Kim Kardashian is one of the most enviably beautiful women in the world, and is often described as someone with the “ideal” hourglass figure. But recently, the reality TV star admitted to suffering from body dysmorphia, a disorder which causes your mind to pick flaws in your body. She revealed that the disorder made her feel anxious about leaving her home, and being seen by other people. But Kim isn’t the only one.
Closer home, Bollywood actress Ileana D’Cruz suffered from the same condition, and recently revealed that it made her depressed to the point that she was suicidal. Speaking at a World Congress organised by the World Federation for Mental Health, she said that her body made her feel extremely self-conscious: “I was always a very self-conscious person and was picked on for my body type. I used to feel low and sad all the time but didn’t know I was suffering from depression and Body Dysmorphic Disorder till I got help.” The scary part is, the extent of the anxiety, depression, and pain suffered as a result of this was so much, that she even thought of ending her life: “At one point, I even had suicidal thoughts and wanted to end things.” However, she fortunately chose to seek help, and is now advocating that others suffering from mental health issues do the same.
But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we cannot end the conversation there. BDD is not just about treating the depression and anxiety that is a consequence of the disorder – it’s also about treating other aspects associated with it, especially the social issues.
Celebrities who speak up about mental health need to be heard and lauded.
The most significant change that has come about in mainstream culture is the open conversation about mental health issues, which was not a talking point a few years ago. From Deepika Padukone and Anushka Sharma to Ileana, many well-known actresses have come forth and spoken about mental health issues. We may not realise it, but a well-known face raising awareness about it in communities where mental health problems are either brushed under the carpet, or treated as a justification to lock away the “pagal” in question, is a big change.
Normalising it and removing the shame associated with it, is an important step to treating it. Ileana stressed on that as well, saying: “It is a chemical imbalance in your brain, and needs to be treated. Don’t sit back and think it will get okay but go get help. Like you have a sprain and go get yourself checked, if you have depression, seek help.” That’s not all. Knowing that a person who has all the superficial, circumstantial practicalities of life sorted out can also suffer from depression, is further proof that it can indeed affect anyone. A person can go about looking happy, looking beautiful, and doing their job, and still have mental health issues. Understanding that these conditions are not always visible to others, and that help sometimes needs to be sought, is also something the actress emphasised on.
The way we scrutinise female bodies needs to change.
By specifically confessing to her trouble with BDD and its contribution to her depression, Ileana raised a lot of awareness about how such an illness can be triggered by what people think. She clearly admitted that being picked on for her body type affected her sense of self. Women too often are treated as little more than the sum total of their body parts by society, and it is important to change our critical attitude to women’s bodies.
If it wasn’t bad enough that we objectify women left right and centre, many among us expect women to exhibit exemplary standards of beauty. Why is it a woman’s job to live up to your idea of what is beautiful? Why do people think they have a right to tell women what their bodies should look like on social media? Why is the conversational territory around a woman’s body weight or shape a free-for-all? It would be hypocritical to speak of mental health issues like body dysmorphia without talking about its triggers.
Our attitude to celebrities is atrocious.
Most women have it bad when it comes to being criticised for their bodies, but celebrities are worse off. Vidya Balan, a beautiful and exceptionally talented actress who, recently confessed to internalising criticism about her body in her younger years before finally embracing her size, saying: “I spent a large part of my life being sorry about my body.”
Now, we all have our opinions about public personalities, but making them the subject of tabloid news or publicly expressing our issues with a celebrity’s thighs or cellulite is unjustifiable. Let’s not make ourselves complicit in creating a toxic society which constantly judges performers for the way they look, shall we?
We cannot put the onus on those who are already suffering.
Ileana D’Cruz spoke of how things changed when she accepted herself, and so did Vidya Balan. Ileana said: “All of it changed when I accepted myself and what I was going through. I think that is the first step towards fighting depression.” While this stance from Ileana is a good approach that focuses on making yourself stronger in the face of such problems, it is not enough. You cannot just tell someone to get over their body image issues. Bullying and hostility can only be combated with so much willpower, as shows like 13 Reasons Why show. Beyond a point, the onus is also on us to create a better world. It is not just up to a sick person to get better. This is why such confessions from celebrities should be a wake-up call for us.
