Katie Piper has courageously told the most personal story of her life, how it developed after an awful acid attack that left her with a permanent scars on her face and hundreds of surgical procedures. Speaking in a heartfelt event to launch her memoir titled Still Beautiful, the Loose Women panel member spoke out about the trauma, the loss of one identity and finally the comfort she managed to find on the other side of unexplainable pain.
Taking her personal experience in her early twenties, Katie confessed that she used to consider her physical appearance very important. During her twenties, she actually thought that she was powerful because she was pretty, she said. In those days, I used to be treated differently. People paid more attention, doors opened quicker. And that was all upended in a minute.” Her speech pointed out at the minor yet quite noticeable social benefits that she used to have and that she lost due to a violent act that changed her life forever in a moment.
The rape happened in 2008, and was organized by a guy Katie was dating. She was partially blinded by the attack and suffered severe facial, neck and chest wounds. However, there were more serious and unseen injuries beneath the visible one. She had to contend with the ugly truth of no longer having what she thought to be of value, her good looks and then to carve out a means of self before she could do this without drawing any benefit of the so-called pretty privilege that previously had brought such reward in the society in which she lived.
Throwing acid on the body of a woman is aimed to remove her strength and make her feel like she is not worth anything in this world, Katie said with impressive force. However, the attacker thought he would causticize her, but Katie had to come on top of the violence with all the fighting spirit. She said: There is far more than is on the surface. I am here sitting now, and I have never been so powerful.
At age 41 today Katie has used her trauma to make meaning. She even teaches other burn victims and now she is a crusader on the subject of redefining beauty and resilience. By means of her books, speeches, and TV shows, she still makes the efforts to break old traditions of beauty and prove that strength, courage and self-value are not the things that can be seen with the skin. Denise is living testimony that even though scars may alter our physical appearance, they should not affect our value, or our voice.