A lady who was cruelly bathed with acid at age 15 after she turned down a marriage proposal, is set to become the new face of a designer fashion brand despite her deformity.
Acid attack survivor, Laxmi Saam
Acid attack survivor, Laxmi Saam was only 15 when a 32-year-old man threw the liquid chemical in her face after she turned down his offer of marriage.
Since then she has undergone a number of reconstructive operations and become an outspoken advocate against unregulated sales of acid.
"Face of Courage". Inspirational: Laxmi will represent Viva N Diva as part of its campaign they are calling "Face of Courage"
Now the 26-year-old from India has been chosen to become the ambassador of clothing retailer Viva N Diva, as part of its campaign called "Face of Courage".
She told the BBC: "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.
"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."
Viva N DivaLaxmi Saa to be the face of its new range of designer outfits for women, in a Viva N Diva campaign they are calling "Face of Courage". Motivation: The campaign is designed to give acid attack victims a platform.
There is no specific law to prosecute acid attackers in India, however there are around 1,000 incidents every year, with many going unreported, according to Acid Survivors Trust International.
In 2013, Ms Saa reportedly filed a petition to the Supreme Court of India which directed state governments to formulate a policy to regulate over-the-counter acid sales.
Viva N Diva decided to chose Ms Saa to represent their brand in a bid to change people's perceptions towards fashion by highlighting that beauty is more than physical features.
Ayushi Rastogi from the fashion company told the Hindustan Times their motivation was also to provide a platform for acid attack victims to shed their tag.
He said: "To the eyes that are used to seeing fashion models dolled up in front of cameras, this view was both disturbing and inspiring.
"For a moment, we saw beauty in a very different way and all that we could think of was to capture it in a way that gave it meaning.
“We have worked with Laxmi like we work with any other model — both in terms of payment and profit sharing as well as in terms of the shoot.”