How the hell do you know that?
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or simply BDD, is more common than you might think.
According to the National Library of Medicine:
"Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a recognized psychiatric disorder characterized by a preoccupation that some aspect of the sufferer’s physical appearance is ugly or perception of disfigurement, to the extent that they experience significant distress, disability or both."
"This mental disorder causes persistent, intense focus, shame and anxiety over perceived body defects, often resulting in many cosmetic procedures."
In
'Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson', author Randall Sullivan discusses Michael Jackson's struggle with this disorder, providing more context behind the reasons to his cosmetic surgeries.
During his interview with Oprah, Michael Jackson himself revealed that he tries
"not to look in the mirror".
Oprah: Are you pleased now with the way you look?
MJ: I'm never pleased with anything, I'm a perfectionist, it's part of who I am.
Oprah: And so when you look in the mirror now and so the image that looks back at you are there days when you say I kinda like this or I like the way my hair ...
MJ: No.
I'm never pleased with myself. No,
I try not to look in the mirror.
It's clear that Michael Jackson suffered from this mental disorder, evident just by the extent of cosmetic procedures he underwent on his nose. Instead of pretending MJ was the perfect music icon, we must remember
he was a human being. The pressures he faced during his childhood impacted his mental health and likely contributed to his desire for change. He grew up under the scrutiny of many, not just his family, who judged his appearance for decades.
So let's return to reality and recognize that this is a serious disease, one that still causes trauma for many people today. That's why I view the biopic as an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about this condition, potentially leading more individuals to
seek professional help rather than cosmetic surgery, which is essentially what MJ
should have done.