I wrote The Balance of Beauty Explodes the Body Myth when I was in my early thirties, more than thirty years ago, and if I look back now, it was ultimately borne from my own challenges. Growing up in Apartheid South Africa gave me an understanding of how it felt to be rejected and beaten on a daily basis for my differences.

At the other end of the scale, my career in the fashion and beauty industry gave the opposite experience. What didn't make sense to me was that I was the same person, being either embraced or rejected purely because of my differences and the way I looked.

From these extremes of experience I came to understand that while it is important to care for the outside and be the best version of ourselves at every age, it is our humanity and what we bring to the world that makes us truly beautiful human beings.

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The philosophy uses the acronym 'BEAUTY' and serves as a reminder that for real beauty to be a part of my life I need to incorporate self care and self acceptance. I need to understand the fragility of the human body and embrace the strength of the human spirit, knowing that we all possess beauty at every age and every stage of our lives.

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After all 'BEAUTY' is not about masculinity or femininity, but about humanity and the divine differences we all bring to the world.

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I incorporate this philosophy in all of the work that I do as a reminder that when we remove the stress of needing to look a certain way to be valued, accepted and loved, we can live peacefully with ourselves and others and feel confident in our skin. And when we do, we will naturally look and feel our best.