Iranian fashion designer employs women victims of acid attacks

By Haydar Sahin

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - A fashion designer in Iran’s capital is among those trying to provide support to women victims of acid attacks and raising awareness of their plight.

Amen Hadem said the perpetrators of such crimes aim to deprive the women of their beauty, but she believes they “have beauty beyond exterior looks” and that is why she employs them as models rather than using mannequins to showcase her creations.

“Employing victimized women goes against what their attackers aimed for: the imprisonment of women in their homes,” she said.

Each year, a large number of Iranian women are attacked with acid. Although the reasons may vary, the main purpose of the attacks is to mutilate them and exclude them from society.

The assailants may also vary and include spouses, relatives, bosses or rejected potential partners, but the aim of the attacks remains within the same framework.

The Iranian government as well as non-governmental organizations carry out various projects for the rehabilitation of women victims of such attacks.

- Aiming for social awareness

Hadem emphasized that her goal is to create social awareness by helping the victims reconnect to life. She stressed that a woman cannot be excluded from society “just because her skin is burned.”

Hadem has tried to reach out to her colleagues who usually work with models and to remind them that women are not just their skin color and size. She insists that women who have been victims of acid attacks can still be part of the social and cultural image.

"Female models are expected to be white, tall, and have 34 or 36 sizes. We employ completely different female models to prove that the mere existence of women is beautiful enough,” she said.

"A woman who has lost her external beauty can still be part of the social and cultural image of her society."

Hadem said she prefers white dresses for her project entitled "The Beginning." The reason for this is her belief that the color white implies the “beginning of life again.”

“White is the symbol of the beginning of everything. Therefore, white is the badge of being innocent and sinless. It also reveals fairness and impartiality, as it encompasses all colors.”

-Project well received

Masume Atayi, who has been a model for Hadem's work, said that two years after her divorce, her ex-father-in-law attacked her with acid for refusing to reconcile. Atayi, who lost her sight in the attack 12 years ago, said she first took part in Hadem's project about four years ago.

Atayi initially expressed concern that the project could be viewed negatively in society.

“I thought that this project would only be symbolic and that we would do something different from the understanding of modeling that already exists in the society.

“We wanted to raise awareness for women like me who were attacked. However, I continue to take part in this project because it has been received very well,” she added.

Leyla Karibpur, another acid attack victim, said she was attacked in front of her workplace four years ago for “unknown reasons.”

“I accepted Ms. Hadem’s offer to be a model. The public has yet to accept my face. I try to do my best to be successful in this business,” she said.

Such vicious attacks leave unhealable wounds on the souls and bodies of these Iranian women. However, with the help of committed Iranians, such women can be reintegrated into society.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report