Kearney-Cooke (director, Cincinnati Psychotherapy Inst.) helps women in midlife develop a positive body image. Healthy choices are encouraged via cogent examinations of topics like overeating, aging, exercise, and especially emotional eating; personal stories illuminate these discussions. Readers will appreciate the author's respectful tone, as when she advises women to judge themselves realistically and not against a supermodel ideal. Comparing oneself with cultural ideals challenges self-worth, even leading to "body hatred." There is good food for thought here, though readers must struggle through the rambling first section to get to it; for larger collections. A psychology undergraduate and a former stripper, Conrad sends a similar message: "once you stop looking at your flaws and trying to fix them, you'll see that you actually look pretty great the way you are." By focusing on the similarities, instead of the differences, between the culture and bodies of "normal" women and those of strippers, Conrad quickly puts herself on equal footing with readers. Indeed, this is less a guide to life than the collected secrets of a worldly girlfriend. Key to "being sexy," for instance, is the insightful differentiation between "naked" (fraught with anxiety, pressure, and judgment) and "sexy" (familiarity and comfort with one's own body). Keep Mary Taylor's upbeat Bedroom Games: Stripteases, Seductions, and Other Surprises To Keep Your Partner Coming Back for More in mind for technique; Conrad's book is a good choice for public libraries given the revival of burlesque clubs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.