Psychology Chronicles Series #30 : The Complicated Truth About Social Media and Body Dysmorphia
Does Social Media Contribute to Body Dysmorphic Behavior?
I'm afraid that I would get ridiculed on how fat I become. How I couldn't fit the body standards. How I'm different. Body shaming comments are what is wrong with our world. A woman like me attempts to be body positive and is still shamed for what I look like. No wonder some women are obsessed with cropping and hiding their bodies. People who shame people for their weight destroy's a woman’s self-confidence. But I am not letting this get me down. I am happy with how I look now and my family constantly tell me I am beautiful. That’s what matters."
Body Shaming And Social Media
Social media's influence in the concept of body image has become increasingly dangerous, especially for teenagers who are most vulnerable to suffering from insecurity and depression. At this age, young girls and boys are still dealing with their hormones, deadlines in schoolwork, and other home life distractions. These factors, combined with exposure from the media telling young people that they should be thin, curvy, sexy, brainy, cultured or woke, can be very overwhelming and extremely unhealthy for our mental health.
Pretty much all of us have something that we don’t like about our physical appearance—maybe a crooked smile, having monolid eyes, fat thighs, the list goes on. Most people accept these imperfections and move on with their daily lives, but people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) become obsessed on that imperfection and think about their real or perceived flaws . These unhealthy and controlling negative thoughts can cause you to waste great amounts of time trying to cover or conceal that so called imperfection. BDD sufferers can't control their negative thoughts and don't believe people who tell them that they look good.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are very fixated on the way they look. They may believe that an unnoticeable or physical chracteristic is a serious defect. They react to this perceived flaw by doing repetitive behaviours such as mirror checking or comparing their physique with the people around them.
The severity of BDD are different with people. For example, some individuals know their feelings aren’t true, while others are almost delusional in their own belief.
BDD causes severe emotional distress and anxiety. It is not just vanity and is not something a person can just ‘get over’ in a snap of a finger. The obsession can be so extreme that the affected person has trouble functioning at work, school or in varied social environment. Any part of the body can be targeted when a person is suffering from its symptoms.
One and two per cent of the population may have BDD, with men and women equally suffers from its danger. BDD usually starts in the adolescent years, when concern over physical appearance is evident.
Symptoms of Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
According to DSM V or the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders here are the clinical symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder:
- Fixation with one or more perceived imperfections or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others.
- At some point during the course of the disorder, the individual has performed obsessive behaviors (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing his or her appearance with that of others) in reaction to the appearance concerns.
- The fixation causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning.
- The preoccupation is not better explained by concerns with body fat or weight in an individual whose symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder.
The media is an unforeseen force that can greatly affect perception of one’s identity.
Social media has become an extension our personal identity. The excessive use of social media are directly responsible for the detachment between mind and body. Posting has become a demoralizing process of filters, quality, theme, hashtags and captions. Our feeds have become an overly-curated platform that seeks approval from others and from strangers by meeting societal standards of self-image.
The internal self-distorted image is scary. Even if corrected, the illness is ruthless and will target the other parts of the body.
Social media platforms may be an outlet for self-expression and societal freedom but for people who suffer from BDD, no amount of outside influence will change the way they perceive themselves when they look in the mirror.
Instagram filters are just trends and will come back or disappear as times change. For a person with BDD, the filter is in their brain. It is difficult to take the edge off the symptoms of BDD. Only an internal change can save their lives.
References:
1.Does Media Induce Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) To Have Plastic Surgery?
2. How Social Media Contributes to Body Dysmorphic Behavior
3.What Everyone Should Know About Social Media And Body Image
4. How does social media use affect our body image?
5.How social media is increasing a person’s exposure to body shaming and body image
Further Readings:
1.The dark side of Instagram: Predictor model of dysmorphic concerns
2.DSM-5 Changes: Implications for Child Serious Emotional Disturbance
Welcome to the community and thanks for sharing such educative content. There is no doubt that social media pressure is a thing. Many have ended their own lives abruptly due to social media posts.
Coincidentally, this is the second post I will be reading on body dysmorphia today and both are very educative. You can check @stormz-y blog to see what I mean. On a lighter note, I really do not see imperfection in people's bodies. If you need someone to gas you up, feel free to dm your picture :)
I have also read @stormz-y post about surviving bdd and it was definitely an interesting read! I think that articles surrounding the effects of social media to our mind and body should be given emphasis nowadays.
True all people are wonderful in whatever shapes and sizes. Thanks @gentleshaid! I've always loved this community,so glad I'm here.
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Wow..what a coincidence. So informative, thank you for this. Social media is such a trigger for BDD as people project their most perfect selfs making you think your body is full of flaws. Hardly even open Instagram again cause everyone has a banging body and I know it's not the way life is.
Loved your article by the way! True right? Thats the main reason why I hesitate posting pics on my instagram because people will always have something to say and sometimes it makes me more anxious on my image.