Puberty is the time where many adolescents will look very critical at themselves. Many want to be accepted, many want to be popular. It is therefore not unusual that this disease manifests itself in this stage of a person's life. Many of us are not perfect, even though we would want to be gorgeous, we are not. Many of us will feel it due to criticism of others and judgments. However, this disease is not an openly spoken of disease, for the majority suffering from BDD dear not talk about it, due to shame.
Many sufferers stand for hours on end in front of the mirror trying to correct with make-up the irregularities face. These irregularities, however, can also be found in the body also. Usually these people spend thousands upon thousands of dollars in cosmetic surgery to perfect their looks. Sad to say that a lot of young people suffer from it. People who suffer from BDD tent to be very evasive in society due to shame. They have literally brainwashed themselves that they are ugly and imperfect, and thus are ashamed of how they look and consequently very unhappy because of it. These people walk life with an utter sense of shame. The really sad truth is that most of these people are very beautiful people indeed! Not only to look at but inwardly as well, they just do not know it about themselves. They just do not seem to see themselves that way.
Many patients or let’s call them victims suffer for years on end. Victims tend to view society as something that views them negatively if they are imperfect. Their need of acceptance closely coincides with their view of personal perfection. Usually the perfection must be on the physically aspect. We can thus say that people suffering from this disease have a disturbed outlook on society and on themselves.
First of all I want to emphasize that the few in society labeled as ‘perfect models’ are in fact very imperfect indeed. These women and men, may look beautiful and perfect on the outside but have you ever considered how their inside must be?
Society or shall we say the gossip magazines and the fashion industry like to portray them as perfect human beings. There is no such thing as a perfect human being. The only perfect human being to ever have lived upon this earth was Jesus Christ. No mere human being will ever be perfect while we live in the flesh. Do not be fooled by what Hollywood and the fashion industry tell you. Their only aim is gain, and has nothing to do with your well-being. They never focus on the right set of values and morals; - quite the opposite - their focus is on lavish living in a self-created fantasy world that just does not exist. The outcome is only too well known. Recent scandals of some models who have been caught either taking drugs such as cocaine or battling alcoholism ought to give us a fair example of what lies behind this facade and charade.
Scandals just as this are only the top of the iceberg of what goes on in those worlds. These people apparently need to take refuge in drugs and alcohol in order to keep up with that world and its demands. Ask yourself then, is that worth it? Hardly. We were not created to focus on ourselves, our beauty and our outward perfection. Instead, we were created as beings who are wonderfully and perfectly created in the image of our Creator. The focus should lie on the inward, our spirit. We ought to aim to become more like Him. (Gen 1:27; Gen. 5:3).
Unfortunately this world places the worth of a human being on the outside, on the countenance:" But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (1 Sam 16:7).
From above mentioned verse we learn that the outward, the countenance of a human being is seldom what a person really is. David was small in stature, most probable not even handsome, but his heart was in the right place. Therefore he was chosen by God to serve Him. God made him King over Israel, no small blessing. Nowadays, we as human beings have not changed much. We still judge on the outward, on the appearance. We conclude that a person who looks beautiful and nice on the outward must be a warm, lovable person on the inside. Wrong! A good example is yet again, Hollywood. Many actors and actresses look beautiful on the outside, but their inside shows up again and again, for it is full of strife, hatred, evil behavior etc etc.
How many actors are not known to be difficult to deal with? A good example of BDD might be Michael Jackson, who has changed his countenance many times in order to look perfect. He has gone too far with this, for people close to him say that his nose is so misformed now by all the cosmetic surgery that it can fall off any time. To me this is very sad. Whenever I look at Michael Jackson I see an imensely sensitive but unfortunate man. It is obvious that he is not happy with and in life, even though he might have all the money in the world. His many outard changes confirm me this only too well. It is obvious that the problems lie deeper, but that he tries to solve them with his outward changes. However, we ought never to judge a person who suffers like this.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (Jn 7:24) We must judge people by whom they are, inwardly. The heart is all that counts. A person with its heart set on the right place is an invaluable friend. "He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend (Prov 22:11)". Honesty and integrity come from the heart. These, amongst others, make a person invaluable, not the countenance. Beauty will pass, and when it does, what will stay? People who suffer from BDD often overlook this fact. Their whole focus is on the outward, the countenance. Somehow they think that if they look perfect, they will be accepted by others. This is not so. What many do not do, is the fact that many beautiful people walk this earth alone. They feel very lonely. Nobody wants to be their friend, for their beauty might reflect on theirs. Beautiful single women for example, have difficulty dating, -no matter how strange this might be- , for many men feel intimidated and insecure to approach them. Many belief that because of their beauty they will be rejected, so they do not try to approach them in the first place. In this way there is no disappointment. The same goes for handsome men.
One of the most outstanding factors about people who suffer from BDD is that they are difficult to convince. They are very set in their own dogma's and ideas and if you try to persuade them otherwise, you may find yourself arguing endlessly without no result. In my opinion this disease is often demonic in origin. As we have seen it sets in, mostly, although not always, during adolescence. This period is a very vulnerable one for all of us. Insecurity, doubts about oneself, looking and establishing your boundaries, accepting one's own character etc etc are some of the facets that we have to deal with during this period. No wonder Satan and his demons prey on these adolescents. Whenever they can find a young vulnerable adolescent they can prey on, they will. These demons consequently will do everything possible to keep that person from developing in a fairly healthy way. Instead, they will try to keep that young adolescent in bondage for the rest of its life. Demons know you very well, they observe you day and night. In this way they know what your vulnerable point is. If it is on your looks, they will prey on that and make you a slave to yourself. That is what BDD in fact is. It makes you a slave of yourself. It is a destroying circle for that person never will find perfection, even if his or her looks are already perfect. They will always seek and find some imperfection, but this imperfection is always on the outside. Their whole life is based on the outside.
To me this is very sad, for I do honestly believe that if these people would accept Christ, and if these people would know their position in Christ and feel accepted in the beloved (Eph 1:6), they would feel much better about themselves and their looks. The flesh will die but we, our spirit will go back to God. It is therefore a shame to spend your whole lifetime running after a perfection that will soon vanish. If you encounter or you know someone who suffers from this disease, do not be harsh with them. Remember, they feel very guilty and ashamed already. Do not make them feel worse than they already do. Instead, try to be lovable, try to show them what really matters in life, and foremost make them feel beautiful and accepted in Christ!