Brave Indian acid attack survivor walks down the catwalk at New York Fashion Week

An Indian teenager who lost an eye and whose face was brutally disfigured in an acid attack walked the New York catwalk to whoops and cheers on Thursday in what she called a life-changing experience.

“I feel really good and the experience was great,” she said afterward, speaking in Hindi through a translator. “I feel as though it has definitely changed my life.”

She was invited to take part by FTL Moda, a fashion production company committed to challenging industry stereotypes of beauty and which last year invited a model with Down Syndrome to take part.

Qureshi, whose ambition remains to finish the last two grades of high school and go to college, said she hoped her participation would send a powerful message to other acid attack survivors.

“Why should we not enjoy our lives? What happened to us is not our fault and we’ve done nothing wrong and so we should also move forward in life,” she said the night before the show.