How to Feel Good Naked

Book excerpt: The concept of the ideal sexy body still dominates fashion, advertising - and our thinking. Success, status and sex appeal are all interwoven. Sheila argues that this is dangerous to our well-being and contrary to the central Christian idea of our acceptance in Christ. She shows how we can break bad habits of body and mind, make the most of our corporeal selves and enjoy being the way God made us. As we learn to love our bodies we learn to love ourselves. Makeovers, she writes, are just not enough. 'I don't think you can just fix up the outside of a person. If you don't ever take a look on the inside and unpack all the self-loathing, and replace it with a deep down self-acceptance and a sense of being unconditionally loved, then no amount of surface rearrangement will ever be enough.'