The Opposite of Anorexia
Written by Oprah Fangirl on November 30th, 2008 in Wayward Thoughts.
I was watching Four Corners (a fantastic 20/20 type investigative journalism show in Australia) this afternoon and there was a special broadcast on Muscle Dysmorphia (AKA Bigorexia), which is sort of the opposite of anorexia.
As most of you will know, anorexic women see a distorted image of their bodies in the mirror, which causes them to think they are too fat no matter how skinny they get. Bigorexic men (although neither disease is 100% gender-specific, the are drastically skewed in either direction) look in the mirror and see themselves as too skinny, no matter how big and muscular they get.
You can see it marketed to men when you watch bodybuilding videos in much the same way that those anorexia websites celebrate anorexia. Neither extreme is “good for you” and both can lead to long-term health problems, yet muscle dysmorphia doesn’t seem to have as bad a reputation as anorexia.
Here are some Muscle Dysmorphia resources if you want to learn more about this very interesting self-image problem that many call The Opposite of Anorexia:
- TeenBodybuilding.com: Does Muscle Dysmorphia Affect You?
- Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc: Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder (bigorexia)
- University of Pennsylvania Office of Health Education: What is Muscle Dysmorphia?
- Eating Disorder Recovery Center: Muscle Dysmorphia
- The American Journal of Psychiatry: Muscle Dysmorphia in Male Weightlifters, A Case-Control Study
