Indian fashion retail brand, Viva N Diva, has a new face; prominent acid attack survivor and social activist Laxmi Saa.
Viva N Diva’s campaign titled Face of Courage will feature Laxmi as their new model for its latest range of designer outfits for women.
“This opportunity to represent an apparel brand was a platform for me to set an example for women like me to be confident and have courage despite their physical appearances,” Laxmi told BBC on becoming the face of the campaign.
Laxmi was attacked with acid at the age of 15 by a 32-year-old man because she rejected his proposal. Since then, she has become an active advocate against unregulated sale of acid and brutal punishment for the committers of this heinous crime.
“It felt cold first. Then I felt an intense burning. Then the liquid melted my skin,” said Laxmi recalling her spine-chilling experience.
“This was also a platform for me to send a clear message to criminals that women will not lose courage even after they are attacked with acid to destroy their physical beauty,” she added.
The retail brand revealed that they wanted to change people’s perception of beauty by creating awareness that real beauty is beyond physical attributes.
Laxmi shared the same vision and feels that such issues need more attention. “The problem is not just in being a victim but also your victimisation by the society. We are treated as if we are good for nothing and as if our lives are a waste,” she said.
A calendar featuring acid attack survivors inspired Rupesh Jhawar, Co-founder of Viva N Diva, to launch the campaign.
“To my eyes that are used to seeing fashion models with flawless skins dolled up in front of the cameras every day, this view was both disturbing and inspiring,” he told BBC.
“For a moment I had seen beauty in a very different way and we wanted to capture it – remove any speck of being a victim from those eyes and give them a stage, an employment, a platform, a medium to flaunt it with style,” he added.