Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Ivy Aflo

Link to the scene from “White Chicks” (2004):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0ZfpDNDCUY

Overall, body dysmorphia is a critical key term regarding adolescence and health as it is

one of the main contributions to youth’s mental health and well-being. Understanding this term

can assist in containing teenagers and provide resources to help them recover.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Ivy Aflo

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) also known as body dysmorphia is a mental health condition defined as a preoccupation with an “imagined” defect in one's appearance. The word ‘dysmorphia’ comes from the Greek meaning misshapen or ugliness with one of the first known references dating back to the late 1800s by French psychiatrist Pierre Janet (Garnett, 2022). The preoccupation with a distorted body image causes time consuming rituals such as constant comparing, mirror glazing, seeking reassurance, hyper fixations on features being ‘ugly’ (Veale, 2003) when in reality they are perfectly normal. Body dysmorphia and its symptoms are extremely similar across genders often starting in the adolescent years when hormonal changes, school, social issues play a role in the lives of young people (Paradigm, 2022). Together with these risk factors, a young teens BDD can stem from psychological trauma such as bullying, social media influence especially in the most recent generations of adolescents and overall societal standards of beauty that have always favoured Eurocentric notions of beauty.

Adolescents experience an array of internal and external events throughout their development that shape the way they perceive themselves and their identity which in turn greatly influences their mental health. In the case of adolescent males, they more excessively experience a form of BDD named ‘Muscle dysmorphia’ which is preoccupation with being inadequately large and muscular (Garnet, 2022). Even further, males might focus on height, size and shape of their penis and hair (Garnett, 2022). Additionally, females may excessively focus on body parts such as their face, nose, skin and complexion and breast size (Academy, 2022). BDD is an important disorder to study in the lives of adolescent children because it is the age when symptoms start and can quite often be overlooked or passed over as ‘normal insecurities’ that young people go through. The problem with teen BDD is that it is heavier than insecurities as it involves absolute conviction in a poor or false body image often leading to extreme dieting or exercise regimens, social withdrawal, social anxiety and paranoia regarding the opinions of others in the face of a false sense of self (Paradigm, 2022). Furthermore, life-threatening health conditions can ensue as a result of lifestyle choices as a result of BDD such as malnutrition, disordered eating such as bulimia nervosa and addiction to steroids (Paradigm, 2022). In reality BDD allows us to watch adolescents closely as they evolve and cultivate connections with their bodies. It allows us to pinpoint the mentally unhealthy relationship young people have with the social construction of their bodies that can lead to a very dangerous obsession of their appearance that is solely negative. By and large, constant pressures presented by social media, marketing and advertisements that capitalise and target insecurities continue to apply pressures to beauty standards that affect every young person in some way. As an aspiring education in Health and Physical Activity and a background in Kinesiology and Health Science that has learned through a variety of courses and lived experiences, BDD and its barriers that affect body image will inevitably exist in varying degrees in the lives of adolescents. However, it is my job to ensure that their learning perspective is from the lens of self-love and positive-self-image. Merging barriers that they will go through in their navigation in identity with tools of resiliency, dedication and self-regulation will assist in their mental toughness as young adults travelling towards adulthood. Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a subject that should be studied in more depth now more than ever.