The Untold Truth Of Shanina Shaik

Supermodel Shanina Shaik is one of the hottest names in the industry. The Australian model rose to fame on the Victoria's Secret catwalk, although she had been in the industry for years before getting the break that catapulted her to international fame. Long before she was a Victoria's Secret angel, Shaik was struggling to make it in the modeling industry. She appeared on the show Make Me a Supermodel in 2008 where she finished as runner-up. After that, she moved to New York and began booking modeling gigs. In 2011, she landed the coveted job modeling for Victoria's Secret and the rest is history.

The fashion icon's glamorous life hasn't been as perfect as it seems on the surface, though. Shaik has faced some rough times in her life and has had to battle racism to make it to the top. Here's an inside look at one of the world's most beautiful supermodels.

Shaik's ethnic background is mixed. Her mother is Lithuanian and Australian while her father is Pakistani and Saudi Arabian. This unique background provided her with a multicultural upbringing, but it also meant that she didn't always fit in with her peers. "I had a very normal upbringing even though I didn't look like the average 'Aussie' child growing up in Australia," she told Vogue.

Her ethnic ambiguity, along with her dark skin, also meant that it was sometimes difficult for her to find work. "I was raised as a Muslim and my brother and I had a darker complexion than most kids in Australia," she said. "Later on in life, there were moments where I found it difficult to book jobs because no one knew what category I fell under. I wasn't quite light or dark enough."

Moving to New York was a game changer for her career because she finally felt that her look was accepted. "Clients were finally interested in my cultural background [and] appreciated my strong Australian accent!" she said.

Thankfully, Shaik's family provides a strong support system for her. It was her mom who helped her deal with being bullied during her childhood. "My mum really supported me and guided me," the model told Rose Inc. "She told me, 'You're going to make other friends, and it's best to stay away from the bullies. This is not forever, and they're jealous of you.'"

Shaik's parents divorced when she was a child and her mother had custody of her, but her dad is still present in her life. The model celebrated her dad on Father's Day in 2019, posting a picture of her with her dad on Instagram. In the caption, Shaik refers to her dad as her "first love."

The model has also said that her father is supportive. "My father is very open to my job and understanding and he is very grateful for the woman I have become," she told Emirates Woman. "I'm a very sophisticated and respectful woman. I had a great upbringing and a great lifestyle with my sibling."

Shaik may have risen to fame by strutting her stuff on the catwalk, but when it comes to her personal life she's all about dogs. She told Chic Management that she left two dogs, Ralphy and CK, back in Australia. After moving to New York, she adopted a French bulldog named Choppa.

Choppa features prominently on the model's Instagram page. She regularly posts pictures from the pooch. It's clear that their bond is tight; one picture shows the pup snuggling up to Shaik in bed. In November 2018, Shaik revealed on Instagram that Ralphy, one of the family dogs she left back home, had passed away. The model was clearly devastated by the loss, and the tribute she posted to him reveals just how deeply she loves her furry pals. "Ralphy thank you for being a part of my life and loving me," she wrote. "I didn't just lose a pet, I lost a part of my family."

There's a commonly held belief that models don't eat very much. While Shaik is careful about what she puts into her body because she needs to maintain her physique, she does enjoy some delectable dishes. She told The New Potato that she hasn't had soda since she was 16, but that she does indulge in some decadent treats. "For breakfast, I'd have an egg white omelet with spinach and feta and vegan pancakes," she said, describing her perfect food day. "Lunch would be steamed roasted snapper with okra. For dinner, I'd have anything Chinese/Malay cuisine, and dessert would be lots of ice cream and warm chocolate cake."

Shaik certainly knows her food, something that was at least partially influenced by her upbringing, where she was exposed to different cultures. "Growing up I was always taking on everyone's culture and being very worldly and understanding travel and the very different cuisines, which I loved as I'm a big foodie," she told Emirates Woman.

As someone who has been bullied herself for the way that she looks, Shaik is all about empowering people to be comfortable in their own skin. The model is a supporter of body positivity. "Every woman was born with their own body type and shape," she told The New Potato. "Don't ever compare your body to other women or even the runway models. Work on your body to the best of your ability and be sure to train and workout for your body type. No one is you!"

As a representative for the Good American clothing line, which aims to be inclusive of different body types by carrying clothes in sizes 00 to 24, Shaik is excited to see the fashion industry shift to being more accepting of diverse sizing. "I think it's important that any brand or the fashion industry involves all women," the model told TooFab. "We're the ones buying at the stores, we love buying clothes and feeling good about ourselves, and the world is made up of all shapes and sizes and colors... I think that's really nice that we represent that in all brands."

Shaik married her boyfriend, DJ Ruckus, in April 2018, but just over a year later, in June 2019, filed for divorce. She might be single for now, but Shaik is clearly a powerhouse who is fine on her own. That doesn't mean she'll never settle down, though. The model previously expressed her desire to have children one day as well as continue to grow her career. Shaik has big plans for her future and it's doubtful that a divorce will slow her down, even temporarily. 

"I add to my dream board all the time," she told  Rose Inc. in February 2019, just a few months before her marriage ended. "All those things on my dream board I want to conquer. Eventually I want to have my own business, be an owner-entrepreneur. Personally, I'm thinking about a family and when to settle down and have all that as well. But there are so many things on my dream board that I need to tick off and want to do."

Modeling isn't Shaik's only passion. She also loves to act, and we might be seeing more of her on the big screen in the future. She's made several appearances in TV specials, shows, and movies as herself, and also has a growing list of acting credits, making her big screen debut in 2017's The Mummy playing a princess. "It's a small part, a cameo," she told The Daily Telegraph while filming. "But I'm just so excited this is my first movie. For five years, I've had offers for auditions and acting roles, but I never had the confidence to go ahead."

Now that Shaik has gotten her feet wet, she's ready to embark on more roles, telling Vogue that if she wasn't a model she'd turn to acting full time. She said that acting "is something that I actually would like to pursue more of in my career."