For 14 years, I’ve been helping women look and feel their best through aesthetic treatments bat my clinic in Sale, Manchester. Yet, for some of that time, I wasn’t free to make those choices for myself. I was in a controlling and abusive marriage, where my ex was more than happy for me to generate income through aesthetic medicine but would ridicule me at the mere suggestion of having treatments myself. The hypocrisy was astonishing—he saw the value in my work but dismissed my own desire to benefit from it. I had to lie about treatments, downplay my own self-care, and endure jokes made at my expense.
When I finally left that marriage, I made a promise to myself: never again would I let anyone dictate how I should look or make me feel ashamed for wanting to take care of myself. From that moment on, I decided I would have aesthetic treatments whenever I chose to, for no one but myself.
And that’s the message I want to share this International Women’s Day. The choice to have Botox, fillers, or skin treatments isn’t about meeting someone else’s standards—it’s about doing what makes YOU feel good. If that means having your hair dyed red, wearing bold lipstick, or finally addressing those frown lines, then do it. Feminism isn’t about rejecting aesthetics; it’s about having the freedom to decide what you do with your own body without judgment.
I understand that some women struggle with the idea of aesthetic treatments conflicting with their feminist beliefs. But true empowerment is about agency—having the right to choose, free from guilt or outside pressure. You can be strong, intelligent, and independent while also loving a good Botox session or having other tweakments such as fillers. The two are not mutually exclusive.
At my clinic near Cheshire, I see women reclaiming their confidence every day. It’s not about looking ‘done’ or chasing youth—it’s about enhancing what’s already there, feeling refreshed, and embracing your own version of beauty. So this March, let’s celebrate the power of choice. Do what makes you happy. Own your image. Be unapologetically you.
And if that involves a little Botox along the way? Even better.
