Acid attack victim Katie Piper: It's offensive to give yourself fake burns and scars for Halloween
'Some of us have these visible differences all year round,' television personality says
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Your support makes all the difference.Katie Piper has urged people to think twice before dressing up as “accident victims” for Halloween.
The television presenter and author sent a poignant message on her social media channels after viewing over 20 photos of make-up artists showcasing “gore make-overs” including burns, scars and disfigurements for Halloween make-up which she has branded "offensive and distasteful".
“I enjoy Halloween just as much as the next person but please don’t dress up as someone that has had trauma happen to them,” she wrote. “Pumpkins, witches, cats, bats, whatever but not someone who has been seriously injured please.”
Piper was left with third-degree burns over her face and body after her jealous ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch arranged for sulphuric acid to be thrown over her in 2008 when she was 24 years old. She has since had almost 100 corrective surgeries and been left permanently scarred by the incident.
In the post, Piper reminded her followers: "Some of us have these visible differences all year round. When did Halloween turn into people imitating accident victims?"
The model’s large social media following and popularity allows her to keep fans up to date with the trials she is still put through as a result of the attack. Just last year, she sent updates from hospital where she was having another operation on her throat which sustained burns in the attack after she swallowed some of the acid.
Since her attack, Piper has become a prominent campaigner for people living with disfigurements as the result of an accident. She broke her anonymity in 2009 to feature in a documentary about re-building her life. She later set up the Katie Piper foundation which supports people with burns and scars.
The founder and chief executive of Changing Faces – a charity which supports people with disfigurement – Dr James Partridge OBE supported Piper’s statement telling The Independent: “Halloween is about having fun but it’s important to have fun whilst respecting people’s differences.
“Some of us have scars and unusual faces all year round and Halloween can be a distressing time when you feel that lots of people are mimicking you, even if unintentionally. Our message for Halloween is to have lots of fun but to have lots of respect as well.”
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