Body Dysmorphia

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental health condition in which thoughts about perceived defects or flaws in appearance constantly intrude one’s mind, according to the Mayo Clinic. Anxiety Institute states that BDD often develops during adolescence, affecting 2% of both males and females in the United States. Body dysmorphia can impact teenagers differently; some females often express discontent with body fat, facial hair and complexion, while some males express dissatisfaction regarding a muscular physique, acne and height.

Body dysmorphia in men is underrepresented as they are less likely to reach out for help, according to The Newport Institute. For weightlifter, track and field runner and football player Seth Overton ’23, body dysmorphia, specifically muscle dysmorphia, impacts his confidence and everyday life.

“[Masculinity] is where I get my body dysmorphia [from]. I feel like I’m too small and not masculine enough. I’ve always been kind of super skinny [and] didn’t have any muscle,” Overton said. “No matter how hard I work [or] how I physically look, I will think of myself as less than and not up to par. No matter how much affirmation people give me, I still never see it.”

On the contrary, Gromacki’s body dysmorphia originated from their eating disorder, often leading to feelings of self-hatred or resentment.

“I hated myself. I didn’t want to look at myself. I was mad at myself every time I looked in the mirror,” Gromacki said. “I was like, ‘Why do I look like this?’”

Shim believes the impacts of body dysmorphia have become normalized among students.

“I’ll be hanging out with my friend and they would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so fat,’” Shim said. “I think a lot of times they need validation from other people [to say] they aren’t [because] your head keeps telling you, ‘You’re fat, you’re fat.’”

Gromacki and Overton acknowledge how those struggling will often hide their appearance by staying at home, keeping to themselves, wearing makeup or switching up their wardrobe.

“One of the main [coping mechanisms] is not wearing stuff that you can see your body in. A lot of people wear baggy clothes to hide their body or they’ll wear super tight-fitting [clothes] to try [and] show off everything they have,” Overton said.

Overton also believes many lifters struggle with body dysmorphia due to pressure from social media to achieve an idolized body type, leading to compulsive actions or obsessive thoughts.

“You’ll see these bodybuilders that are on performance-enhancing drugs; they’re super big, super lean and they look great. But then you compare that to your own body, when you’re not taking performance-enhancing drugs and think you look small,” Overton said.

In addition to medication and cognitive behavioral therapy, Gromacki mentions that caring for yourself can effectively combat body dysmorphia.

“I faked confidence for a long time because I wasn’t confident in myself, but I wanted to be perceived that way. As I faked it more, I just started not caring, and I just had confidence,” Gromacki said. “I think the biggest way that I

Source:TheRecoveryVillage combated [body dysmorphia] was by starting to try to love myself in general rather than just my body. [I found] things about myself that I like, things that made me feel good about myself. As I got better, it was easier to love myself because there was less self-hate.”