Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder which is an age old saying is probably what has made us so dependent on what others think of us. It is, in fact, the beheld whose opinions matter and that is what true beauty means. The importance given to the beholder runs so deep in our conscience that we all try our best to live up to the society’s standards of beauty. This transformation mission begins from the face which makes us susceptible to overreacting on one pimple, visit multiple dermatologists for treating acne, dark circle, scars and other skin imperfections, and spending lots of money on chemicals available on the market that claim to halt the changes that come with age. In a society such as this, there is one prevalent crime that helps the psychotic minds seek revenge by stealing someone’s identity: Acid Attacks.
Being a Victim
It sure isn’t an easy task trying to put to words the plight that a victim of acid attacks goes through. In the words of Monica Singh, an acid attack survivor, “The face- my identity- was stolen from me.” It just doesn’t end at losing your identity for after you recover, if you recover that is, your appearance becomes the center of all glares. Stares, filed with pity, that renders you weak, or disgust, which is more detrimental. Even if law serves justice to the victim, that sure isn’t a compensation for what the latter has to go through.
The Real Problem
The problem sure begins with things like easy availability of acid and the inability of the law and ts officials to catch the criminal on time, the real problem runs deeper. It’s what comes after is something that worsens the problem. Being isolated by the society based purely on your appearance is a trial much worse than the one which the criminal faces Monica while narrating her story goes on to tell how she tried getting a job in the fashion industry but was rejected, had to complete her graduation with half her face covered every time she went to college, and how difficult it had become for her to step outside her house because of fear of that unwanted attention she would be subjected to. The real problem thus begins with us. We who aren’t involved in the attack yet are equally guilty in ruining the life of those who are already going through hell.
Help Yourself to Help Others
This mindset of ours isn’t a problem for the victim so much as it is a problem for us. The foremost issue is the classification of beautiful and ugly. This distinction based on features that one has no control over is what reduces us to a level lower than that of animals we so proudly label underdeveloped. Next is our inability to make the victim feel comfortable, as if we don’t glare at them they’ll probably die or maybe we will. The last and final change needs to be induced in us is about the understanding of our own beauty. The first blow to a victim of an acid attack is that which comes with the loss of their own appearance. It is for all humanity to understand that beauty is only skin deep and the world is full of thin skinned people. Learn to love and accept people for who they are and not what they look like.
