Monday, February 11, 2013

The Beauty Curse




The Beauty Curse

 A serious graphic novel about a world where jealousy knows no limits, and where being a pretty girl, Tat Marina, can mean risking your life. 

The Beauty Curse will be a rigorously journalistic full-length graphic book about an incident that happened in Cambodia in 13 years ago. A pretty young girl was drenched with acid in a truly savage assault that changed her life forever. The attack on Marina was not the first such case, but it was one of the worst, and it has become the best known in her homeland. There have been hundreds of other attacks since.

I spent almost four years living in Cambodia where I wrote about human rights for local, regional and international publications. I recognized that Marina's story brought together a wide array of troubling elements about life in her homeland. One of them is about how vulnerable girls and young women are to the untouchable Cambodian elite, who are immune to the consequences of their own actions, no matter how horrible. And yet it is such a powerful personal story about a girl who nearly anyone might relate to.

I first began to tell Marina's story after meeting with her and her brother in 2000, for an article that later appeared in Open City magazine. It was a difficult story to publish in a more popular publication, partly because it includes such cruelty. Acid attacks are a topic that few magazine or newspaper readers are readily willing to contemplate in any in-depth way, or at least that's what most assigning editors believe. 


Since then, I've often thought about whether there might be a better way to tell her story. I concluded that a sophisticated comic book, or graphic novel, was the answer. Drawings can make such a story less threatening and more accessible. During a journalism fellowship at Stanford University, I took part in a test run — a group of  students, two professors and I used my article about Marina as the inspiration for the fictionalized graphic novel Shake Girl.

Now I'm working with a team of artists, including Vrej Kassouny (who produced the draft drawings in the video above), to produce a rigorously journalistic graphic book that will tell Marina's remarkable story of survival and overcoming.

It is being prepared with a broad audience in mind, from graphic novel fans in the US, Europe, Japan and Korea, to very different readers in countries where such attacks are most prevalent, whether in Southeast Asia, Central Asia or the Middle East. We've initiated discussions with various individuals and organizations about how to translate the book into different languages, especially Khmer (which is the main language spoken in Cambodia). We will add to calls for justice in such cases, and join efforts to stir a sea-change in attitudes toward women across the region. The book will also include an addendum with suggestions to readers about the practical action that they can take to end this violence, whether in Cambodia or elsewhere in the region. But first, we have to complete the book.

Pledging is as easy as buying a book, CD or MP3 on Amazon.com.

Once we cross the funding threshold that allows this project to go forward, we will spend the following six months on additional researching, final interviewing, scripting, editing and drawing. After some final edits and corrections, the book will ship off to the printer by the fall.

There are some significant expenses involved, and that's where we need your help. Besides scripting and editing, we need to pay skilled artists to storyboard, draw and color the art itself, and pay for technical help with design and layout. Because this is a true story (with Human Rights Watch's name attached to it) we'll need substantial fact-checking, and because it's a global story there may be some travel costs. We'll try to keep all these costs to a minimum, but we may have to pay for photo reprint rights, and probably for Khmer-language translation. And finally there will be distribution costs such as postage, promotion and web hosting.

Should support for The Beauty Curse surpass the threshold necessary to trigger the project, overage will go toward further improving this book, and then toward funding the early stages of production of an interactive digital version.

Risks and challenges

There will be many challenges in making this book. The main one is to make it as creative as possible while hewing to reality with as much rigor as the best journalism. We aim to make high quality long-form journalism in graphic book form. 

There will be other challenges. Production of this book is, in some ways, like making a magazine. It is a broad collaboration by its nature. And yet we want to retain the intimacy of a great comic book with a strong, compelling singular voice at its center. 

After that, there are the deadlines, and the give and take on the art, to make sure that it represents the real world. We intend to portray Marina's broader world, and Cambodia, without merely reducing her homeland down to the nightmare that she survived. That is crucial because this is a story of survival in a complex universe where there are joys and horrors, and many moments in between.

But to take on those challenges, we first need to meet our Kickstarter goal, and that's where you come in.


19 comments:

Anonymous said...

