||Raising awareness of Body Dysmorphia||
Wendy is a 20-year-old college student with one main goal: to defeat the monster in the mirror, once and for all. It seems like the only thing holding her back from becoming a normal girl with a life void of...
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*Sourced from Pinterest.
So, I stumbled upon this short story some weeks ago and decided to make a few adjustments here-and-there before publishing it. (I'm back again after a year and re-editing).
Like I stated in the plot synopsis, this story's thematic focus is on Body Dysmorphic Disorder, so why don't I enlighten you a little?
B.D.D is a mental disorder that makes one feel obsessed with their physical flaw(s) that 'no one else can see': face, abs, belly, legs, hair, physique, e.t.c.
The flaw may be little compared to how they feel it is, or may not even exist at all on them. Yet, they're so fixated on it that they begin to crawl into their own shell because they do not want their percieved flaws to be seen.
Body dysmorphia is often common in teenagers and young adults since they are at the stage where they care about how the public percieves them.
People with B.D.D:
-Avoid/are insanely obsessed with mirrors and every other thing that reflects their appearance to them.
-Seek out to any and every "remedy" to take out their flaws. It may get to a point of addiction because they desperately want to get rid of the problem.
-Compare themselves to others a lot.
-Are very sensitive. For instance, they may feel hurt, if someone makes the slightest snicker around them, believing that such person is mocking them for being ugly/deformed.
-Look for reassurance— for someone to tell them they are good-looking, built or that they are pretty enough.
Even as it is a symptom of body dysmorphia, low self-esteem should not be mistaken for the former.
I've never come across someone with BDD, so it was really difficult trying to imagine how people with the disorder actually behave during their 'down' days. Frequent researches online and inhabiting the protagonist's feelings helped alot (Now, I even believe I have it).
My description of how they behave may not be exactly correct, but I hope it passes the message I want across.
If you have more knowledge on the topic and wish to educate the readers on BDD, you may table it down in the comments.
Always note:
*Care for people, you never can tell what they are going through.
*Assure and encourage whosoever needs assurance without counting it as them being petty. Most people improve on themselves with positive energy.
*Do not insult people's physical appearance for fun, it may go deeper than you think it will.
With this being said and cleared, I hope you have fun while you read through this story.
Grace♡.
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