When Laxmi Saa was 15 years old, she was on her way to work when someone came up behind her and tapped her on the back. When she turned around, that person threw acid in her face. What did she do to deserve this? Reject her attacker’s marriage proposal. “It felt cold first. Then I felt an intense burning. Then the liquid melted my skin,” she told the BBC, recalling the experience. The attack left large burn scars on Saa’s face and neck. Since then, the BBC reports that Saa has risen to become “one of India’s most outspoken advocates against the unregulated sale of acid, as well as for harsher punishment for the perpetrators of acid attacks”. And now, she’s landed an advertising campaign for a fashion brand too.

The campaign is for Viva N Diva, a leading manufacturer and distributor of designer saris based in Surat, India. According to the company’s co-founder, Rupesh Jhawar, the idea of casting Saa in the campaign came from a calendar he saw which featured acid attack survivors. “To my eyes that are used to seeing fashion models with flawless skins dolled up in front of the cameras everyday, this view was both disturbing and inspiring,” he said. “For a moment I had seen beauty in a very different way and we wanted to capture it – remove any speck of being a victim from those eyes and give them a stage, an employment, a platform, a medium to flaunt it with style.”

For Saa, the campaign was a way that she could help empower other acid attack survivors. “This opportunity to represent an apparel brand was a platform for me to set an example for women like me to be confident and have courage despite their physical appearances,” Saa told the BBC. “This was also a platform for me to send a clear message to criminals that women will not lose courage even after they are attacked with acid to destroy their physical beauty.”

Watch a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot below:

h/t BBC