Beauty & the Beast: The Ugly Face of Prejudice

Can one young mum with a facial disfigurement convince a young glamour model that there is more to life than looking pretty? Twenty-six-year-old mum Jessica Whitfield was born with a haemangioma on the right hand side of her face. After growing to the size of a tennis ball, much of the tumour was removed; but it left a prominent scar, which has caused the side of Jessica's face to sag. After years of unwanted attention from the public, Jessica feels excluded from the image-obsessed world we live in and worries about the carefree attitude to cosmetic surgery that is sweeping the nation. For 22-year-old glamour model and mum Chloe Page, looking good is more than a lifestyle choice - it's her career. She spends a staggering one month of the year applying makeup, at a cost of over £300 per month. Despite this, Chloe still sees herself as far from perfect and, having already enhanced her breasts, has liposuction and a nose job on her cosmetic surgery wish list. When the two first meet, Chloe is shocked and saddened by Jessica's appearance, while Jessica is amazed that, with a two-year-old daughter, Chloe still manages to spend so much time on her appearance. However, these initial preconceptions are soon thrown into doubt, as a day spent in each other's lives reveals which of the two mums is really the biggest victim of the beauty beast. With the help of psychiatrist Dr Laxmi Kathuria, Chloe finally confronts the body-image insecurities that have burdened her since childhood. But can Chloe overcome these insecurities, put her wish for more cosmetic surgery on hold, and become the confident mother and role model for her child that she longs to be? Meanwhile, campaigner Adam Pearson looks at the discrimination people with facial disfigurements face in the workplace, and undertakes his own experiment to see if looks really do matter when serving the public.