Reshma Bano Qureshi, a 19-year-old woman from Mumbai, taught the world how to apply red lipstick in a viral video last September. With her DIY toothbrush exfoliation hacks and lipliner shopping tips, Qureshi's beauty tutorial seemed like a pretty standard vlog—when really, it was anything but. Qureshi had survived an acid attack a year earlier, and she decided to team up with activist organization Make Love Not Scars to film the red lipstick tutorial—not to teach people how to apply makeup, but to raise awareness about the dangers of acid violence. By disguising her PSA as a beauty vlog, Qureshi sent a powerful message that was heard Internet-round. And now, just one year later, Qureshi will have another opportunity to make waves—this time on the runway at FTL Moda's New York Fashion week show.
Qureshi was traveling with her sister to an exam center in the city of Allahabad in May 2014 when she was attacked by her sister's ex-husband. He and his friends had come to take revenge on Qureshi's sister, because she'd taken their son after they separated. "He came to attack her with acid," Qureshi told the Daily Mail. "But before he could, I jumped for her rescue." The attack left Qureshi temporarily blinded, and her sister burnt her hands trying to help her. Passers-by refused to assist, and it took hours for anyone to call the police to get the girls to the hospital. After that, Qureshi went through nine months of skin graft surgeries, she lost her left eye, and she sank into a deep depression during her recovery. "The pain was unbearable, the smell was worse," she said. "I had to keep my face covered all the time so no one can see me." Her face still bears the scars of her attack, and she's certainly not alone.
Acid violence, the use of acid to attack another human being, is a phenomenon primarily affecting women and children. There's no official count of the number of acid violence incidents that occur each year, because they often go unreported by governments or community members. Acid attacks often maim, blind, and/or disfigure the person being attacked. Survivors are also often left with little to no legal recourse and have a difficult time supporting themselves financially after the attack. Acid violence can be fatal because medical and psychological assistance are often hard to come by. "Coming to terms with the trauma of the acid attack, the permanent scarring and disfigurement, and the loss of social acceptance are some of the biggest challenges a survivor will need to overcome," the Acid Survivor Trust International says on its website. "Despite these hardships and many others, many survivors can and do rebuild their lives." And that's why Qureshi is so passionate about telling her story.
The 19-year-old never imagined her journey would lead her to walk in a fashion show—let alone in a major international event like Fashion Week. She'd never left India, so the decision to go abroad and participate in New York Fashion Week was a big one. But she couldn't pass up the opportunity to raise awareness about what happened to her—and what happens to so many other women each year. "I had never in my wildest dreams thought of going abroad—let alone walking at a major fashion show,” Qureshi said. “I am just happy to have been invited for a big event like this and show the world that beauty lies in the soul and not in looks.”
We're excited to see her bringing some diversity to September's runways—and even happier to see her spreading her message on such a major platform. You go, Qureshi.
Watch a video of Qureshi learning she's invited to NYFW below.
Related:
- Women In India Are Using Snapchat Filters To Talk About Sexual Assault
- An Egyptian Teenager Died During An Illegal Female Genital Mutilation Surgery—And She Isn’t Alone
- This Nike Ad Celebrates Female Athletes In India, And It’s Awesome
Photo Credit: makelovenotscarsorg / YouTube
