Taylor Swift shared a lot in her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, most notably an eating disorder she kept hidden from the world that was often triggered by paparazzi pictures or negative comments about her body.
“I thought I was just supposed to feel like I was gonna pass out at the end of a show or in the middle of it. Now I realize, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel it, which is a really good revelation because I’m a lot happier with who I am I don’t care as much if somebody points out that I have gained weight. The fact that I’m a size 6 instead of a size 00—that wasn’t how my body was supposed to be. I just didn’t really understand that at the time,” the global popstar revealed in her documentary.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition in which a person becomes excessively preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance.
These concerns can focus on any part of the body, such as skin, hair, weight, or facial features, and can significantly interfere with daily life, relationships, and self-esteem.
Can Body Dysmorphia Lead to Eating Disorders?
Body dysmorphia can increase the risk of developing eating disorders, although the two are distinct conditions.
When concerns specifically center around weight or body shape, individuals may engage in unhealthy behaviors such as restrictive eating, bingeing, or purging.
This can overlap with disorders like Anorexia nervosa, where individuals severely restrict food intake due to fear of gaining weight, or Bulimia nervosa, which involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors.
However, not everyone with BDD develops an eating disorder. The connection depends on the nature of the body concerns and other psychological factors.