YOU ARE DEFINED BY WHAT YOU DO
On page 22, you’ll read Lizi Jackson-Barrett’s story, in which she tells of her life of yo-yo dieting, trying to make herself happy by striving to achieve the one thing she thought would bring her that happiness – being thin. Having lost several stone in her bid to look ‘perfect’ on her wedding day, she discovered that being skinny wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. First, it was hard trying to maintain the weight loss. But secondly, Lizi discovered that people treated her differently. They focused so much on how she looked but ignored many of her other qualities and achievements. A bout of alopecia left her on steroids which contributed to her gaining weight again, but she hasn’t let it get her down. In fact, it’s totally the opposite and she’s never been happier because she feels like she’s being herself. The relentless focus on how people look is an unfortunate side-effect of our society now. I totally identify with Lizi, in that the thinnest I ever was as an adult, was at the worst time of my life, when my marriage had just broken up. I was spending 2-3 hours a day in the gym as an escape mechanism, I wasn’t eating properly, and the weight just fell off me. People were telling me how well I looked and I’d happily accept the ‘compliment’ but inside I’d be thinking, ‘I only look this way because I’m miserable’. But it is a tricky subject because I guess if somebody really is working hard in a bid to lose weight, it’s nice to have it acknowledged by those around you. I think the best approach is to not make a big deal of it and not to make the person feel like their whole identity is tied up in their appearance. Because it’s not. You are defined by what you do in life, not how you look. I’ve always loved Roald Dahl’s quote from The Witches: ‘You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.’ Exactly!
Our cover star today, Katherine Jenkins, also knows what it feels like to have people judge you for how you look. When she tried to break into the operatic world at the start of her career, she didn’t look like a ‘typical’ opera star and was often ostracised because of this. But she didn’t let it stop her and is now one of the genre’s most accomplished and successful performers. And tough too – as you’ll discover when you read about her chasing off muggers in a London street.
Enjoy the issue.