her vulnerable nature. "I intend for the image to feel like a story, as opposed to something that just looks nice," she confesses.
You may recognise her unmistakable features as the canvas for Pat McGrath's Mothership campaign in 2018. To hear Tsunaina tell it, the musician in her was crafted by choice, but the model was discovered by chance. After McGrath's team found her selfies on Instagram, her calendar filled up, despite being all of 5ft 5in, noticeably shorter than the leggy women who dominate the modelling business. She was quickly granted prized real estate in the portfolios of photographers Tim Walker and Paolo Roversi, not to mention about a dozen fashion titles across the globe.
What Tsunaina lacked in height, she made up for with her unique features which became the focus of photographers' and editors' vivid imaginations. On camera, she embodied fantasy...and that eventually became a gilded trap. Chasing financial security to survive in London, one of the most expensive cities in the world, she said yes to practically every project that came her way. "I'm grateful for modelling, it has given me so much. But from the beginning, it was a means to an end. I knew that it would have been stupid to say no to work, but I felt really stifled to be a canvas for other people's ideas constantly."
"People ask me about the political scene back home, but why do I have to answer for that? No one's asking Adele about Brexit"
Esta historia es de la edición May - June 2024 de VOGUE India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición May - June 2024 de VOGUE India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
HEART AT WORK
London is a stomping ground for many South Asian creatives. AKANKSHA KAMATH meets an artist, an author-stylist and the duo behind a first-of-its-kind label on Savile Row to see what their work desks reveal about their unique expression
TSUNAINA
Otherworldly and bewitching are two words associated with the multi-hyphenate model. But who is the person behind the sculptured mask?
Viscountess of Hearts
She was catapulted into the stratosphere as Bridgerton's leading lady in 2022, but Simone Ashley is quite enjoying the descent as the spotlight shifts to a new couple this season. Speaking with Grammy Award nominee and fellow South Asian artiste Anoushka Shankar, she reflects on navigating fame, where she's headed next and if her path will lead her to India
Waning and waxing
The terror of inherited trauma always made SHYAMA LAXMAN keep her mother at arm's length. Now, with both of them older and wiser, there's a new dynamic to their relationship
Three's company
For as long as she can remember, SADAF SHAIKH has only ever hung out with her friends in groups, rarely one-on-one. Finally, she enlists help to excavate her passive pal origin story
Welcome to paradise
In the heart of the Mediterranean, a sisterhood gathers to pray, paint watercolours and pursue peace through spiritualism. MEDINA TREVATHAN reflects on the heaven to be found within The Women Sanctuary
The long game
Tamannaah Bhatia knows exactly what her skin needs-simple rituals, serums and stress-free days.
Current affairs
Can you plug into better skin with microcurrent therapy?
Ice me out
Torture method or genius life hack? NIDHI GUPTA investigates whether ice baths are really as cool as they're cracked up to be
She's got the look
Pop on a Punjabi song, fill a bowl with ice and get ready to immerse yourself in Kriti Sanon's skincare universe