Body Image/ED/Body Dysmorphia

**Key Words:** body image, social media, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, anorexia, bulimia, treatment

Trigger Warning: discusses eating disorder behaviors and negative body image thoughts

Body image, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders are ongoing issues that disproportionately affect younger generations and, more commonly than not, are caused by social media and an unhealthy mindset. With these mental illnesses becoming a common part of society, it is crucial for one to have an understanding of these hot topics and be an advocate for peers. With that being said, body image, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia are further discussed with more context below.

## Body Image

Body image is how one views themself, either when they looks in the mirror or in their head. It is made up of multiple parts and influenced by multiple factors such as:

- What one believes about one's own appearance (including memories, assumptions, and generalizations).

- How one views their height, body shape, weight, and other factors

- How one senses and controls their body as they move.

- How one physically experiences or feels themselves within their body.

Many of us start internalize messages regarding body image at a young age, either in a negative or positive light. Having a healthy body image is an important part of mental wellbeing and eating disorders prevention.

## Social Media and Body Image

Social media shapes society's concept of beauty, as society is constantly consuming images posted online. The way one perceives their own physical appearance is linked to that specific standard. Social media influences how one views themself in both a positive and negative way, understanding that concept is key to benefiting and understanding one's mental health.

### Positives

Social media platforms, such as Instagram, have given way to the wellness movement. Fitness, healthy eating, body inclusive accounts, and more have been options for platforms to fit ones needs. With these resources becoming more accessible, social media users are able to belong to a positive community in which maintaining a healthy outlook on their body image is encouraged. The organization "Eating Disorder Hope" detailed how social media directly benefits the way women feel about themselves. Eating Disorder Hope states, the "inclusive space the internet has created can make a huge impact on individuals actively struggling with eating disorders." Social media empowers users to reach for help in fostering a more positive body image and mindset, with different support groups available across different platforms.

### Negatives

Social media is known and proven to have a more negative affect on body image than a positive one. Social media, according to "Project Know" can exacerbate eating disorders and may trigger or worsen symptoms. Social media users are known to compare their appearances negatively online, with various platforms being dominated by influencers, celebrities, and models. Additionally, a 2016 study found that young adults with social media use experienced poor sleep quality, low self-esteem, and higher levels of anxiety and depression. Read more about specific mental health disorders here.

Social media is shaping the concept of beauty and the way we perceive body image. Social media influences the ways we look at ourselves negatively by playing a major role in our mental health and adding to our insecurities. Social media is found to worsen “certain genetic or psychological predispositions.” By intensifying any previous pre-mental health conditions an individual already has. There is a disconnect between reality and perception which increases distance between emotions felt in real life and on social media. A journalist found that, “social media is a new avenue for individuals to ENGAGE IN MALADAPTIVE body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behavior change interventions that address this issue, especially among vulnerable populations.” It is important to let young women understand that whom they are comparing themselves to online isn't always realistic.

## Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a preoccupation with food, body weight and shape. They are a mental illness that is due to a disturbance in eating behaviors, thoughts and emotions that are related to food. An eating disorder is a mental illness that can impact both the brain chemistry of a person and also their physical health.([1])

### What are the Types of Eating Disorders?

There are three more common eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa is when people view themselves as extremely overweight, even if they are extremely underweight. They manage their weight by severely restricting the foods they consume, over exercise, an intense fear of gaining weight, and/or forcing themselves to vomit to make sure that they are at their desired weight. People who have Bulimia Nervosa will overeat and then proceed to force themselves to vomit. Additionally they feel that they have no control over their willpower when they eat, so they will excessively exercise. These people can appear either underweight, overweight, or at a normal weight. Some telling signs of someone with Bulimia, is when they leaving straight after a meal is finished to go and throw up and/or being extremely dehydrated most of the time. The final most common eating disorder is Binge-Eating, this person also loses control over the amount of food that they consume, but unlike people with Bulimia, they don’t exercise, or vomit or fast. These people are typically overweight, and they will eat until they are uncomfortably full and then have a lot of shame about the amount of food they are eating. They also can try to diet, but won’t always have a lot of success.([2]) ([3])

