FROM TRAGEDY TO ADVOCACY: RESHMA QURESHI’S FIGHT FOR ACID ATTACK SURVIVORS

Reshma Qureshi’s viral beauty tutorial started like any other makeup guide, featuring red lipstick, but it ended with a powerful question about how easily a person could buy concentrated acid in a market. Reshma understood the devastating consequences firsthand. On May 19, 2014, when she was just seventeen years old, she was ambushed on her way to an examination center in India by her sister’s estranged husband and a group of men. The horrific acid attack left her with severe facial disfigurement, the loss of her left eye, and years of physical and emotional trauma.

Supported by the non-profit organization Make Love Not Scars, Reshma turned her pain into purpose. She starred in beauty-style videos that delivered a vital message: while lipstick is simple to purchase, acid should not be just as accessible. The campaign demanded a strict ban on the unrestricted sale of acid across the country.

In September 2016, at age nineteen, Reshma walked the runway at New York Fashion Week in an elegant gown designed by Archana Kochhar. Her presence challenged global beauty standards and encouraged other survivors to step out of the shadows. She boldly reminded the world that what happened to them was not their fault. Reshma later published her memoir, Being Reshma, detailing her journey in her own words. Through her media campaigns, fashion appearances, and book, she continues to advocate for survivors, demanding proper medical treatment, equal opportunities, and a public life free from shame.