How to feel good naked, fast!

Thanks to Gok Wan of Channel 4's How to Look Good Naked for services to womankind. Every week almost, I avidly watch his programme slotting myself into the mind of this or that person and on occasion thinking my body shape is that person, in particular the last one which was Nicki Denbigh. Some of those women look so beautiful as the attitude to themselves changes, and of course with the assistance of some styling and make-up helps!

I might be relatively petite but I don't really have an idea of how I look. Thinking I have builder's shoulders and proportionately large upper arms upon a short squat frame. Now here's the fast bit .... I remembered a book of self-esteem exercises for children that I bought when my daughter was in early puberty. She fought so much I was never able to carry any of them out. Anyway, one activity that appealed to me was to lay on the floor and draw around each other on large sheets of paper. Which is an activity I have also seen used on TV with people who are body dysmorphic.

We have a large roll of brown paper knocking about the house. Otherwise, I'd have used the back of old (unused!) wallpaper blue-tacked on to the wall. Using a light pen I then drew what I thought my shape was. Then wearing just bras (as I would always wear them with clothes) I stood against the picture as Mr Doris got up close and intimate and drew around me proper. I then stood back and compared. What a difference. Not only was I shadow of what I thought but I found I actually did have a nice shape with everything in the right places.

The two sets of pens were confusing for me so I put up a fresh piece of paper for Mr Doris to just draw round me. And for some days now my double has hung on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Mr Doris put in some eyes and a mouth but it looked so unintentionally silly it was quite offputting. So he printed out a lifesize face of Betty Boop and stuck that over and since has been calling me his Betty Boop. Which I don't mind in the least. I may not be utterly curvacious like the mythical Betty Boop but I still have curves and shape.

And just this morning I caught myself naked in bathroom mirror and immediately noticed all my good bits, but most of all thought my tummy looked good. Such a turn around for me.

On the day I did the outline exercise I went out and splashed out on two new pairs of shoes (both on sale - one with £15 off and the other with £20 off!) and some new mascara and I felt fabulous. Not something I ever say about myself.



A word of warning though .... be careful what pen you use on the paper as permanent marker seeped through our brown paper and onto the whitish wallpaper.