Katie Piper is the face you’d most likely see next to the definition of “success is the best revenge” if there were a book of life sayings as common as a dictionary.
In 2008 she was attacked by an ex-boyfriend who threw acid on her face with the intent to disfigure her for life.
Acid attacks are quite common in countries like India and Pakistan and women make up the majority of victims. We have heard countless stories of women whose husbands threw acid on them to permanently scar them or even kill them. In both of these countries, women do not have equal rights and violence is the most common way of maintaining control but in a horrendous and sickening manner.
Katie’s story shocked not just people in the UK, but people around the world to know that this heinous crime is not just happening in one region of the world.
Despite burns to her face and upper torso, Katie eventually recovered and many surgeries later, has been adamant about sharing her story to empower others in a similar situation.
Whatever intentions her boyfriend had when he attacked her, Katie is having the last laugh and then some as today she is a popular TV personality and her organization, The Katie Piper Foundation (which boasts of celebrity supporters such as Simon Cowell) is helping men and women around the UK find a new lease on life and rise above their tragedy.
In 2008 it was reported that she was an aspiring model, and although it may seem that being an acid attack survivor could’ve dashed those hopes, Katie is not only a regular on the runway, she is revolutionizing it.
At the 2015 Ideal Home Show in the UK, an event held in London which showcases inspiration and ideas for home owners, Katie disrupted the norm by putting on a fashion show, the very first fashion show in the UK where diversity was the ONLY thing you saw. There were two shows in total, on March 21 and April 3.
As the celebrity ambassador for the event, Katie went on the hunt for models outside of the typical agency radar.
“The Ideal Home Show and Katie Piper started the hunt for models that had suffered a life changing injury, undergone a serious procedure or had been born with a condition that had somehow changed their appearance to what many among us may assume would make them feel insecure. The whole premise of Katie’s inspirational catwalk show was to make visitors look at these models in a different light and make us realize that what we see isn’t always what we get,” said the website about the fashion show.
Some of the models were found through Katie’s foundation, and others through the awesome Models of Diversity agency which we are huge fans of, and the name of the show was appropriately titled ‘Confidence – The Secret’.
“It’s called Confidence – The Secret because confidence is something you can use to express yourself and convey yourself and it’s something I’ve used through several periods of my life. It’s not about trying to look and be perfect, it’s about a positive mindset and being the best version of yourself that you can possibly be,” Katie told the Daily Mail.
She is a big believer in the power of positive thinking, especially in the midst of a tough situation. It’s easy to focus on the negative aspects but when we choose to place more value on the good things, Katie says that is the secret to confidence.
“I can’t express how important positive thinking is. When I was recovering from my attack, I would write lots of little powerful notes and stick them around the room. Before I walk onto the red carpet, I have a mantra and always repeat to myself “inhale confidence, exhale doubt”; it really is so powerful. It’s all about looking at what you do have and not what you don’t.”
These are powerful messages we are definitely used to hearing, and writing about at our HQ. But when you see people like Katie Piper walking the talking and extending her confidence to other people who also need it, you realize how important it is to go beyond ourselves and use our circumstances to empower others when we can.
We all have different passions and talents that we can use as a source for good in the world. For Katie, she has successfully been able to combine her love of fashion and her horrific ordeal to breakthrough traditional norms of beauty.
“No matter what you look like, you can live a full life and that’s what I want to show with Confidence – The Secret.”
You can hear more of Katie’s thoughts on this impactful fashion show below.
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