Body Dysmorphia &
The Pandemic Influence
What is Body Dysmorphia?
According to the Mayo Clinic, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a "mental health disorder in which you cannot stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance – a flaw that appears minor or cannot be seen by others." Often times, people who struggle with BDD tend to avoid social interactions due to feeling embarrassed or ashamed of the way they look.
Some signs and symptoms of body dysmorphia include:
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"Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen or appears minor
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Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly
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The belief that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way"
“Among college-age students, the percentage of people with an eating disorder is even higher, with a range of 8% to 17%, according to a 2011 study, which was part of the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment” (Caceres, 2020).
"Body Dysmorphia" illustration by Jessica Meyrick (May 2019).
Pandemic Effect
Being alone during the pandemic has allowed a lot of people time to think and overthink, especially with the isolation that came with the mandated shutdowns. We want to focus and shed light on those who are struggling with body dysmorphia that occurred because of the pandemic or was worsened by it. The pandemic alone can make these issues a lot worse due to increased alone time and seeing influencers and close friends having “glow-ups” because of the extra time allotted to give people the opportunity to focus more on themselves.
Issues like body dysmorphia and other eating disorders already existed and affected countless individuals before the pandemic began earlier this year. However, the pandemic still managed to worsen these issues for many.
For those who weren’t already struggling beforehand, the pandemic provided an array of triggers and gateways leading to false comparisons online, making it seem as if quarantine was not a difficult experience for people.
These aforementioned triggers include excessive time spent alone due to self-isolation, an influx of celebrities and influencers sharing their "quarantine glow-ups," and increased time spent on social media, just to name a few.
BDD Interview
An interview was conducted on Friday, November 13, 2020 by Leigh Dyer for the purpose of discovering in-depth background information regarding actual individuals and their personal experiences with BDD and how the pandemic has impacted that experience. Dyer interviewed 24-year-old Dallas Doughney (he/him), and 22-year old Gabrielle “Gabbi” Delice (she/her). A transcript of the full interview can be found in the "Interview" section above, which details the interviewer’s questions, as well as Doughney and Delice’s responses.
Untitled illustration by Cel Gulapa (2019).
In our one-on-one personal interviews, both Doughney and Delice attested to falling victim to certain triggers, in addition to others. Both shared that they had previously struggled with negative body image prior to the pandemic and that new factors like time spent alone, increased social media use, and being furloughed from their jobs heightened these thoughts and feelings.
Dallas Doughney (he/him), 24
"Because at the end of the day, even if part of me thought I was skinnier than before, I still wasn't as muscular, or as thin, or as attractive as the other people around me."
"It’s basically just one of those things where you see the change that has to be made in yourself for the right reasons, but the blueprint you’re using, and the goal you’re working towards isn’t necessarily right or good."
Gabrielle "Gabbi" Delice (she/her), 22
Survey Highlights
Our survey was conducted using Google Forms and distributed via different social media platforms including Instagram, Slack, and Facebook, where we acquired a total of 118 participants. Our participants were between the ages of 18-26. Below are some of the highlights from the survey:
Have you ever felt the need to look a certain way?
Prior to the Pandemic, 93.2% of people felt the need to change the way they look.
When asked the question, "Have you ever felt the need to look a certain way?"
77% of men said "Yes"
97% of women said "Yes"
When asked to rate their self-esteem on a scale of 1-10, the average response was a 7.
Females were more likely than men to avoid certain daily activities because of their appearance.
64% of males said they "never avoid daily activities"
Only 30% of females said they "never avoid daily activities"
67.8% of participants said their personal habits changed during the pandemic. The top three most common habit changes in both genders were: sleeping more, excessive exercise, and diet changes (such as binging or intermittent fasting).
If "Yes," has the pandemic impacted these feelings or made them worse?
63.8% of participants said the COVID-19 pandemic has made them feel worse about their appearance.
Females were 20% more likely to respond "Yes" to the question, "Has the pandemic affected/impacted these feelings [of wanting to change their appearance] or made them worse?"
Conclusion
Currently, increased talk on fad diets, quick fixes, and the increased use of social media has given many individuals the false notion that they are expected "to keep up an unrelenting ridiculous body standard, even during a pandemic" (Laderer, 2020). Based on this information, coupled with our findings from our conducted survey, personal interviews, and other outside sources, it is clearly evident that issues like BDD and other eating disorders are extremely prevalent today. Delice said it best when she stated, "[Controlling the way I looked] was pretty much the one thing that I could control in my life, because everything else around me had basically been flipped into uncertainty." In reality though, Delice isn’t the only person who shares this sentiment, as we are all currently living in a truly unprecedented and uncertain time filled with the struggles and triggers, we mentioned, as well as many others.
We hope our blog was able to not only shed a light on these issues and spread awareness on their impact on the world today, but also provide resources and aid for those who are currently or may find themselves struggling with these tribulations in the future.
– "The Sisterhood of Professional Writing"
More Information
The following “Help Guide” expands more on BDD and provides information upon the signs/symptoms of someone who may suffer from it. The article also touches on other variations of the disorder, such as “Muscle Dysmorphia,” and provides information regarding both causes/triggers for the disorder, as well as where one could seek professional help. Overall, the article is extremely informative, and we highly recommend you check it out if you are looking for more background information on the disorder or are looking for ways to better help yourself or others.