“The truth of the matter is, beauty is a specific thing, rare and fleeting. Some of us have it in our teens, 20s and 30s and then lose it; most of us have it not at all. And that's perfectly okay. But lying to yourself that you have it when you don't seems to me simple-minded at best and psychotic at worst.”

English writer and novelist

Julie Burchill is an English writer and novelist. She began as a staff writer at the New Musical Express at 17, and later wrote for newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times and The Guardian. She is known for writing in a sharply outspoken style, which has at times drawn criticism and legal action. Her 2004 novel Sugar Rush was adapted for television.