OK, so this post is a little ode to Prince.

But it’s also something I’ve been meaning to write about for ages. Beauty. Being beautiful. What is it? Who has it? And what the devil is it all about?

Could YOU be the most ‘beautiful girl in the world’?

Abso-bloody-lutely.

Because beauty isn’t about how you look necessarily. It’s about so much more than that. And of course, it’s all in the eyes of the beholder.

I look at my daughter Elsie and I swear to you, as God is my witness, her face is the beautiful I have ever seen or will ever see in my lifetime.

To me she is the ‘most beautiful girl in the world’. But how can I enable her to feel that way about herself, as she grows older. As she becomes bombarded with suggestions and messages that perhaps she is somehow not enough?

As a mum to a girl, I think about this a lot.

It’s even sometimes kept me awake at night, the thought that one day, she may think for one second or be made to think by someone else that she is ‘not enough’ when in actual fact, she is everything, the embodiment in human form of heaven to me.

So here’s what I’ve come up with. Here’s what I hope to tell her about beauty as she gets older.

Here’s how she can be – and you too – the most beautiful girl / woman in the world.

1. Beauty is more than skin deep. It’s your smile, how you move, the curve of your hips, the way your hair falls. It’s how you portray emotion through your eyes, it’s that little wink you give to loved ones, its’ the way you squeal with happiness. Beauty is not just about how you look, it’s about what comes from inside you, what shines through.
2. The most attractive people I have ever met are those that are comfortable in their own skin. Which is why you have to learn to love the body you have. Especially the imperfect bits. The flaws. The bits you’d chop off. The bits you’d boost. Beautiful people love themselves, stretch marks, extra weight, scars an’ all.
3. Feeling beautiful is being beautiful. So do whatever you feel you need to do, to make you feel that way. Colour you hair, indulge in a facial, play with make up, splurge on the extravagant body cream, let you hair down all night.
4. You got to own your own beauty, for people to take it seriously. So wear what you want, ignore the rules, get that tattoo, chop your hair off and buy the god damn shoes.
5. A hundred people could tell you that you are beautiful. But you will never hear it, if you don’t believe it yourself.
6. The key to stand out beauty is not perfection. But the opposite.
7. A gorgeous body is fabulous, but a beautiful mind is where magic lies.
8. Beauty means different things to everyone, which is why the best any of us can do, is to be ourselves and be happy about that.
9. You cannot buy beauty in a jar. No cream – no matter how expensive – can substitute for an inner glow.
10. You can be beautiful at any age. All ages. Every age. What matters is not the number, but your attitude.
11. No female on this planet owes the world her ‘prettiness’ or her ‘sexy’. Your only ‘job’ is to be beautiful in whichever way appeals and talks to you.
12. Your beauty does not diminish in the presence of other beautiful women. Every. Single. Flower. Blooms.
13. Nip and tuck all you like, if it makes you happier, stronger or more confident. But never do it because you think you’re not ‘good enough’.
14. Beautiful people make the most of themselves but don’t take themselves too seriously. Think Kate Moss rather than Victoria Beckham.
15. The right clothes can make anyone feel more beautiful.
16. Wrinkles and freckles, scars and tattoos are the markings of your beauty. Your story. Your life.
17. Beauty is owning your space. Holding your head high. Treating people with respect. Empowering others. Being mindful of your impact on others and knowing who you are.
18. Everyone is beautiful. In their own unique, flawed and wonderful way.
19. A beautiful face is lovely to look at. But a beautiful soul is what to aim for. (And you cannot ‘make’ that up.)