A woman whose controversial participation in America’s War on Terror led to her being dubbed the ‘Queen of Torture’ has a very different career these days.
Alfreda Scheuer – a former CIA analyst who ‘gleefully participated in torture sessions’ – was bestowed the 'Queen of Torture’ moniker in a 2014 article in The New Yorker, which quoted a source who said Scheuer ‘bears so much responsibility for so many intelligence failures that she should be put on trial and put in jail for what she has done’.
Scheuer played a part in some of America’s biggest controversies amid the country’s war on Islamist extremist groups, brutal interrogations and secret detention centres included.
However, her new career path is a lot less controversial.
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Scheuer is now running a company called YBeU Beauty in a bid to help women ‘look good, feel good, and do good’.
Aside from recommending beauty products, Scheuer also runs life coaching sessions on the company’s Facebook page, in which she advises customers to ‘take a moment to express your gratitude and be glad’, Rolling Stone reports.
Scheuer famously served as Jessica Chastain’s inspiration for her role in 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty, which follows a CIA agent’s relentless hunt for Osama bin Laden.
The Kathryn Bigelow-directed film featured many hard-to-watch scenes, most notably in the form of stomach-turning portrayals of waterboarding, a violent interrogation tactic Scheuer refused to acknowledge as torture in a recent interview.
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The Guardian notes that a Senate investigation doesn’t allege Scheuer personally tortured any suspects.
Speaking to Reuters this year, Scheuer shared her thoughts on the CIA’s portrayal in government and agency reports, saying: “I got bloodied.”
She added: “[I] kept coming back to try again and again to do something. I’m proud that I wasn’t on the sidelines. I didn’t bury my head in the sand.”
As for her ‘Queen of Torture’ title, Scheuer said: “I got that title because I was in the arena. In fact, I raised my hand loud and proud and you know, I don’t regret it at all.”
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According to the news agency, Scheuer writes on her new YBeU Beauty site: “I know what it’s like to leave your comfort zone to try something new. I had finished a three decades + career as a senior government executive leading teams, mostly females, tasked with no-fail missions, taking smart risks, and even making life-and-death decisions.
"I loved every minute of it.”
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Topics: Politics