### Who is Affected by Eating Disorders?

Around 9% of the world is affected by an eating disorder of some type. In the United States, 28.8 million Americans will have an eating disorder at some point of their lives, 28-74% of people with eating disorders got it genetically, meaning either one or both of their parents had an eating disorder in their lifetime. People of color are less likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder than white people. But, Black and Hispanic teenagers are more likely to show Bulimic behavior than their white peers. Gay men are seven times more likely to have a Binge-Eating disorder than straight men. Transgender students are reported to having eating disorders four times more than cisgender students. Athletes are often more affected by Anorexia due to excessive exercise than non athletes.([4])

### What are Some of the Treatment Options?

The treatments for eating disorders depend on the person that is affected. The most common ones are individual, group or family psychotherapy, medical care and monitoring, nutritional counseling, and medication. Psychotherapy is when one goes through therapy to try to identify the unhealthy patterns that they are experiencing and to change the way that they are thinking. Medications that can be taken are antidepressants, antipsychotics or mood stabilizers, for treating the eating disorder as well as some of the co-occurring illnesses like depression and anxiety. There isn’t one specific therapy that works best for people with eating disorders, since every case is different. There is improvement with anorexia with therapy, and bulimia gets help from cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy. Many people do end up relapsing back into their eating disorder, since it is a mental illness it is hard to say that there is a definite “cure” for the people that it affects. Again since each person is different the treatment may or may not work the same way. Relapses are personal too, there are many different triggers for each person. Social Media is a big trigger for a lot of people.([5])

### How Does Social Media Affect Eating Disorders?

Social media is a storm that has taken over the world, but still continues to be perceived as perfect. There is new research that says that those people who use social media are more likely to have an eating disorder. One of the more dangerous sites is Instagram, this is due to the fact that people can edit their pictures so that the people who are looking at them see what the owner wants them to see. Another site that has become popular in recent times and has been making women become more self conscious about their bodies is, Tik Tok. There are a lot of people who are famous solely because of looks and go along with the standards that society has decided are beautiful. This can be harmful to teens and children who see these women and men who look like that. These same young adults may struggle with other disorders, specifically anxiety, depression, and attention disorders. Social media can make it difficult to focus on one thing, but when it comes to body dysmorphia and eating disorders, that is mind consuming. If one struggles to focus or complete a task, it is important to remember the variety of reasons behind attention span issues, such as mental and physical corruption by social media overflow.([6])

A study done has shown that girls between the age of 15 to 19 years old worry about body shape, size and body image. Social media affects adolescent self perception and begin weight control practices due to weight concerns. However depending on the media exposure the adolescents experience (television, films, videos, billboards, magazines, movies, music, newspapers, fashion designers and the Internet) is how severe their body image issues become. The individual's conceptualization of the preferred body imagine of "thinness" is the feeling of dissatisfaction within their own body. This study measured eating disorders in “media naïve population” of Fijian schoolgirls as they were introduced into western televisions. It is know for a fact that most girls are motivated to obtain a similar body image of thinness. The study concluded that even though the media contributes to the dissatisfaction on one's body image. The media can be used as an important tool for health promotion and prevention strategies. The media in the long run will be used as a research tool to better understand media content and incorporate it into the development of young adolescent and children.

## Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphia

### Similarities

James C. Rosen makes numerous connections between eating disorders and body dysmorphia and the lapping similarities and differences. The biggest similarity is the personal disturbed body image. Furthermore, eating disorders and body dysmorphia both commonly suffer from cognitive instructive thoughts about appearance, that affect relationships, and self-worth. Suffering from an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, individuals tend to avoid places, activities, manner of dress, and a variety of things one used to do on a everyday basis, but not longer feel confidence about their appearance. This article highlights one of the most common affects of suffering from either an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, they both consist of a constant ritual of checking the mirror and weighing in anorexia nervosa. One similarity between eating disorders and body dysmorphia that continues to be a rising concern is the high rate of comorbidity and lifetime prevalence of eating disorders in female body dysmorphia patients and more so that one can shift from one to the other very in a small time manner.

