Me, the picture this article is based on
Body dysmorphic disorder or BDD is a mental illness characterized by a skewed perception of the self. People with BDD spend large amounts of time obsessing over and trying to “fix” a physical flaw that they believe they have. Often this flaw is more imagined than real. Take for example, people who become addicted to plastic surgery. No matter how many procedures they get, in their minds, they always fall short of perfection.
I remember watching Dr. 90210, a show about a plastic surgeon and his practice in Beverly Hills, California. Not only did it appear that his wife, who got skinnier and skinnier every episode, had a titch of this disorder, but it also seemed to plague many of his patients. On one episode, a woman who’s body was on par with a Victoria’s Secret model came into the office for a consultation. She said that her thighs were fat. It was pretty anticlimactic when she revealed her thighs and pointed out the region of imperfection because there was none.
I didn’t realize that I too had a bit of this BDD. I always feel fat and bloated. I am still trying to lose “that last twenty pounds.” And it wasn’t until I saw a recent picture of myself that I realized that I might be suffering from the disorder.