From what had happened, that everybody was the act of savage done by Mr. Svay Sitha's wife.
To respond with the media critics on that matter, Mr.Svay Sitha was then State undersecretary has been promoted by Hun Sen to the rank of State Secretary.
What an ugly and painful mock !
(that might exist only in Cambodia).
And it's a real frustration for all Cambodia who can't do nothing about taht.

Anonymous said...

Where is that beast woman who did this to Ms. Marina? Wherever that beast woman lives, we the people must find her to stand trial for her crimes.

Anonymous said...

One of the injustices the Khmer Rouge had fought for is the elimination of a corrupt institution in government which includes among other things the elimination of the untouchable Cambodian elite, who are immune to the consequences of their own actions, no matter how horrible and unforgivable their actions can be. The Khmer Rouge period should have taught, but unfortunately it did not even at a cost of almost 2 million dead Cambodians, the Cambodian elite about what can happen when power changes hands in a society where violence against the weak is a daily norm.

The influence of Buddhism, a philosophical and religious teaching, that preaches tolerance, forgiveness, kindness, love, and compassion has not made much of a difference in our Cambodian society where indifference to the poor and the weak are clearly seen among many of those who profess to follow Lord Buddha's teaching.

The education system in the country, as far as quality is concerned, is in a mess. Those who are poorly educated usually get the top jobs as a result of their connection to the authority rather than their ability to do the jobs. Many students take pride in cheating during exams and bribing for a degree that is worthless for the holder with emptiness in his/her brain.

Chaos, lawlessness, injustice, ruthlessness, poverty and finally unsatiable greed from the ruling class shall rule Cambodia for many years to come. The future is uncertain and nobody can predict it with accuracy, but one thing is for sure and that is Cambodia will never be a match for Thailand and Vietnam, the 2 countries, especially the latter that will always pose threats to the survival of Cambodia as an independent nation with freedom and ability to direct its own destiny.

Cambodian population as a whole is tired of wars and revolution in general and will not risk their current stability and status quo, though much less than that desired and dreamt of, by rising up to demand real changes for the betterment of their lives, those of their children and the survival of their country.

Hun Sen has done so many things right for himself and his party, but nothing much in a long term for the average Cambodians and Cambodia! His action and policy are designed to sustain his rule at the cost of a country. He has finally beaten Sihanouk and the royals to the ground because of their indecisiveness and weakness of not being ready and willing to lose monarchy for the sake of the country.

Well, the royals have only themselves to blame for the eventual death of their monarchy slowly becoming irrelevant in our modern world.

Pissed Off

Anonymous said...

5:56 AM
Buddhism destroyed the rich Khmer Empire. The Cambodian Buddhists misled Buddhism which led to the destruction of the nation.

No nation can survive when a small nation such as Cambodia has million monks who do nothing but eating/relying on the innocence poor people to feed them. Now the enemy (Viets/CPP) use this Buddhism to collect cash from every temple in Cambodia.

This nation (Cambodia) was dead since after Buddhism was adopted as a state religion after late 13th century.

Most men, young and old racing to becoming monks and left the economy in cold, then later the economy collapsed.

For about 800 years Buddhism in Cambodia has not helped Cambodia to get up, but only to destroy her to further disappear like Tibet.

How many hundred more years do you think Cambodians will really understand Buddhism?

Gotama Buddha was not the only Indian man who preached lobe and peace, there're billion beings before him taught humans to becoming spiritual human beings.

Why blame on others while Cambodians who claimed Buddhists but practice evils? Buddhist temples scattering outside Cambodia are to make money only the same as in Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

Even Miss Univesre and Queens, her pussy is still smell fishy as street prostututes, nothing important.

Anonymous said...

7:48 AM
Are you telling the world that you are really stupid for not understanding what is the living thing? The living things are humans and are the things whatever can grow and can die.

The topic here is the small evil nation called Cambodia. The small evil nation that promotes evils and Crimes without punishment.

Why do you have to go down so low like 1/2 animal and 1/2 human?

You must be so ugly for being so upset with the title "Beauty Curse".


Anonymous said...

