Katie Piper

I don't know how many of you have been watching Katie Piper's My Beautiful Friends, but it is one of those shows that compels me to speak out about it. After watching a few of her shows now, including her original show that documented her post-attack, I've come to see how inspirational she is. Katie was attacked by having acid thrown in her face. I still can't get over the fact that another human being would do this to someone else, but I have since read about how common this is in other parts of the world as a revenge attack on ex partners. How Katie has dealt with it is remarkable and she is using her courage to influence other people who are going through similar situations. Aside from the obvious physical damage an attack like this has on a person, the psychological and emotional damage on a person, for me, is unimaginable. To be able to pick yourself up after this has happened and face the world again takes a huge amount of courage.

The show has completely put so much into perspective for me. I am here writing a beauty blog, and so obviously I like things that make us pretty. I don't obsess over the way I look but sometimes I have those off-days where I think I would like to make changes to my appearance. Things that drive this are the media which I think is the main culprit, aswell as negative comments I hear people say, whether or not they are even aimed at me doesn't make a difference, just hearing someone put someone else down for the way they look might be enough for me to scrutinise myself. I'm not talking about very often, but occasionally, I'm generally happy with the way I look. But this programme has brought back to the surface that adage we keep reminding ourselves every so often, that beauty is on the inside. It seems to get lost and forgotten about more and more these days. The way people have reacted to some of the people on this show quite frankly shocks and disgusts me and really they should be ashamed of themselves. Katie has set up her own foundation which will offer support for people in a similar situation to her as well as raise awareness for people who are unaware of the effects of being burnt. I commend Katie for dedicating herself to this and becoming a true role model that I think all young girls and grown adults alike can aspire to. I don't see a person that is disfigured when I look at her, but a beautiful, empowered woman who is making her mark on this shallow, fickle world we live in, redefining what beauty really is.

Please take the time to visit The Katie Piper Foundation

You can watch Katie Piper's My Beautiful Friends tonight at 9pm on Channel 4 or catch it later on Channel 4od.

(image courtesy of Google).