But body-image research shows that the closer we get to achieving our ideal appearance, the more conditional our sense of worth becomes, and the more we fear what it will cost us when our appearance inevitably changes. When we conflate appearance with the body—and if we have struggled to appreciate our appearance—it makes sense that we might try to get as far away as possible from our body. That, of course, is only a defensive strategy, because we can never actually leave our body, and even frustration and shame about our appearance are experienced in our body as emotions.8