### Differences

One of the biggest concerns and differences between an eating disorder and body dysmorphia consists of what the individual are preoccupied over. For example, Science Direct says, one suffering from an eating disorder is preoccupied with non-weight features, while one suffering from body dysmorphia is preoccupied with weight and body shape. In all, one suffering from an eating disorder is more concerned with gaining weight or appearing overweight, while one suffering with body dysmorphia believes they look abnormal and are concerned about their appearance despite them looking normal.

As one can examine here, there are a lot more similarities between an eating disorder and body dysmorphia than differences.

## Obsession With Perfection

It is important to understand why there is an obsession with perfection. With that being said, it has been assumed that our preference for beauty stems from cultural and social media expectations; social media is filled with the body "ideal" skinny body being "perfect." Body dysmorphia is a disorder of self-perception—it is an obsession with perfection. Neelam Vashi's article says, people “sit in odd positions to hide body parts, excessively tan to mask supposed facial and skin defects, pick at their skin, and avoid dating and public places." This article provides greater understanding for digital media/communities because it shows how common obsession with perfection is, 73% or the globe rates themselves as unattractive after being exposed to what is shared on social media. Vashi provides understanding of the negative effects of social media.

## Further Reading

### Become an Advocate Today

Eating Disorders Today —Not *Just* a Girl Thing

Maternal Eating Disorders and Eating Disorder Treatment Among Girls in the Growing Up Today Study

Body Dysmorphia, Self-Mutilation, and the Reconstructive Surgeon

A Comparison of Eating, Exercise, Shape, and Weight Related Symptomatology in Males with Muscle Dysmorphia and Anorexia Nervosa

Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Further Considerations and Broader Perspectives

Beauty and Body Image Concerns Among African American College Women

Emotion Regulation Moderates Relationships Between Body Image Concerns and Psychological Symptomatology

## Takeaways and Advice

* Don't compare yourself to others; be proud of the person you are and the way you look
* Beauty isn't only measured off of appearance
* Surround yourself with people who have a positive outlook
* Instead of spending time thinking about how you appear, find a new hobby
* Avoid comparing yourself to peers or influencers on social media

## Works Cited

Heger, Erin. *Why Social Media Can Make You Feel Bad about Your Body - and 3 Easy Tips to Use Social Media to Boost Self-Esteem.* Insider, 9 Mar. 2021.

“How Does Social Media Affect Your Body Image?” *National Eating Disorders Association*, 28 Aug. 2018, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/how-does-social-media-affect-your-body-image. www.insider.com/how-social-media-affects-body-image

Rosen, James C., and Ramirez, Elena. *A comparison of eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder on body image and psychological adjustment.* Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 44.3-4, 1998.

Suciu, Peter. *Social Media Can Increase Risk Of Eating Disorders And Negative Body Image.* Forbes Magazine, 24 Feb 2021. www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2021/02/24/social-media-can-increase-risk-of-eating-disorders-and-negative-body-image/?sh=49a7a30ae496

Vashi, Neelam A. *Obsession with Perfection: Body Dysmorphia.* *Clinics in Dermatology,* Elsevier, 9 Apr. 2016. www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738081X16300724

*Eating Disorders*. National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2016. www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/eating-disorders/index.shtml

*Eating Disorders.* Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 22 Feb. 2018. www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20353603

*Study Shows Social Media May Play a Role in Eating Disorders Among Teens.* Mental Health First Aid, 25 Feb. 2020, www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/2020/02/study-shows-social-media-may-play-a-role-in-eating-disorders-among-teens/