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Pure Beauty
Body Image Disorders
By Hezreen Abdul Rashid
Many are turned on by Hollywood’s idea of a perfect image since women’s magazines are full of pictures and articles of women looking thinner, younger, sexier and curvier than the average Jane. Teens and women who are in their 20s find themselves asking if their images fit the all-perfect figures featured in these glossy magazines. As a result, they tend to lose self esteem, feel inferior and will be constantly obsessed by their looks. Even worse, some might punish themselves by starving, over-exercising, neglecting their health and lifestyle.
Hips Don’t Lie?
You’re shopping for a pair of jeans and you swear that you’re a size 5. In the fitting room however, you discover that the jeans can’t even pass over your thighs. You keep struggling, but those Levis won’t seem to budge. Surely this is a mistake? But mirrors don’t lie and within that split second, everything seems bigger and uglier to you; from your rear, tummy and even your face!
This isn’t an optical illusion, but it is a term relatively known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) or body image problem. People with BDD have a distorted perception that their body is fat, their facial features are imperfect and in other words, that they are ugly. They are constantly preoccupied about how others think about their image.
I Hate How I Look...
Body image problems may lead to more serious disorders such as:
Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge-eating Disorder
Body dimorphic disorder
Anorexia Nervosa
What Is It?
It is a problem when you deny yourself of food for fear of becoming fat. In most cases, victims of Aneroxia are underweight but claim that they can never be thin enough. Some may also resort to un-prescribed diuretics and laxatives in order to lose weight. Anorexia Nervosa is an extremely deadly medical condition since nearly 10% of the cases lead to death.
Symptoms
Feel depressed, look unwell, lack nutrition and will start balding and have brittle nails, have delayed menses (for women), have memory failure, suffer from low blood pressure.
Bulimia Nervosa
What Is It?
It is a predicament whereby you induce vomiting almost immediately after eating.
In order to maintain a certain weight, they will resort to diuretic pills, laxatives and heavy exercises. Obsessed with thinness, Bulimic victims will do anything to purge the food that they’ve taken in order to suppress the guilt of ‘eating’.
Symptoms
Have frequent weight changes, lack nutrition and have health problems, have mouth ulcers due to stomach acid that is vomited out,have stomach and intestine problems (including ulcers, gastritis, and constipation), experience delayed menses (for women), fits or seizures.
Binge-Eating Disorder
What Is It?
It is a problem when you over-eat just because you do not like the way your body looks. Binging could mean uncontrollably stuffing yourself with food due to depression. Even if you realize it, you may still have difficulties controlling your eating habits because it has become a norm.
Symptoms
Become obese and develop health problems, feel depressed, have stomach problems due to eating too much and too fast.
Body Dimorphic Disorder
What Is It?
Excessive worry about looks and the size of certain body parts so much so the victim loses focus on social activities.
Symptoms
Tend to injure themselves in trying to change certain parts of their body, obsessed about losing weight that they will over-exercise to tone up their body, feel anxious when being around people and limit their social activities.
Building A Healthy Body Image
- Focus on the concept of health instead of looks since being healthy will make anyone look twice as beautiful.
- Those suffering from body image problems feel alone, isolated and in most cases feel unloved and unwanted. To them, the only solution to their problem is to get that perfect body size.
- Engage in healthy social activities to keep yourself busy and meet more interesting people.
- People who are healthy automatically have more friends since they have excellent self-esteem.
- Eat in moderation and have a balanced diet
- Exercise regularly and safely to keep fit.
- Learn to be happy with yourself and accept how you look.
- Talk to someone who can advice, inspire and motivate you.
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