I had my suspicions when a girl with what appeared to be SEVERE BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) appeared on the show and instead of offering her help they asked her why they thought she was fat and what she was doing about her. They also publically made her put together a body comprised of her arms legs and torso and she had to "guess" which were her correct arms and legs etc. Obviously if anyone on that show had done reserach about BDD they would have known she was OBVIOUSLY going to pick the most disorted one and that it was publically going to shame and humiliate her and quite possibly seend her backwards on a downward spiral. They then showed her what she actually was and which parts were hers and how she was "omg so much skinnier than she really thought and hurray" and let's cry hug and clap now. Ugh.
As someone with diagnosed slight BDD I was DISGUSTED. Also being plus size her "plus size" top model made me wretch and feel even worse about myself. And the lingerie too. Or her breast sonogram on tv or anything. She is just a disgusting woman and people think she is a wonderful role model.
I wish they got there heads checked.
Sorry if this seems wordy, I'm all fired up and a bit annoyed and my fingers are flying off the keys at an alarming rate.
I like long fiery comments, and this is very personal for both you and me, so I can understand even more.
That reminds me. As if she was oh so "large" in the first place, Toccara recently lost a lot of weight and surprise! now she has tons of model work lined up. What the hell happened to her "big is beatiful- be youself, girl" attitude??
You are a prime example that "plus size" (which is actually average size in human terms, not "mannequin hollywood" standards) really is beautiful. I wish you could go on Tyra just to punch her in the stomach lol.
I understand how the media and just our own personal, psychological makeups can make us feel inadequate about our looks. Even though I'm not plus sized, I feel awful about my appearance but I try my hardest to remember that looks is a small fraction of who we really are and who we can be.
And just for the record, I think you're really pretty!! ^_^ And more importantly, you express yourself eloquently
The whole point was to show the audience (and the participants) how distorted a parson’s perception of her own body image can be with low self esteem. Of course, I don't really think that the girls who took part in the body puzzle exercise actually had BDD. One just had low self esteem and her family was always calling her fat. She didn't seem to have a mental disorder where she was overly critical of her body even though there was little wrong with it.
She was overweight; it wasn't part of her imagination. And she was bothered by it more partly because her family gave her a hard time about it. She didn't seem OCD either (which if she was very BDD, she'd also be somewhat OCD)... She just had low self esteem and thought she was fat. Which is typical for a sensitive kid who is constantly teased by her peers. She cares and loves her family, but they are the people criticizing her, so she takes it much, much more to heart. Fat is often abused and overly used by girls who just want to say that they're overweight or out of shape. It's a bad habit for some people.
You're the one with a problem if these shows make you feel bad about yourself. They may be ridiculous and the host contradicts herself like mad sometimes, but a show like that shouldn't have so much influence over you. Obviously it's not the show's fault, but your own. Body image is only a part of your self worth.
The shows DON'T make me feel 'bad' about myself; I just felt like pointing out the ridiculousness of and her introducing 'purses' that make you 'look thinner'. That completely goes against anything else she talks about.
Besides, I don't feel Tyra Banks is a good role model .. no, I don't care if she's a celeb or rich, or whatever.
You weren't the one who said that you felt bad about yourself after watching the show. The post that you're responding to wasn't to you. >_>
But it's good that the show doesn't make you feel bad, because it shouldn't. It's juts a TV show. And Tyra is just one person. She's not a doctor, a therapist, and she has no training in it. She's an ex-model who's good at making money and appealing to a certain audience. Technically she is an alright role model for people aspiring to do what she's accomplished, whether or not she says really stupid stuff.
I don't know if you are referring to me, but the show doesn't make me feel bad about myself. It makes me feel bad for the other people on it sometimes. When I said I was disgusted, I was disgusted with the way the show was handeled. You say the show shouldn't have so much influence over a person though and that body image is only part of your self worth, but for someone who seems to have so much knowledge of BDD and OCD, you should also know people with these disorders, like myself, can have a hard time viewing the world around us in a seperate light, even if it is 'just TV'. I work at it hard day to day to try to make sure things like this don't get to me, but yes I do have my weak moments. I guess that's where I was coming from.
Sorry if this sounded antagonistic, it isn't supposed to.
Also being plus size her "plus size" top model made me wretch and feel even worse about myself. See, you must of not meant that it made you feel bad then. Because the show doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. That's good. A TV show like that shouldn't be able to do it.
