Wonder why career stops after becoming mother: Carol Gracias

Carol Gracias broke convention when she walked the fashion runway in March with a baby bump and the supermodel says that Indian women never shy away from celebrating womanhood unlike the common perception. She also doesn't understand why a woman's career should stop when she gets pregnant.

"I don't see why your career or your life or anything stops completely just because you are pregnant or you are a mother. It's something to be celebrated or enjoyed," Carol told IANS by giving references of some of her colleagues in the fashion industry like Sonalika Sahay, Laxmi Rana and Sapna Kumar who still rule the ramp despite being a mother.

"I think there are very few girls who had babies and are still working like Laxmi, Sonalika, Sapna and a few others. If you look at them, they look more fitter and gorgeous than before. I don't know what motherhood has done to them, but it has worked wonders," she added.

So is she also planning to join the gorgeous mothers on runway post delivering?

She said: "You have to see about that."

Born in a Goan Catholic family, Carol is a name to reckon with in the Indian fashion industry and is one of the highest paid models in India.

Apart from modelling, she also did a cameo in the 2006 movie "Being Cyrus". And prior to that, she appeared in the music video of the song "Right here right now" from the 2005 movie "Bluffmaster". She later went on to participate in the controversial TV reality show "Bigg Boss" and stunt-based adventure show "Khatron Ke Khiladi".

Carol, whose is married to a French journalist and businessman Samuel Ziza, again walked the fashion runway last week along with a few other expecting mothers for skincare oil brand Bio-Oil, which hosted the #YummiliciousWalk on May 7 - the eve of Mother's Day.

She says that Indian women never shy away from showing their baby bump.

"There are very few women in India who shy away from showing baby bump. I think most of the Indian women wear saris to go to work and this is the time when people notice baby bump. I think women in India work through pregnancy and there is a lot of manual labour.

"(But I feel) It's just that the media and the fashionable side of it has started coming to play right now. Everyone's pregnancy is different and it's upto their prerogative. Some wish to work regularly and others do vice-versa," said the 37-year-old.

Carol also says that enjoying motherhood and showing baby bump is not for setting trends.

"This is not a trend that is supposed to be happening. These things should be generally celebrated and done. I am glad that a brand like Bio-Oil has taken this step forward," she said.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians)

--IANS

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