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"But I Look Normal!": Anosognosia & Body Dysmorphia In Anorexia Nervosa
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"But I Look Normal!": Anosognosia & Body Dysmorphia In Anorexia Nervosa

"Thin person sees fat person in mirror" is not necessarily how it works.

Amalie Lee's avatar
Amalie Lee
Jun 27, 2023
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"But I Look Normal!": Anosognosia & Body Dysmorphia In Anorexia Nervosa
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(This article specifically discusses an experience happening in underweight people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN), which is a minority of people with eating disorders. Most people with eating disorders are not underweight, and ‘classical’ AN with significant emaciation as a consequence is a rarer manifestation of an eating disorder.)

We’ve all seen it: the illustration of a thin person (usually an emaciated, young, white female) analysing herself in the mirror, with a much larger version of herself looking back. Before I developed the illness myself, I thought people with AN must have some kind of visual disturbance. I believe the intention of this illustration is to convey body dysmorphia to a lay audience, communicating that people with AN lack a realistic perception of their own body. Fair enough - except a more accurate representation would, for many, be an ‘average-sized’ person looking back. Let me explain why.

(If not illustrated by a person, the phenomena described above might be illustrated by an apple. So many apples in eating disorder stock photography.)

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