'My Scars are Beautiful' fashion show in Uganda embraces scarred bodies

A charity show called 'My Scars are Beautiful' took palce on Scar Appreciation Day. The event held in Kampala Saturday (Oct 22), also celebrated different body shapes and rare conditions and diseases.

Winning the fight against stigma surrounding scars one fashion show at a time.

Ugandan fashion store Khatz Moniq Apparel organized a charity show called 'My Scars are Beautiful' on Scar Appreciation Day.

The event held in Kampala Saturday also celebrated different body shapes and rare conditions and diseases.

A source of pride for Monica Khatokho, the creative director of the brand who herself underwent two life saving surgeries leaving her with scars.

"This event here is a show with a cause, a noble cause", Khatokho starts off.

"We want to encourage the plus-sized women out there to feel beautiful just the way they are. The same goes to people with scars". 

"I hated myself before, because of the scars. But the moment I accepted that, yes, this is something I cannot change about myself, that acceptance was healing to me."

For the first edition of the event, male and female models took part in a one-day audition before they were shortlisted to parade on the catwalk.

Scars, proofs of life

If scars remain frowned upon in different parts of the world they are in fact proof of life. Indeed, most injuries, except for minor wounds that heal quickly, result in scarring. Each scar therefore has a story. This message was important for models.

"I got my scars in 2011", Lucy Kemigisa recounts.

"It was a fire accident. The house at home caught fire from a candle, and I was in there sleeping. I got burnt. I spent a few months at the hospital, and that’s how I got the scars". 

"This event means so much to me. With the theme 'My Scars are Beautiful,' it brings out what we've always wanted to hear. Like, having scars doesn't make you ugly. Yeah, you are beautiful, but in a different way", the model concludes.

The event held at the Mestil Hotel in the Ugandan capital backed a cause. Indeed, the proceeds from the charity fashion show will go towards an organization that is being set up to support individuals with scars, according to local media.

The contemporary ethical brand plans to continue to celebrate the diversity of beauty.