Is It Just Vanity, or Is It Body Dysmorphic Disorder?

True beauty is inner beauty.

Although we have heard of this adage countless times, still, we can't help but become conscious of that single, tiny zit sitting right on top of our forehead or that lone strand of hair sticking out like an antennae, destroying our otherwise impeccable looks, thus leading our day to its inevitable ruin. Crazy as it may sound, nevertheless, when it comes to our appearance, not even a hundred words of wisdom about inner beauty can ever keep us from becoming conscious of even the slightest flaw.

Charge it to vanity. As much as we hate to admit it, we live in a society where looks matter. Especially in the commercially driven way of life most of us lead these days, most of us cannot simply help but be taken in by the influence of media, which places serious emphasis on the importance of looking good. But if our looks dominate our priorities to the point that it hampers us from functioning normally; then it is not merely a mundane case of “being vain” that we are dealing with.

It could be Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD.

What is a disturbed body image?

Referring to body image points to our perception of ourselves as persons, as influenced by our own physical appearances. Having a poor body image is one of the most significant yet typical factors involved in bringing about a decline in one's self-esteem. And when we speak of BDD, it is not merely a poor body image that we are dealing with but rather a “disturbed” one.

Having a disturbed body image gets in the way of our living a normal life because we tend to be overly conscious of our perceived physical flaws. This means we are unable to perform our usual activities and function in normal settings, for we are held back by the high anxiety and/or depression arising from it.

Do you have BDD?

People with BDD are intensely anxious over imagined physical or appearance-related flaws that it impairs them from living a normal life. Below are the common traits identified with BDD.
*Always looking at oneself in the mirror or any reflective surface
*Deliberately shying away from mirrors or any reflective surface
*Having a tedious and highly detailed beauty/grooming regimen
*Either frequently picking on one's skin or physically examining or measuring perceived physical flaws
*Persistently and reiteratively asking for a confirmation of the perceived flaw
*Covering up a perceived flaw via the use of cosmetics or accessories like hats, scarves, etc.
* Intentionally avoiding social events where the perceived flaw would be evident to people
*Experiencing anxiety in the company of others due to the perceived flaw