Learn to Look Past Your Imperfect Body

by Carla Hall

Film and Television Executive Pamela Popp had a big date. He was smart, handsome, and charming; they had a lot to talk about, as they both worked in the same industry.

Popp dressed carefully: funky patchwork skirt, fitted sweater, and brown stiletto boots. The evening went well—so well that it led to sex. But though she was overcome by passion, the only article of clothing she removed was her panties.

“I didn’t take a stitch off,” recalls Popp, 34. “I asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be more fun with the boots?’ And of course, he thought it was the hottest thing ever.”

But what may have seemed like a spontaneous suggestion was a deliberate—if erotic—ruse. Popp was intent on hiding a half-inch-wide keloid scar that winds from her breastbone to her pelvis; it’s the result of life-saving surgery that she had after a horrific car accident at 19.

Though she has had nearly half her life to adjust to the mark, Popp has yet to adjust to the moment when she must reveal it to a new lover. Will he be shocked? Will he pretend it’s not there? She dreads each possibility, and refuses to undress in front of a man until she is reasonably sure that his interest will last longer than one evening.