An Indian model scarred in an acid attack took to the runway at New York Fashion Week to challenge preconceptions of beauty.
19-year-old Reshma Qureshi opened the FTL Moda show in an embroidered gown and beaded tiara by Indian designer Archana Kochar. Her catwalk appearance marked her first visit to the United States – and the first time she had left India.
Reshma’s face was disfigured after an acid attack in May 2014, when sulfuric acid was thrown at the then 17-year-old by her estranged brother-in-law and a group of his friends.
She has since become an activist for the Indian organisation Make Love Not Scars, which aims to give a voice to acid victims. As the face of the campaign to ban the sale of acid to the public, she has appeared in a beauty tutorial on YouTube, demonstrating how to get the perfect red lips – a video which has been viewed nearly 2 million times.
Acid attacks remain common in India, with around 1,000 estimated to take place every year. Predominantly, the victims are female. It is common that the victim will already know her attacker, often a relative who sees their behaviour as ‘dishonourable,’ or a man whose romantic advances they have ignored.
‘After the acid attack happened to me, I never thought in my wildest dreams that something like this could happen to me,’ she said. ‘That I would come to such a big place and walk on such a big stage.’
Reshma hopes that her catwalk appearance will give other acid survivors hope and confidence – and will remind others that beauty is more than skin deep.
‘This event was really important to me because what happened to me has happened to lots of other girls, and they’ll see me and this will give them courage,’ she added.
‘And it will also show people who judge people based on their appearances, not to ignore girls like me. My aim is that everybody should look at everyone through the same eyes, that I am just the same as any other girl.’
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