"Body dysmorphic disorder consists of a preoccupation with a nonexistent or minimal defect in appearance. Some people with BDD do have a minor physical defect, like mild acne or slightly thinning hair. But the flaw is only slight. The person with BDD, however, considers the flaw to be noticeable, unattractive, even ugly. In addition, the appearance preoccupation must cause significant distress or impairment in social, academic, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
What are the preoccupations or obsessions of BDD like? BDD sufferers commonly think about their appearance problem for at least an hour a day, sometimes for much more. Often they cannot resist or stop their thoughts even though they try hard to do so. BDD preoccupations can focus on any body part and often focus on more than one aspect of appearance. Commonly, BDD sufferers focus on their face or head, most frequently their nose, hair, or facial skin, but any body area(s) can be affected. Whereas some people with BDD realize they look worse to themselves than they do to others, others with BDD are completely convinced that their view of their defect is accurate. BDD sufferers often feel that other people take special notice of their perceived defect; for example, stare at it, laugh at it, or talk about it." (Ralph S. Albertini, M.D. and Katharine A. Phillips, M.D. - Author of The Broken Mirror - Brown University Medical College)
Yeah, the girl who did her body puzzle didn't have BDD. She was slightly overweight and thought she was fat because people told her that she was frequently. BDD is based on delusions, obsessing over very small or nonexistent imperfections. It's not based on reality. Her family members telling her that she is fat and being overweight were real. It wasn't all in her head here. People self misdiagnose ED and BDD too often.
I don't mind if you sound antagonistic (and you didn't). Don't worry about it. I just don't like people name calling (which hasn't happened yet, yay).
Yes, I did word that first line incorrectly. I am guilty of that! But..
Trust me, I do know far more about BDD than most people want to know about it, since I suffer from it, I educated myself about it. (And no, I did not self diagnose, I've been in treatment for many years for it along with my other psych problems as well.) But I am VERY GLAD to see that you are just as educated and reasonable in the discussion with me because it's nice to have a "real" conversation with an intelligent person.
I guess the reason I saw her as a candidate for BDD was because I over sympathised and thought I saw myself, if only a little bit, in her. I am minimally over weight, and my family used to antagonize me about it (they have since stopped), which caused me to focus on silly little things and then constantly stare in the mirror for hours on end until the tiniest little hair was a problem. (I have OCD/TTM so it went hand in hand) Reality crossed the line eventually, I know it all too well.
Basically I didn't want you to think I was one of those crazy self diagnosers. In fact I'm just an overly emotional sympathetic woman. (Not that I apologize for that, because that's just who I am, and no one should apologize for who they are).
I had my suspicions when a girl with what appeared to be SEVERE BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) appeared on the show and instead of offering her help they asked her why they thought she was fat and what she was doing about her. They also publically made her put together a body comprised of her arms legs and torso and she had to "guess" which were her correct arms and legs etc. Obviously if anyone on that show had done reserach about BDD they would have known she was OBVIOUSLY going to pick the most disorted one and that it was publically going to shame and humiliate her and quite possibly seend her backwards on a downward spiral. They then showed her what she actually was and which parts were hers and how she was "omg so much skinnier than she really thought and hurray" and let's cry hug and clap now. Ugh.
As someone with diagnosed slight BDD I was DISGUSTED. Also being plus size her "plus size" top model made me wretch and feel even worse about myself. And the lingerie too. Or her breast sonogram on tv or anything. She is just a disgusting woman and people think she is a wonderful role model.
I wish they got there heads checked.
Sorry if this seems wordy, I'm all fired up and a bit annoyed and my fingers are flying off the keys at an alarming rate.
Reply
That reminds me. As if she was oh so "large" in the first place, Toccara recently lost a lot of weight and surprise! now she has tons of model work lined up. What the hell happened to her "big is beatiful- be youself, girl" attitude??
You are a prime example that "plus size" (which is actually average size in human terms, not "mannequin hollywood" standards) really is beautiful. I wish you could go on Tyra just to punch her in the stomach lol.
Reply
And just for the record, I think you're really pretty!! ^_^ And more importantly, you express yourself eloquently
Reply
But tyra is in no position to help anyone with anything, really. She needs help herself.
