An Indian acid attack victim, Reshma Qureshi, who lost an eye and whose face was brutally disfigured in the attack, walked the New York catwalk to whoops and cheers in what she called a life-changing experience.

19-year-old Ms. Qureshi brushed off nerves to stride the runway like a pro in a stunning cream and floral floor-length gown by Indian designer Archana Kochhar on the first official day of New York Fashion Week.

The Hindu reported, she said that, “I feel really good and the experience was great.”  “I feel as though it has definitely changed my life.”

FTL Moda, a fashion production company committed to challenging industry stereotypes of beauty invited Reshma to take part in the event.

It also invited a model with Down Syndrome to take part during the last year.

Ms. Qureshi hoped her participation would send a powerful message to other acid attack survivors. “Why should we not enjoy our lives? What happened to us is not our fault and we’ve done nothing wrong and so we should also move forward in life,” she said the night before the show.

“I want to tell the world do not see us in a weak light and see that even we can go out and do things. People have a tendency to look at acid attack survivors from one perspective and I don’t want them to look at them like that anymore,” she said.

An estimated 500 to 1,000 attacks take place each year in India. They rarely kill they leave severe physical, psychological and social scars that can see victims ostracized and hidden away.

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Nandini