Snapchat dysmorphia: Aiming to mirror perfect-selfies, people want plastic surgeries
A phenomenon called 'Snapchat dysmorphia' has troubled doctors all over, as now patients don't want to look like celebrities but their unreal versions. Patients now approach doctors with their snapchat selfies in hands and ask for surgery. The selfies are of course flawless, no blemishes with perfect features, but also superficial. This craze rampant among 17-25 year olds is alarming.
A medical journal highlighted how Snapchat obsession blurred lines
An article published on August 2 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, a bimonthly journal in Boston University, highlighted that Snapchat and Facetune edits were redefining the idea for people. In the long run, it has the ability to trigger body dysmorphic disorder, a serious mental illness. The article stated that the edits projected an unattainable look and blurred lines of reality and fantasy.
The edited images take toll on self-esteem, says article
"The pervasiveness of these filtered images can take a toll on one's self-esteem, make one feel inadequate for not looking a certain way in the real world, and may even act as a trigger and lead to body dysmorphic disorder," the article read.
Closer home, youth are suffering from Instagram, Snapchat
India is not immune to this problem either, and those in the age bracket of 17-25 years are most affected. Dermatologist Dr Rajetha Damisetty said with the advent of Instagram and Snapchat, incidents of body-shaming increased. Constantly comparing oneself to others led to eating, physical disorders among youth, and made way for dysmorphic thoughts, Dr Damisetty added.
Resemblance to celebrities is passe, people now have other goals
A cosmetic dermatologist Jaishree Sharad added that people no longer show pictures of celebrities. Instead, they bring their own edited selfies. They intend to find flaws in themselves, Sharad said. "Even a minuscule thing would bother them and they would want to go to any extent to get rid of it. This is taking a toll on people," she added.
It's deeper than people lacking confidence or having insecurities
Further, the article stated that those suffering from BDD (obsession with a perceived flaw in appearance), went to great length to 'get perfect'. They visit dermatologists often and look to get plastic surgeries done to change their appearances. "The disorder is more than an insecurity or a lack of confidence," the journal added. Time to uninstall Snapchat? We think so.
