Each of us has a unique and complex relationship with our bodies. The most fortunate people have discovered how to cherish and embrace who they are. Many people, however, struggle to recognize the picture of themselves in the mirror. They end up having a type of poisonous connection with it as a result, which makes them feel false and ugly and never good enough. With Megan Fox, this is the situation. Despite being regarded as one of the world’s plus-size ladies, the actress admitted during a photo shoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue that she still struggles with self-acceptance.
The actress, who has previously spoken up about her mental health and how she feels that she is being oversexualized by the media and those in the business, said:
“I suffer from bodily dysmorphia. I don’t view myself the same way that other people do. Never in my life did I feel like I adored my physique. Never has there ever been. I used to be obsessed with the idea that “but I should look this way,” and I’m not sure why I was so conscious of my body at such a young age. I grew raised in a really religious setting where bodies weren’t even like, acknowledged, so it was absolutely not environmental.”
She went on to say that she wanted to be regarded by others as more than simply a superficial beauty and that the journey to loving oneself “will never end.”
Definition of bodily dysmorphism
Body dysmorphism, also known as BDD or Body Dysmorphic Disorder, is described by the Mayo Clinic as “a mental illness in which you cannot stop thinking about one or more perceived flaws or imperfections in your appearance — a flaw that seems minor or cannot be seen by others.” You continuously examine your body when you look in the mirror every day, and the picture you see is the product of a perspective of your perceived imperfections that is so exaggerated and inconsistent with reality that it makes you uncomfortable and, in the worst situations, develops into an unhealthy and occasionally crippling obsession. The Institute for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy points out that people with dysmorphophobia “can not turn off negative thoughts about their appearance, and even when they get frequent reassurance from family members or loved ones, they are not convinced they look normal.” Although the worry is often about weight, it can affect any part of the body or several parts together. The cause of anxiety and obsession can be a nose that is perceived as too big, lips that are too thin, wide hips, misshapen arms, a protruding belly, skin that is not light enough or free of “blemishes”,” and even hair.
This illness, which alters one’s perception of one’s own body and is founded on a lack of self-acceptance, can be brought on by a number of factors, including genetics, life experiences, and other factors that mix in each case in a special way. The recent escalation of inadequacy sentiments and the promotion of unattainable aesthetic standards on social media have also contributed to this erroneous sense of self. Once the signs of probable physical dimorphism have been identified, one should seek therapy from a psychiatrist or psychologist/psychotherapist, ideally with specific experience in this area. They will aid the expert in determining the issue and taking the proper action.
Who else among celebs, other than Megan Fox, experiences this?
Celebrities other than Megan Fox have also acknowledged having BDD. In the past, people including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Pattinson, Maisie Williams, and Jane Fonda have been outspoken about their struggles with body image. While Miley Cyrus had dysmorphophobia after watching Hannah Montana, Uma Thurman revealed that she developed the condition after giving birth to her first child. In a 2018 interview with Glamour, Lily Reinhart discussed how having acne affected her opinion of herself:
«I have cystic acne, and occasionally when I break out, it takes me back to when I was an adolescent, and I feel so self-conscious, like everyone is staring at my unattractive skin. A outbreak has prevented me from leaving the house, which is terrible».
The lead actress of The Good Place, Jameela Jamil, revealed that she had a mistaken perspective of her own appearance ever since she was weighed in front of her peers when she was 14 years old. How does she handle her body dysmorphic disorder? by keeping an eye on the present, such as by avoiding frequently checking one’s reflection.Chloe Grace Moretz said that an episode of the television show The Gryphons, in which her physical characteristics were captured and the child actress was represented as having abnormally long legs and a tiny upper body, served as the catalyst for her dysmorphia. Disney released an entire short film last year called Reflect that deals with the subject of body dysmorphia and features Bianca, the first Disney heroine who doesn’t have a thin figure, as a dancer who is having trouble with her own image. A Brief Story of Hating My Face, a short film by American director Shaina Feinberg that chronicles her lengthy struggle with BDD, is equally fascinating on this subject.
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