BEAUTY + WELLNESS
BODY
YS O PHIA
WRITTEN BY
Megan Baranuk ILLUSTRATIONS BY
Hannah Mosley
33 | VINDICATOR
Body dysmorphia becomes increasingly difficult to combat, especially during a worldwide pandemic.
M
enough to distinguish that photoshopped bodies are not the norm — especially when the majority of the world is under isolation. The dieting and cosmetics industry stands to make
irrors, photographs and self-per-
extreme revenue from the insecurities resulting from
ceptions become active minefields
BDD. When women suffer from mere insecurities, let
to someone suffering from body
alone a dysmorphic disorder, they often fall prey to
dysmorphia. In the throes of body
predatory companies that offer “miracle” products to
dysmorphia, a person reshapes the
cure their maladies — whether dieting pills, bronzers
image of their body at every glance, and they develop
that promise to slim one’s face or the latest diet fads
feelings of discomfort from the slightest irritation or
that guarantee a thinner body in days. The dieting and
intrusive thought.
cosmetics industry uses numerous communications
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) affects about five
and marketing methods to deepen the body- and
to seven million people across the world, primarily
beauty-related anxieties of everyday people. This
women and adolescents. BDD is becoming increasingly
rhetoric is harmful to not only girls but society as a
apparent in the lives of those affected, especially in
whole. When extremely thin bodies are the norm, a
light of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic
healthy weight and body shape are abnormal. Fur-
has changed eating habits and routines for many,
thermore, the major figures in film, photography and
and snacking is more frequent than in years past
social media have a certain type of body and typically
for some. When frequent snacking, stress eating
have eurocentric features. This ostracizes not only
and a plethora of free time collide, those with BDD
those with healthy bodies that may not align with
are prone to notice a new curvature in their jawlines
the über-thin ideal, but also alienates minorities and
and obsess over whether their stomach looks slightly
individuals of different ethnicities. Though many
more round than the day before.
forms of media and corporations have incorporated a
Furthermore, the pressure to conform can be suf-
wide range of diversity, thin and eurocentric models
focating when society places an extreme emphasis
remain the majority.
on achieving a thin figure. Social media delivers yet
To combat the effects of BDD, women often enlist
another level of staggering body image expectations.
the aid of cosmetic surgery in attempts to meet the
When social media users find themselves barraged with
current beauty standards. When the average cost of
images of photoshopped models, retouched pictures
cosmetic surgery totals around $5,000, capitalistic
of friends, and bikini pictures, feeling insecure is not
economies stand to profit from those with insecurities
uncommon. This rings especially true for younger
and disorders such as BDD. Cosmetic surgery is not
people, as their brains often have not developed
the answer to solving BDD, as a new facet of one’s