Mystery of "beauty" is not hard to unseal. Some have beauty but their characters depict their destiny would become. She is pretty among Cambodian women only, but her look no way can compare with other beautiful women around the world.

However the point I want to make is she looked so innocence and she enjoyed her youth proud of having a good look and her sex appeal erased her truly innocence within. Her sex appeal and proud to be pretty drawn many evil men wanted to take her into their beds rather helping or honoring her. Her sex appeal drawn more evils than good, it made her to becoming an object for pleasure, not a valuable lady to be adored and respected.

This is one of Karma of humans who have to repay their past debts. The physical body is not important when one reaches to a spiritual mastery.

Humans' bodies will be deteriorated but the souls remain the same. Marina Tat's physical body is fallen, but her soul remains pretty. She can save her soul by becoming a true spiritual being. Only the mighty electromagnetic field (GOD) of this universe can change if one really knows the path to peace & harmony.


Anonymous said...

9:53 PM,

Be careful! By what you wrote I believe you believe in Jesus thus Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged!

Your way of preaching your so-called eternal life-giving Gospel is something that turns other people away from your Lord and it is one of the reasons why I still have not believed in Jesus!

Anonymous said...

This cartoon guy reminded of Ta Mike!

SSI (Save Srey Incorportion)



Anonymous said...

Yes,where is the WITCH that behind this attacked of Tat Marina? I want to see how Ugly she is...Why act so savaged against another fellow human being because of her beauty? Please anyone post the picture of the men/women whose attacked Marina Tat?

Beauty is not a " curse" ugly women always jealious of pretty/beautiful women because of men wants women whose are beautiful that create competition among them led to jealousy and attack without mercy like many cambodians women victimized by acid attacked in Hun sen rrgime more than any other regime in cambodians' history because Hun sen regime fails to prosecute these perpetrators.Hun sen regime promotes thieves/thugs/murderers to high rank officer thatwise we called Hun sen a jungle law!

Anonymous said...

The length of the unaroused vagina of a woman of child-bearing age is approximately 6 to 7.5 cm deep.

If your penis is longer than 6 cm, you can make baby as normal.

Nothing great about pussy and beauty, Just mammal do what they do to keep original.

Anonymous said...

Remember Vagina is full of difference bacteria. Nothing great about beauty and vagina.

Anonymous said...

12:52 AM
I consider myself a spiritual young person and I believe in the Mighty One (Mighty Light/Fire, or Mighty Electromagnetic Field above all dimensions in the Universe). Lord Jesus was from the mighty Light/Electromagnetic field (GOD) to save humans from destroying themselves and destroying the planet earth.

I did not judge, but I remind the person for not be tempted -being sad, mad or too proud of the past physical body or believed that she is above all others on earth will lead her to suffer even more.

The physical bodies are not permanent, only the souls/spirits that are.

Anonymous said...

9:33 AM
Whatever you said, bow to your mother's Vagina the door that your head came out first. Don't forget to say "Thanks" to that Vagina of your mother who opened to let you out to see the sun.
How low class you want to entertain others that you are beast not human.

Anonymous said...

10:12 AM,

Right On!

Anonymous said...


9:33 AM/9:37 AM
You must be Svay Sitha's ex wife who threw acid on this lady named Marina Tat. If not why are you so mad and wrote comments such as a low class being.

Anonymous said...

You foolish people pay for smelly vagina bacteria and virus.

Every beautiful girls have their vagina smell like fishy.

Why do you follish people pay and die for vagina and beauty?

Anonymous said...

10:54 AM
tell it to your father who f* your mother's vagina to create you.

Anonymous said...

Ms Tat went into the karaoke industries, and the night club life willingly. She knew she was underage, but she took the job anyways. What the girls/women do at these night club are, they cater to men with money. If the men wants sex, they give them sex. They're pretty much whores and prostitutes. She walked into that life style, it's not like svay sitha found her on the street. Even her brother tells people it was Ms Tat fault for starting all of this affair. He blames her for all of it. If the Americans do their research correctly, you may soon find that my statement is true. Dara/stars like Ms Tat use their beauty and sex for money. It's all Karma! Karma that she will live with for the rest of her life.