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... is not something she always practised, admits Irene Santiago. But shesure has learnt from her mistakes, and is well on her way to settingthings right!

HAIR + MAKE-UP MONICA LEE @ FACE PAINTTEXT SUZANE AVADIAR PHOTOGRAPHY SOON LAU @STUDIO ROM STYLING TENG

At 28, Irene Santiago is still somewhat flighty yet,thankfully, she still attempts to take things in her strideand make her schedule work. After almost IS years ofmodelling, the jobs are still coming in and Irene is gratefulfor that. This was not always the case. In the first fewyears of her career, she admits to having stepped on toomany toes!"I never used to be on time, and there have been occasions

when I have not even turned up for a couple of major jobs!"she exclaims. "Many people have not forgiven me for myinconsiderate behaviour and, quite frankly, neither have I.But I have learnt from my mistakes in being irresponsible,and changed," she adds."Modelling in Malaysia is very much like a job anywhere

else - it's what you make of it and, if you are willing to putin the work, it can take you places!" she asserts. Irene hashad her share of stints abroad, particularly Hong Kong,where she worked for three years. There, she was exposedto TV commercials, a few catwalk appearances and asupporting role in a film!

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"That was rather fun. It was a movie called IQ Dudetteand I had to playa ballet dancer! It was really intensebecause I was in a class training with 6-year-olds, andthey were picking up the steps much better than me.So eventually they put me in a tango class!" she laughs.These experiences have proved to be invaluable. "Modelling

is a fun industry, but not always as glamorous as manypeople think. I love the beautiful clothes, travelling, andworking with highly talented professionals but, at thesame time, being away from home and family can take its tollon you. The modelling world is not an easy environment tosurvive in but, still, I have been very lucky!" she points out.She came to realise that Hong Kong was an especially

difficult environment when she was out of a job for almosttwo months. It was very competitive because so manymodels always turned up for one job. But, somehow orother, doors still opened for her and she made ends meet.All these glitches were nothing but learning experiences,and they made Irene a little more dedicated and knowl-edgeable about her work.

One aspect that Irene certainly haslearnt from modelling is about fashionitself. It has influenced her personaltastes and preferences in more waysthan one. ''I'm rather fussy with whatI like, and this definitely stems fromthe fact that I have worked with a lotof designers and have learnt to tellthe difference between a good pieceof garment and bad work. I enjoydressing up in different looks to suitvarious occasions," she discloses.At the same tlme, Irene still finds

something to love about the works ofvarious designers - both local andforeign. She says this is definitelybecause she adores clothes. "I amparticularly proud of wearing Malaysiandesigners when I am abroad, such asMelinda Looi and Khoon Hooi,"she adds.In fact, when she is not working,

Irene is a little bit of a designer herself]She finds plenty of ways to resuscitateold clothes by spending time sewingon patches, sequins and anything else

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she can think of. "It's a little hobbythat I find to be very therapeutic,"she laughs.

LOOKI NG BACK

When Irene first got started in model-ling, back in I988, when she tookpart in the Miss BeeDees competitionand then in the Dewi Remaja pageant,the industry was quite different. Itwas shortly after the latter when shewas 'discovered' and asked to do herfirst television commercial for Jack 'nJill Potato Chips. Since then, she hasnever quite stopped."Back then, even KLwas very

different. Things have become farmore competitive now. Most ads thatwere aired on local TV had tobebuatan Malaysia, but these daysmany ads and talents are imported.There were also fewer talents forclients to choose from, so jobs andopportunities were plenty. Today,every trendy teenager is considereda talent, and there are new faces~verywhere," she stresses.So, if the competition is stiff, how

competitive do models actually getamong one another? "Honestlyspeaking, we just treat each other asyou would your colleague becausethe jobs go according to the client'sprerogative, and there is very little toactually compete about. It's notcompletely in your hands!" she explains.However, Andrew Tan of Andrew

Models says the sort oflook that'spopular today is the same look thatwas popular 20 years ago, especiallyin the local industry. "It's always beenthe Pan-Asian look because, in thecontext of our local industry, this lookcan easily relate to our multi-cultural

society," states Andrew."As a model and as a person, Irene

is very full of life, mischievous some-times, and always fun to work with.However, she must try to be morepositive in her outlook on life at alltimes to keep her integrity high,"he cautions.

that, as a model, watching the weightis expected."Still, I am way too skinny now, and

it is something I want to change. I thinkI am underweight because of my erraticand irregular diet patterns. I eat a lot butnot at fixed times, so it has contributedsignificantly, I guess," she declares.

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with a boyfriend once because of gossip."There were so many flying around

that it got to a point where he simplydid not know who to believe! That wassad," she recalls. Yet, at the same time,it was this job that allowed her to putfood on the table. So she simply tookthe good with the bad, and watched

"When I nrst started out, the partying was fun but then I got a littlecarried away and it stopped being fun. There was a lack of depth inthe life I led, and too much of it was just not good for me."

Another aspect that has not changedall that much, observes Irene, is thestigma and prejudice that come withbeing a model. Obviously people loveto tag. "There are many who do nottake models seriously, and the tag'body but no brains' is so commonlyused. I am quite used to hearing it, tothe point that I sometimes agree!"she exclaims."But I have been in it for nearly IS

years, have made a serious career outof it, and am not the only one who hasdone so! There are still many worsethings that people believe models arecapable of. That can hurt!" she states.Prom accusations of sleeping aroundto get a job, right down to warning"Watch your boyfriend around her!"Irene says that people are somewhatmore careless in saying what theyfeel when it comes to models.

MODEL DEMAN DS

Over the years, Irene's look hastransformed considerably. Prom acurvaceous and wholesome model,she is almost waif-like now. She admits

Keeping up appearances also became.a tiring routine for Irene after a while.Today, she is at a point where it hasbecome a drag. She has learnt thatdownplaying her looks sometimeshelps. Most of the time, she does notbother with make-up and she likesthat just fine.While clothes, fa~ade and life in

the fast lane are very much part of amodel's life, Irene remembers manyinstances when things were not sogreat. "When I first started out, thepartying was fun but then I got a littlecarried away and it stopped beingfun. There was a lack of depth in thelife I led, and too much of it was justnot good for me," she remembers.Being in the limelight also has much

negativity to it, she says, because itusually comes with plenty of gossip.Situations like this affected her andthe people she loves quite a bit. Sheremembers a time when she was stillan avid party girl, and there wererumours of her dealing with drugs.Her sister heard about this and wasterribly upset. She also had a break-up

her step more carefully.Perhaps this is why Andrew com-

ments that Irene's negative quality isalso her strongest positive one. "Irenecan be too critical of herself, but it'sthis form of criticism that maintains.a model's lasting power in the industry- you must be totally aware of yourselfbecause you are always in the publiceye," he affirms.At the end of the day, her longevity

in the industry has made her aware ofhow far Malaysian models have come.Today they are not so content to just sitback and wait for something to happen.Instead, they have become strongerand more adventurous in venturingabroad and taking on new projects.She rounds off: "Models have also

become more outspoken in terms ofmaking it known what they are com-fortable with, and now. This makes abig difference for them personallybecause, today, they can have a say." V

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