The Female Aesthetic

If ever there was a time to set up a support network it is bang in the middle of a global pandemic. For the first time ever there were UK-wide closures of aesthetic practices, everyone felt isolated; everyone felt adrift. Yet from this chaos and uncertainty, The Female Aesthetic was born—a networking group designed to help and support women working in aesthetic medicine. 

Vanessa Bird, founder of The Female Aesthetic, explains, "over the years I saw and felt first-hand how supportive women are in our industry. Friendships and working relationships emerged, advice and guidance was freely given, introductions made, and business executed. I enjoyed working with such motivational women and we all seemed to benefit from the pooling of ideas and resources, so when lockdown occurred, it made sense to harness this powerful network. It was time to pay things forward. I saw a need to connect people to encourage the forging of new friendships and networks that would allow everyone to work harder, access opportunities and stay motivated during times of uncertainty.” 

Why should you network? 

No matter how accomplished or intelligent you are, there is strength in sharing knowledge and forging partnerships. It is a common misconception that networking should be within your own small area of expertise, doctors mixing with doctors, sales reps mixing with sales reps and so on, but this needs to be challenged. Networking presents opportunities, it opens doors, and it provides support in a myriad of different ways. 

We can all benefit from building strong personal and professional friendships that make the journey more enjoyable, more successful and more inspiring. If you go into this thinking, “what’s in it for me? What can this person or this group get me?”, then you will fail. This is not a one-sided thing. You cannot keep taking and expecting people to offer you things, help you or introduce you to people if you do not bring any value yourself. You should always look at ways you can help others before you expect them to help you. 

The Female Aesthetic 

The Female Aesthetic exists to motivate you to keep going, despite the current challenges that lie ahead. We encourage you to share ideas, expertise and ethical working practices, grow your business and help raise industry standards. Most importantly, we believe in talking things through with people who understand how you feel and the challenges you face. 

You should never feel that you are in this alone. “If it was not for my support network of women in our industry I would never have taken the huge step to leave a successful sales career and launch my consultancy business The Aesthetic Consultant.” Vanessa reveals. “If I can help other women in our industry believe in themselves and drive their career forwards then I have in some way repaid the help I received over the years.” 

Visit theaestheticconsultant.co.uk if you would like further information on The Female Aesthetic. Due to the current Government restrictions, group meetings are on hold, however the foundations are in place upon which to build and develop the group, moving from an online support group to video meetings, and eventually group meetings when we are safely allowed to do so.

Vanessa Bird—The Aesthetic Consultant—can be contacted at aestheticconsultant@icloud.com or via her website, theaestheticconsultant.co.uk. She has been at the forefront of the medical aesthetic industry, collaborating with top practitioners, practices and manufacturers for over 12 years.