It is impossible, even for the most physically attractive women, to achieve physical perfection. Those of us obsessively believing that weight-loss will be a cure-all to our self-image woes, have placed a standard of Photoshop perfection upon ourselves that can never be obtained.

And here's the hitch about weight-loss: Even if we do manage to strip away some or all of the extra weight, all the other physical "flaws" we've listed are still going to remain. ...

Whether you have a clear complexion or not, we all know that a single zit has the power to ruin an entire day. One big zit on your forehead, nose or chin and you're miserable. You try to hide it with coverup and powder, and even if this works to some degree, you still check your reflection every hour to make sure the makeup hasn't worn off. And if the zit is big enough, makeup will only hide the redness, not the size.

In short, there's nothing much that can be done for a big zit except to wait it out. Nevertheless, it's tough to resist the urge to envy women who seem to have a naturally porcelain skin. (Uh, remember air-brushing, foundation, concealer, and bronzer? Most women don't have perfect complexions.) ...

If all it takes to have a healthy self-image is natural physical beauty, there would be no anorexic supermodels. Celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra needn't have had breast enlargement surgeries, actresses such as Brooke Shields and Uma Thurman wouldn't have had costly cellulite treatments, and famous moms like Dayna Devon and Patricia Heaton needn't have had tummy tucks. ...