from the dawn, this past july:
Aaminah Haq is the new queen of the fashion world - an almond eyed, bee-stung lipped, bankable blonde who's clearly having the most fun of all. It's no surprise that budding artist Salman Toor chose her as his muse for his Andy Warhol-inspired paintings (done in the manner of the pop artist's famous Marilyn Monroe prints), or that she won this past year's Lux Style Award for best model. Haq is hard to miss. Her conviction and confidence demand notice. It's in the way she dominates any picture she is in, in the way she walks down the ramp, in the quite regal proclamations that liven her conversation, and most of all, it's in her ostensible immunity to most criticism. If you dare, you can disparage her height or looks, but just don't label her mediocre.
At a funky burnt orange beauty salon in Karachi, we munch on some chocolates she has brought and chat about her career, her new look and her passions in life. Wearing a black ribbed turtleneck and jeans, she's barefoot and is at home at the salon, just as she is behind a camera. Very un-diva like at the moment, she puts her feet up and relaxes.Despite a hectic work and social schedule, she's on time.
"I am very particular about being on time because if I don't value other people's time, how will they value mine?" She states firmly. "If I don't take this all seriously, why would anyone else?"
And Haq takes her work very seriously. Even when she won the coveted award for best model last year, it only made her determined to work harder.
"Winning an award doesn't mean you are the best, it just means you did good work, so now you have to work even harder to feel you deserve that work," she says.
Her first love is fashion, which she says is not frivolous to her.
"It drives me. It's my passion. In fact, I originally wanted to be a designer and even attended the Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore for four years," she recalls. "But I left just before the finals because I knew if I didn't leave then, I would never be able to pursue my desire to do something that makes me happy."
The actress-model believes if it weren't for the opportunities that have come her way, she'd just be another girl sitting in Lahore twiddling her thumbs wondering when she was going to get married.
"I always wanted to be a strong, independent woman who is basically living her life by her rules."
The importance she places on strength and independence comes from her mother.
"I am very close to my mother," Haq shares, her voice becoming huskier. "She is my pillar of support, my inspiration and my greatest hero, for she is a success story and a living example to me."
Aaminah Haq's determination is her greatest strength. "I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to be a model," she shares. "I started reading magazines, calling people up. I kept approaching people and at first it was really frightening, but I had my mother with me."
She doesn't even bat an eyelid as she recalls the more difficult moments. "I was always overweight and shorter than other girls, and not conventionally pretty, so for the first five years, I had to work like a dog. I kept getting told I'm not pretty. I'd go through months when no one would call me for a job, but this was something I knew I wanted to do. I was determined to succeed at this. I wanted to be better than the rest and the best that I could be."
This "blind ambition" fuelled her career.
"My success is about ambition, drive and being at the right place at the right time," she believes, citing her inspirations as Linda Evangelista, Madonna and even Cleopatra. "It's about pushing boundaries. I believe, at the end of the day, nothing's impossible if you want it."
One thing's for sure: always expect the unexpected when it comes to this Scorpio.
"Gentleman prefer blondes," Haq quips when asked about her new blonde look.However, her Mona Lisa smile widens as she adds, "On a serious note, my new look is an extension of how I feel about myself right now. It's about saying 'Why not?' Why settle for a glass of milk when one can have hot chocolate with whipped cream on top."
A born chameleon and a creature of reinvention, this diva revels in change.
I'm always trying to consciously change the way I look and the colour of my hair because I believe you have to constantly reinvent yourself," she explains. "If it's not interesting to you, how can you make the person reading the magazines focus on you?"
Despite her love of control and her fervour for reinvention, Haq resolutely denies the current rumours of plastic surgery.
"I've always had this nose andface and am very happy with how I am. If anything, I wish I were a little taller," the 5'5'' model clarifies. "If I did have plastic surgery, I would love to look like Christy Turlington rather than what I am." She dismisses the rumours as a result of society's fear of strong women. "A woman who is intelligent and beautiful is a lethal combination and society just teaches us to try and tear down what we don't understand." (there you go shaby. the rumours are untrue)
Very hands-on, Haq likes having utmost control in her life and this time around she wishes to keep matters of her heart private. "After all," she jokes, "they are calling this my 'Renaissance."
Always a champion for the underdog, when Haq was younger, she wanted to be a child psychologist because she believes "people never take children seriously." Today, she speaks vehemently of the need to protect younger models.
"We need proper agencies and a modelling union," she explains. "There also has to be some sort of copyright law so that models won't be exploited by agencies. Modelling is a profession and so ethics are needed to protect younger models."
Haq is quite vocal about the importance of allowing new talent to enter the industry.
"The fashion industry must constantly evolve and allow new talent to keep coming in, be it new models, new photographers, new make-up artists or new designers. There is room for all of us and we all have to learn to work with each other and respect that.Pakistan has an incredible amount of talent that just needs to be recognized and given direction."
More self-assured than ever, Haq is determined to stand on her own two feet. She hates being compared to anyone and states, "I want to be seen as an individual and I want people to think of me as someone who stood out from the rest."
She sees herself as the alternative to more conventional supermodels like Vinnie and Iraj and is somewhat bemused by her sudden trendiness.
"I've always been this way. It's just now, suddenly, I'm cool!" She shrugs. "But, if I'm no longer 'in' in six months, I'll still be here and ready for the next Renaissance."
In the meanwhile, she will just enjoy the fame and continue to live each day to the fullest. Whether it is indulging in her favourite pastimes - cooking, reading, watching movies and travelling - or spending time with those near and dear to her.
The quintessential diva, she is masterminding her career with ruthless strategy and exceptional intelligence. Other models are taller and thinner, and some perhaps even more beautiful, but none possess Haq's hunger for success and the spotlight. Blind ambition? Probably. Blonde ambition? Definitely. Welcome to the Renaissance of Aaminah Haq.
crack