Reply
She was overweight; it wasn't part of her imagination. And she was bothered by it more partly because her family gave her a hard time about it. She didn't seem OCD either (which if she was very BDD, she'd also be somewhat OCD)... She just had low self esteem and thought she was fat. Which is typical for a sensitive kid who is constantly teased by her peers. She cares and loves her family, but they are the people criticizing her, so she takes it much, much more to heart. Fat is often abused and overly used by girls who just want to say that they're overweight or out of shape. It's a bad habit for some people.
You're the one with a problem if these shows make you feel bad about yourself. They may be ridiculous and the host contradicts herself like mad sometimes, but a show like that shouldn't have so much influence over you. Obviously it's not the show's fault, but your own. Body image is only a part of your self worth.
Reply
Besides, I don't feel Tyra Banks is a good role model .. no, I don't care if she's a celeb or rich, or whatever.
She's a flaming douchebag.
Reply
But it's good that the show doesn't make you feel bad, because it shouldn't. It's juts a TV show. And Tyra is just one person. She's not a doctor, a therapist, and she has no training in it. She's an ex-model who's good at making money and appealing to a certain audience. Technically she is an alright role model for people aspiring to do what she's accomplished, whether or not she says really stupid stuff.
Reply
Reply
When I said I was disgusted, I was disgusted with the way the show was handeled.
You say the show shouldn't have so much influence over a person though and that body image is only part of your self worth, but for someone who seems to have so much knowledge of BDD and OCD, you should also know people with these disorders, like myself, can have a hard time viewing the world around us in a seperate light, even if it is 'just TV'. I work at it hard day to day to try to make sure things like this don't get to me, but yes I do have my weak moments. I guess that's where I was coming from.
Sorry if this sounded antagonistic, it isn't supposed to.
Reply
See, you must of not meant that it made you feel bad then. Because the show doesn't make you feel bad about yourself. That's good. A TV show like that shouldn't be able to do it.
"Body dysmorphic disorder consists of a preoccupation with a nonexistent or minimal defect in appearance. Some people with BDD do have a minor physical defect, like mild acne or slightly thinning hair. But the flaw is only slight. The person with BDD, however, considers the flaw to be noticeable, unattractive, even ugly. In addition, the appearance preoccupation must cause significant distress or impairment in social, academic, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
What are the preoccupations or obsessions of BDD like? BDD sufferers commonly think about their appearance problem for at least an hour a day, sometimes for much more. Often they cannot resist or stop their thoughts even though they try hard to do so. BDD preoccupations can focus on any body part and often focus on more than one aspect of appearance. Commonly, BDD sufferers focus on their face or head, most frequently their nose, hair, or facial skin, but any body area(s) can be affected. Whereas some people with BDD realize they look worse to themselves than they do to others, others with BDD are completely convinced that their view of their defect is accurate. BDD sufferers often feel that other people take special notice of their perceived defect; for example, stare at it, laugh at it, or talk about it." (Ralph S. Albertini, M.D. and Katharine A. Phillips, M.D. - Author of The Broken Mirror - Brown University Medical College)
Yeah, the girl who did her body puzzle didn't have BDD. She was slightly overweight and thought she was fat because people told her that she was frequently. BDD is based on delusions, obsessing over very small or nonexistent imperfections. It's not based on reality. Her family members telling her that she is fat and being overweight were real. It wasn't all in her head here. People self misdiagnose ED and BDD too often.
I don't mind if you sound antagonistic (and you didn't). Don't worry about it. I just don't like people name calling (which hasn't happened yet, yay).
Reply
Trust me, I do know far more about BDD than most people want to know about it, since I suffer from it, I educated myself about it. (And no, I did not self diagnose, I've been in treatment for many years for it along with my other psych problems as well.) But I am VERY GLAD to see that you are just as educated and reasonable in the discussion with me because it's nice to have a "real" conversation with an intelligent person.
I guess the reason I saw her as a candidate for BDD was because I over sympathised and thought I saw myself, if only a little bit, in her. I am minimally over weight, and my family used to antagonize me about it (they have since stopped), which caused me to focus on silly little things and then constantly stare in the mirror for hours on end until the tiniest little hair was a problem. (I have OCD/TTM so it went hand in hand) Reality crossed the line eventually, I know it all too well.
Basically I didn't want you to think I was one of those crazy self diagnosers. In fact I'm just an overly emotional sympathetic woman. (Not that I apologize for that, because that's just who I am, and no one should apologize for who they are).
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment