Last week a mother brought in her son X to me for acne and hair loss. I was gobsmacked as I took in the pubescent teenager with rippling muscles and a heavy frame.
He was just seventeen years of age and was heavily into gymming and taking some supplements ( probably steroid laced ) to get a heavily muscled body. He was probably( I say probably because some teenagers can actually take grave risks to achieve their ideal looks ) unaware that the use of steroids and too many protein supplements can cause acne, high blood pressure, hair loss, skin darkening and kidney problems.
I asked the mother the reason for allowing such a young boy whose bone development is not yet complete, to go for such heavy duty exercises.
The mother then confided that X was an only child and the whole family pampered him a lot .Most of the pampering came through a constant supply of junk food and that lead to the child becoming a grossly obese teenager.
That child gradually became the butt of jokes at school for being ‘fat ‘ and started feeling depressed and angry .
X threatened his parents of quitting his school or committing suicide unless he was allowed to go to a gym. The anxious parents gave in and you know the story after that.
The reason I bring up this case is to highlight a medical issue that is being increasingly reported and recognized as ‘Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)”.
| Sometimes we are not flawed – but it is our judgement that is flawed |
BDD is a mental disorder in which the affected person can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in their appearance — a flaw that, to others, is either minor or not observable. But the affected person may feel so ashamed and anxious that he/she may avoid many social situations or resort to drastic beautification procedures to correct the self perceived flaw.
The case I mentioned was of course not that of BDD but I shared it to highlight how vulnerable our teens are to peer pressure and media idealization of certain body types.
More and more people are seeking treatments for getting rids of scars, marks, hyper pigmentation, breast enhancement weight loss ,fairness ,hair fall etc. etc. These are all actually non-diseases or sometimes just signs of some underlying imbalance in the body’s hormones. Even though they do not impair a person’s physical abilities they can affect a person’s mental well being.
Role of MEDIA and MEDICAL SCIENCE in encouraging Negative Body Image
The popular “Fair and lovely” fairness cream changed it’s name to “Glow and lovely” , but does that mean our obsession with being fair and lovely has ended ?
Cosmetology is a flourishing industry reaping the benefits of media-portrayed Ideal body types. With Instagram and Facebook on most mobile phones ,suddenly how many people like and comment on your profile has become very important ,everyone now needs to look good .We get bombarded by images of perfect individuals (hence the popularity of beautification Apps) which can lead to a constant comparison of the self with other individuals .The exercise ,diets, cosmetic surgery and digital enhancement that goes behind the making of these perfect models is hidden from our eyes. All we see is the perfect model beckoning us to try the miracle product they are endorsing.
As humans, as social animals, we do have the need to be validated in a group but how far we should go to achieve the validation and how do we know that any negative image of the self that we are harboring is real or perceived is the question.
When it comes to youngsters it is even more important to recognize and understand the symptoms of negative body image so that they can be helped before they undertake any drastic measures .
Let us try to understand Negative Body image
What is BODY IMAGE ?
The term ‘body image’ incorporates themes of body perception (the extent to which an
individual has an accurate perception of their body size, shape and weight) and body satisfaction
(the extent to which an individual is satisfied with their body size, shape and weight).
When a person has low body satisfaction they often suffer from a negative body image, where they imagine their imperfections to be of a greater magnitude than what it is . A woman may think she has too large a nose or has tiny breasts or big hips . A man may think he is too scrawny or too hairy etc. etc.
Can we measure BODY IMAGE Perception ?
Most cases can be diagnosed by keen observation and talking to the affected person and relatives.
Though there is no fool-proof method devised yet there are some tests like a Body Image Score that can give us a rough idea of how healthy is an individual’s perception and satisfaction of his/her body image. These tests are based on Self Report Questionnaire, Figure drawings and Actual body weight and shape of the person. Word of caution , these tests should only be undertaken by a qualified mental health professional.
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