According to the Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, body dysmorphia is “a relatively common disorder that consists of a distressing or impairing preoccupation with imagined or slight defects in appearance.” (1) Fitness influencer Will Tennyson opened up about the body dysmorphia he’s experienced during his bodybuilding journey.
Diving into the science, Tennyson and Dr. Martin Jugenburg, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, offer a breakdown of what body dysmorphia is, its causes, and ways to potentially remedy it in a video published on Tennyson’s YouTube channel on Oct. 8, 2023. Check it out below:
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What Is Body Dysmorphia?
Tennyson met with the Canadian plastic surgeon known as “Dr. 6ix,” Dr. Martin Jugenburg, to ask him to define body dysmorphia. “When somebody is preoccupied with their appearance,” says Dr. Jugenburg. “This is a psychiatric condition that pathologically interferes with day-to-day life. People spend abnormal amounts of time thinking about it.” Dr. Jugenburg said plastic surgery isn’t a cure for body dysmorphia, which is considered a psychological condition.
A 2020 study in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care found that body dysmorphia is rising, especially among younger individuals. While cis women are generally more dissatisfied with their bodies than cis men, different “sexes have different areas of concern.” (2) Trans and genderqueer people may experience even higher rates of body dysmorphia than their cisgender peers. (3)(4)
Anxiety, depression, and body image issues affect approximately half of the adolescents aged around 16 years old — females (52.13 percent) and males (47.84 percent). (2) Genderqueer college students are 38.8 percent more likely to experience elevated risks of eating disorders related to body image pressures compared to their cisgender peers. (3)
As Tennyson and Dr. Jugenburg go into the doctor’s operating room, Jugenburg explains that there is much he can do to shape a body, including manipulating fat to make somebody without six-pack abs appear as though they do. However, Dr. Jugenburg doesn’t operate on someone experiencing body dysmorphia.
Dr. Jugenburg mentioned prospective patients come into his office with “wish pictures” that are filtered images. He explains their “wishes” are impossible because they’re based on something fake, thereby starting a dialogue with them regarding realistic expectations.
Body Dysmorphia in America
Following his conversation with Dr. Jugenburg, Tennyson traveled to Miami, FL, where he asked beachgoers if they were satisfied with their current physiques and, if not, what changes they’d make. Most of the people he encountered viewed themselves through a lens of what they wanted to change rather than appreciating the positives of their current physiques.
Tennyson mentioned a survey in which only 12 percent of the participants said they were completely satisfied with their appearance, suggesting body dysmorphia might be a sliding scale. Some may suffer from mild body dysmorphia — interested in changing one or two aspects of their appearance — while others suffer from severe body dysmorphia, which may be exacerbated by social media. A 2023 study in Clinics of Dermatology stated that “social media exposure can worsen body image dissatisfaction, social networking site addiction, and comorbidities of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) such as depression and eating disorders. (5)
Tricking Oneself & Solutions to Body Dysmorphia
Comparing oneself to fitness influencers can cause psychological discombobulation. Young gymgoers especially may go to extreme lengths to develop almost unnatural physiques in an attempt to cure themselves of this. They’ll go to their local GNC and purchase anabolic testosterone enhancers without diving into the science behind these supplements.
If somebody hates how a part of their body looks and then changes it, they are likely to remain dissatisfied with their appearance. Tennyson spoke with Dr. Adrian Mesa of AMP Mental Health, who thinks most people who suffer from body dysmorphia don’t even realize it. Dr. Mesa doesn’t think body dysmorphia is entirely preventable but does believe it can addressed much sooner to find help via therapeutic tools and services.
“They’re scared of the judgment of others,” Dr. Mesa said, suggesting that exposing oneself to their fear of others’ opinions could be helpful. Once someone recognizes there isn’t a threat of harm, death, or ostracization, they can feel more comfortable with their body. Tennyson suggested that finding self-love and an appreciation for your physical attributes can help lead to living a happier life:
“If you chase external values without looking at your inner self, you’ll always live with comparisons and never reach real happiness and self-respect,” voiced Tennyson. “I encourage you all to have a goal to strive for, but don’t wait until you reach that goal to be proud of yourself…we’re all beautiful, but not everyone sees it.”
Reference
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Bjornsson, A. S., Didie, E. R., & Phillips, K. A. (2010). Body dysmorphic disorder. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience, 12(2), 221–232.
- Himanshu, Kaur, A., Kaur, A., & Singla, G. (2020). Rising dysmorphia among adolescents: A cause for concern. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(2), 567–570.
- Simone M, Hazzard VM, Askew AJ, Tebbe EA, Lipson SK, Pisetsky EM. Variability in eating disorder risk and diagnosis in transgender and gender diverse college students. Ann Epidemiol. 2022 Jun;70:53-60.
- Rasmussen SM, Dalgaard MK, Roloff M, Pinholt M, Skrubbeltrang C, Clausen L, Kjaersdam Telléus G. Eating disorder symptomatology among transgender individuals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eat Disord. 2023 May 26;11(1):84.
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Laughter, M. R., Anderson, J. B., Maymone, M. B. C., & Kroumpouzos, G. (2023). Psychology of aesthetics: Beauty, social media, and body dysmorphic disorder. Clinics in dermatology, 41(1), 28–32.
Featured image: @willtenny on Instagram
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