Are You Vain, Or Is It Something More? Here Are The Red Flags To Watch Out For

“None of these trends on their own can necessarily cause a disorder, but they create more openings for everyday insecurities to turn into something bigger.”

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With trends like “looksmaxxing” and the ongoing rise in GLP-1s, there’s no wonder appearance is a growing concern for many people these days. Companies, celebrities and even your loved ones may place more focus on how they look, whether it’s their weight, makeup or style.

Looking “nice” isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it’s fun, it can be smart (helping you stick to the dress code for a job interview) and can even make you feel happier (we love “dopamine dressing”).

But if you’re taking endless selfies (with filters) and obsessing over every angle of your face and body, at what point is your attention to your looks actually a sign of a mental health concern?

According to experts, there is some reason to worry or at least to be mindful.

“[Those trends] open the door for competition and obsession because there’s always another tweak to chase or something to optimise,” said Golee Abrishami, a psychologist who specialises in eating and body image issues and serves as the vice president of clinical care at Octave.

“None of these trends on their own can necessarily cause a disorder, but they create more openings for everyday insecurities to turn into something bigger.”

Yes, beauty and ‘wellness’ trends can mess with mental health

As mentioned, many current trends have us overly focused on our bodies in an insidious way. Social media and algorithms only exacerbate the problem.

“This leads us to believe that everyone is engaging in these behaviours, and if you aren’t, you will somehow be ‘less than,’” said Dr. Kaitlin Slaven, a psychiatrist with Eating Recovery Center. She points to studies that suggest the more we compare ourselves, the worse our body image becomes.

“Sadly, what these trends are doing is essentially hijacking our normal, human insecurities and weaponising them,” explained Dani Castro, a lead therapist and supervisor at Equip Health who specialises in eating disorders, OCD, body image, anxiety and depression.........

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