Angela Paterson of Indianapolis has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery after she reportedly threw a bottle of acid at her son's girlfriend's face, causing "severe burns and blisters."

Bethany Storro now faces theft charges in connection with her fake acid attack — and one writer says there was far more than individual racism at work in her false accusation.

The acid attack hoaxer is just one in a line of women who have faked terrible things, in part to get attention. And while the result is often despicable, their motives can be complicated.

Bethany Storro claimed a black woman had thrown acid in her face August 30. But now she's admitted she did the whole thing herself. The obvious question: why?

Just days after Bethany Storro was attacked in a similar fashion by an unidentified woman in Vancouver, Derri Velarde of Mesa, Arizona is now recovering after having acid thrown at her face by another woman while walking to her car.