Katie Piper just shared a video about visible hate, and it’s an essential watch
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- Hollie Richardson
- Published
Katie Piper has shared a powerful video that highlights the hate crime experienced by people with a visible difference.
There’s a reason Katie Piper was named Mentor of the Year at last year’s inaugural Remarkable Women Awards. For many women, Piper is someone to look to for strength and inspiration, a person who has overcome immense trauma in her life and uses that exact journey to inspire, educate and change the lives of others.
She regularly shares messages about tackling self-doubt, practicing kindness and beating the bullies. That’s why the latest video that she has shared on her Instagram is so powerful and important.
It features campaigners who live with visible differences talking about the hate that they receive every day because of the way they look. Brenda Finn, Adam Pearson and Tulsi Vagjiani all share the realities of what this is like.
“If I was you, I’d kill myself” they recall being told.
“Such a shame about that birthmark,” is another comment.
“You? You don’t look like a woman,” Vagjiani remembers someone saying to her.
Piper shared the video, captioning it: “Very powerful video from @changingfacesuk featuring @tulsidivine108 @brendafinn_ @adam_pearson_tv This will be an uncomfortable watch for some people but for others it’s their daily life.”
Changing Faces is a UK charity for everyone with a scar, mark or condition that makes them look different. It is working on a future where people with a visible difference on their face or body has the confidence, support and opportunity to lead the lives they want.
Part of this mission involves ending the visible hate that people experience in their daily lives.
According to the charity’s new research, seven in ten people experience negative behaviour such as stares, abuse and bullying because of how they look. Over a quarter (28%) of people with a visible difference have experienced a hate crime. Almost half of those who have experienced negative behaviours say they have lost confidence. And over a third (35%) say they now feel anxious when they go out and over a quarter (27%) say it has had a negative impact on their mental health.
This video should be an uncomfortable watch, only because we must do better to help eliminate such targeted hate towards individuals.
Image: Getty