Acid attack victim becomes the new face of designer fashion brand

Laxmi Saa was 15 when a 32-year-old man threw acid at her after she rejected his marriage proposal.

An online news website, mashable.com reports that Lasmi who is now 26 years old, has become an advocate for women affected by acid attacks, a widespread form of gendered violence in India.

This week, a little known Indian brand called Viva N Diva made headlines around the globe when they announced that instead of choosing from the typical roster of models to serve as the face of its new campaign, they would be using Laxmi Agarwal, the victim of an acid attack, as a part of their newly founded “Faces of Courage” initiative. The attack left her with burn marks and scars all over her face and neck.

Acid attacks, particularly on women, are unfortunately rather common in India. “Then other survivors saw that if I could do it, why couldn’t they?” Then the liquid melted my skin.

Saa is the first in a proposed series of acid attack victims who will model for Viva N Diva, according to the Hindustan Times.

Her objective for taking on the fashion project eclipses the reasoning behind most ad campaigns – she says she wants to “set an example for women like me to be confident and have courage despite their physical appearances”, as she told BBC.

Through the campaign, Laxmi wishes to send a clear message to the attackers that women will not lose their courage even if their physical appearance is destroyed with acid.

The campaign generated a wave of positive responses on Viva N Diva’s Facebook, where people commented, “We all need this kind of courage” and “I bow my head with respect”.

There are around 1,000 acid attacks each year in India, estimates the United Kingdom charity Acid Survivors Trust International, but the country still doesn’t have specific laws to prosecute offenders.

Talking to BBC, co-founder Rupesh Jhawar explained the reason behind his choice, “To my eyes that are used to seeing fashion models with flawless skins dolled up in front of the cameras everyday, this view was both disturbing and inspiring”, he said.

It is heartening that brands like Viva N Diva choose to shed light on this very bad, deplorable act while also giving victims a chance to regain their confidence.