beauty beyond your mirror: a teen non profit raising awareness about body dysmorphic disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition marked by an obsessive focus on perceived flaws or defects in one’s appearance, often minor or nonexistent. This condition can lead to significant distress, impacting daily functioning and relationships. It is crucial to discuss and understand BDD for several reasons.

BDD’s prevalence extends across genders and ages, affecting individuals more commonly than previously thought. The condition profoundly impacts lives, causing social isolation, lack of self-confidence, relationship challenges, and difficulties in academics or work.

Recognizing BDD symptoms is vital. Those affected may excessively worry about specific body areas, engage in frequent self-comparisons, and experience disruptions in daily life, including work and relationships. BDD can lead to severe consequences, including depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. Extreme measures taken by individuals with BDD, such as unnecessary cosmetic surgery or drastic diet changes, can lead to physical issues like brittle bones, anemia, and mental health challenges, including anxiety and severe depression.

One crucial aspect of addressing BDD is the spotlight it sheds on mental health awareness. Fostering open discussions about BDD can help reduce stigma and create a society that understands and supports those grappling with mental health challenges. Moreover, BDD’s link to societal beauty standards, perpetuated by the media, emphasizes the need for a more inclusive and body-positive culture. Open conversations about BDD also play a preventive role, promoting a healthy body image and self-esteem. Early intervention is essential in preventing the worsening of symptoms and the development of more severe mental health issues.

Our social media campaign has achieved significant milestones as a dedicated group focused on raising BDD awareness. From informative Instagram posts and engaging TikTok videos to promoting self-love in our school community, we have sparked crucial conversations, fostering empathy, understanding, and a more supportive environment.

Sri Narayanan, Sahaja Mallavaram, Sonia Harihar, and Meghna Baishya

11 th Grade students at Innovation Academy High School

Instagram: @beautybeyondyourmirror

Food banks perfectly bridge suppliers and community-based organizations that distribute food to people facing hunger and difficulty accessing nutritious food. The pandemic saw an unprecedented surge in demand raising the question if they can take on the challenge. Thanks to their remarkable resilience, they continue to ensure nutritious food distribution driving the sustainable development goal 2 (SDG2) of the United Nations: to end hunger by 2030. The Global Food Network reiterates how global hunger is not just a food problem. It is a logistical challenge. Like a well-oiled machine, food banks join the missing links in perfect harmony, making the whole process seem effortless. Volunteers from nonprofits and individual volunteers selflessly plug themselves into the system and carry out inventory management, sorting, packaging, and distribution. The suppliers give away food that would otherwise be wasted in overcrowded landfills, thereby putting it to good use; volunteers feel overjoyed they made a difference, and the grateful recipients feel empowered they have the time and resources to focus on what is important for them. Our food banks are not just sleeping giants but grand warehouses abundantly filled with goodness.