Beauty / Acid Attack Survivor Stars In Viral Makeup Tutorial Videos

Acid Attack Survivor Stars In Viral Makeup Tutorial Videos

Beauty Sep 27, 2015

by Abbas Somji

“You’ll find red lipstick easily in the market, just like concentrated acid,” says Reshma Qureshi in a makeup video tutorial on YouTube. “This is the reason why everyday a girl becomes a victim of an acid attack.”

Reshma Qureshi speaks from experience. The Mumbai native survived an acid attack in 2014, when her estranged brother-in-law and his friends pinned her down and doused her face with acid.

The attack left Qureshi, now 18, with a severely disfigured face, partial blindness and in need of expensive cosmetic surgery.

With no financial assistance from the Indian government, Qureshi turned to Make Love Not Scars, an advocacy group that helps acid attack survivors with the ultimate goal of eradicating the violent attacks altogether.

The organization teamed up with Qureshi to launch a crowdfunding initiative on Indiegogo to cover the costs of her surgery. Now, she’s a spokesperson for the group, starring as the unconventional face of makeup tutorial videos to raise awareness about the practice.

_{^{Photo credit: Make Love Not Scars}}

From suggestions on how to get rid of dark spots naturally (a considerable challenge in Qureshi’s case, who opts for a hat if all else fails) to how to get the perfect pair of red lips, Qureshi’s videos have garnered more than 1.6 million views on YouTube, and have led to the trending hashtag #EndAcidSale.

She’s urging viewers to sign a petition to help enforce a ban on the open sale of acid. At the time of this article being published, the petition had more than 242,000 signatures.

The petition implores India’s prime minister to crack down on the “unregulated availability of acid in the market.”

According to the letter, “That acid continues to be easily available is reflected in the alarming rise of over 250 per cent in the number of acid attacks between 2012 and 2014.”

To watch Reshma Qureshi’s videos, visit the Make Love Not Scars YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-ofjOwCFt-jJPES60XKbw

_{^{Main photo credit: Make Love Not Scars}}

Abbas Somji

Author

Abbas Somji is a broadcast journalist and producer, and has worked for media outlets across the country, including the CBC and Omni Television. A Toronto native with a background in delivering the hard news, he enjoys covering stories on pop culture & entertainment. Twitter: @abbassomji

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Acid Attack Survivor Stars In Viral Makeup Tutorial Videos

by Abbas Somji

“You’ll find red lipstick easily in the market, just like concentrated acid,” says Reshma Qureshi in a makeup video tutorial on YouTube. “This is the reason why everyday a girl becomes a victim of an acid attack.”

Abbas Somji

COMMENTS

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