But “ugly” was properly introduced to me when I was invited to my first princess party, aged four, when I was denied a princess costume. Although the comment was swiftly removed and dismissed as nonsense by colleagues and friends, it hurt – a lot. UGLY has been featured in multiple titles, including: The Guardian Saturday Magazine, The Independent, Sunday Times Style, ES Magazine, Independent. We live in a society that not only encourages us to obsess over our appearances – but where those who control the narrative of what is or isn’t 'attractive' are those who profit from our insecurities. Incidents like this were constant, and there was an invisible free gift with purchase every time: the underlying message that my money wasn’t valued and I didn’t matter.

There's a huge chasm between those two things and it's hard to flip that switch and switch your entire idea and vision of yourself overnight. I decided I was fed up with self-hatred and desperately looked for a book on body image before I spend a sick amount of money on beauty treatments or even worse get into an unhealthy obsession with food and fitness. My biggest wish is that the book can help people step away from feeling like their beauty is dictated by external forces. Sure, my (now almost-perfect) ability for matching colours was a bonus, but this was teaching me more about beauty standards and the industry than I ever knew. I want to remember that our relationship with beauty and the way we look should be all about celebration — because there has to be a better way than the never-ending feeling or not enough, and ugly.I think we’re making some surface progress [in shifting white-centric beauty ideals] but I deliberately titled the chapter on race ‘whiteness’ because if you’re a person of color you know how racism and the legacy of colonization has created both an unfair social system, and an inherent Eurocentric bias in beauty standards. It really sticks with you and alters your perception of yourself, which is why it’s so powerful,’ says Anita, 39, who lives in London. L’Oréal’s Professional Product Division and The Industry's new collaboration is dedicated to highlighting the importance of.

Perhaps the biggest shift was learning why I’d reduced my self-worth to being entirely defined by how I look, and that made me realise how imperative it was to root my self-esteem elsewhere, in the qualities that really define me – my character and positive traits. Each chapter delves into a different intersection of beauty standards – from age to body size, race to pretty privilege – and the unrealistic expectations within them. Part of this, I think, is that there’s more respect for older generations, which is a cultural norm across much of Asia. I’m an award-winning journalist who explores beauty culture and questions the power that pretty privilege has over our lives. That hits hard for those who felt mocked or ugly because of their lip colour: in my early twenties, a girl on a make-up counter actually covered my lips with pale concealer before applying a pink lipstick over them to “even them out”.I just want to find a way to age that mirrors the disinterest my mum has in it; one that doesn’t feel like my beauty and worth diminishes with every year.

The personal experiences I explore in the book bring together the elements of politics, history, science and psychology of beauty standards,’ she explains. Not only does this help our own self-esteem, but there’s a knock-on effect for anyone we happen to influence – from our children to our peers. I knew women’s magazines could and should be better, more empowering and more inclusive and I wanted to drive that agenda forward. Until we know where that comes from and why that happens, it’s really hard to distance and protect yourself from it.My passion for beauty products may have started with the carefree joy of a bright green mascara, but I’d become hooked on the idea that they could make me look more “acceptable”. Send her, she can walk it over,” one of the many sinewy blond editors said, gesturing towards me as if I was a pot plant.