So much has been written about Susan Boyle since the frumpy, middle-aged Scot from West Lothian became a talent show phenomenon barely a week ago that I hesitate -- but only mildly -- to add my tuppence to the mix.

Something struck me in one of her many media interviews -- it turns out that this plain-speaking woman, whose looks scream anti-celebrity, says she does not want to change her appearance. At all. Not a whit.

Why should I change? She told a reporter who asked if she planned to spruce up her look. Unfortunately, there was no cutaway to show the reporter's reaction.

This un-desire to alter her hair or cheekbones or style of dress flies in the face of every fashion magazine editor, every TV program that worships the stars, every piece of self-help advice that has been foisted on the public, especially the female public, since the beginning of recent time.

With her instant fame has no doubt come a mountain of free offers to bleach and straighten her hair, realign her eyebrows (though I do believe she's already submitted to some plucking), remove an extra chin, crown her teeth, firm up those triceps and abdominals, strategically suck out some fat, remake her wardrobe (what not to wear!) and teach her some foolproof makeup and skincare tips.

Why, in no time at all, she could look just like her idol, Elaine Paige, or even Madonna!

Fortunately, it seems, her brother has spirited her away somewhere to help those solid feet and sensible shoes return to the ground and help her whirling thoughts assess and reassess the chaos of the past seven days. Her world has already been remade -- should she remake herself along with it?

It's not every day that we are "gobsmacked" by international recognition overnight, especially when we've been living a quiet, nondescript life in a quiet, nondescript town with our cat Pebbles and singing just for our local church and pub mates.

The people seem to have "fallen in love with me," she says wincingly, barely able to believe her own words. So would it make any sense to do a radical makeover? Would the results kill the golden goose? Or would they simply help usher a modest woman of enormous talent into the arena she deserves?

I don't have any answers, but I do admire her initial instinct to push back against the publicists and make-up artists and hair stylists and celebrity journalists (a favorite oxymoron) who would run her through the star-making mill and spit her out onto a public that, I suspect, might quickly lose interest.

Would the ugly ducking become a plastic swan? Could the process of making her better actually make her worse?

Whether Susan Boyle wins the whole competition remains to be seen, but there is no doubt her chutzpah and success have given us all inspiration and indeed extra permission to let ourselves be ourselves, lumps and all.

With none of the usual trappings of beauty, this modern-day Cinderella revealed the splendor that is far more than skin deep, and her lack of bitterness despite years of bullying, loneliness and neglect only add to her appeal.

Despite it all, as the French would say, she feels bien dans sa peau. She feels good in her skin. I just hope that nothing of who she is -- of what catapulted her to the global platform -- is taken away from her.

For all that she has taught us about books and their cover, it would be so comforting if she could continue to wow the audience with her stunning voice while remaining just the way she is.