Kellie French - Anita Bhagwandas / Guardian

Kellie was recently commissioned by the Guardian to shoot this striking portrait of Anita Bhagwandas, an award-winning journalist, beauty editor and broadcaster; to accompany a feature on her new book ‘Ugly’. As always, Kellie brings a considered and creative take on the subject-matter.

“We've all had those moments. The ones where you look in the mirror and nothing feels ok. For Anita Bhagwandas, this started when she was a child and it created an enduring internal torment about her looks. Why are our lives shaped by such limited ideas about beauty? How can we break free of them for a happier, more inclusive future?”

Kellie’s response to the brief was to create an image of Anita holding a mirror that showed a twisted, poignant and beautiful reflection of herself.

“I liked the idea of ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?’ and the constant conflict about wanting to be accepted as beautiful. The snakes in the mirror have tones of Medusa, which I loved too.”