We all have flaws. Whether they are big or small, our imperfections make us human. And many of us see our flaws as just that; flaws. And in a lot of instances, we either embrace them, or we try to get rid of them through healthy practices. For instance, birthmarks are encouraged to be embraced, as they are a part of our uniqueness and our individuality. In another case. We may find ourselves to be unhealthily overweight, so we may try to improve that through diet and exercise. In these cases, there are healthy ways to go about encountering your flaws. However, there are some instances where our attempts to encounter our flaws go to extremes and result in compulsive actions which impact our function in our daily life. Body dysmorphic disorder, or body dysmorphia, is a mental illness which is classified in the DSM-5 as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder, which is what I described previously. On the subject of body dysmorphia, in Ian Hacking’s, “Kinds of People: Moving Targets”, he refers to two types of effects when it comes to labeling others, “making up people” and the “looping effect,” which is illustrated by body dysmorphia described before. Body dysmorphia, specifically muscle dysmorphia, is a living example of how scientific labeling can influence those who are labeled.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, also known as the “DSM”, is a book which psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health providers utilize to diagnose patients with mental illnesses. This book refers to the diagnostic criteria, features, prevalence, risk factors, functional consequences, etc. The DSM-5 (the “5” referring to the fifth edition of the book) goes into depth about all of these aspects relating to body dysmorphia. In summary, individuals with body dysmorphia are preoccupied with one or multiple flaws relating to their appearance (American Psychiatric Association 243). These concerns can be due to a multitude of reasons, such as skin, hair, nose, etc. However, in general, any body area can be the focus of concern for those with body dysmorphia. The reason why these obsessive-compulsive disorders are considered mental illnesses is because of their impact on an individual’s everyday life. People with body dysmorphia, for example, perform excessive and repetitive behaviors or mental acts. This includes observing one’s flaws constantly in any reflective surfaces, comparing other people’s appearances to theirs, excessive grooming to hide the defect, etc. These actions can take hours and hours of time to do, thus, disrupting their everyday life as these actions interfere with other aspects of their lives.
There is also a subcategory of body dysmorphia, known as muscle dysmorphia. This form of body dysmorphia consists of the same ideals, specifically about the idea that one’s body is too small or too lean (American Psychiatric Association 243). People with this disorder often have a normal physique, if not a muscular physique. However, due to reasons, they seem to have the perception that they are “too small.” In this case, a majority, diet, exercise, and lift weights excessively, which may cause body damage. Others may resort to using anabolic steroids and other medicinal substances to help with their perceived “defects.” In these cases, once again, the individuals compulsively perform harmful actions, which may disrupt their everyday life, either through physical injury, or health issues relating to drug use.
As stated before, in Ian Hacking’s, “Kinds of People: Moving Targets”, he refers to the use of labels and the classifications of people (285). He discusses two slogans that he coined: “making up people” and “the looping effect.” The first slogan, “referred to the ways in which a new scientific classification may bring into being a new kind of person, conceived of and experienced as a way to be a person” (285). In simple terms, when a scientific classification, such as a mental illness, is presented, people subconsciously shape themselves to fit the mold of their label. And in turn, create symptoms of the diagnosis that were originally not there. In the example Hacking gave, he referred to multiple personality disorder. In this case, when individuals were diagnosed with this illness, they reacted to it by having the same symptoms as was described in the diagnosis. They became what they were labeled as. They had multiple personality disorders and they shaped it to who they are. The other slogan, “the looping effect” refers to the way in which a scientific classification may bring about new behaviors and influences around them (286). As people were being diagnosed with this disorder, they started creating even more personalities. In the same explanation, when multiple personality disorder started off as just two or three personalities, it turned into seventeen within a decade. As a result, it fed back into the diagnoses, which eventually became part of the disorder itself. So for Ian Hacking, those two phenomena occur in regards to scientific labeling, such as body dysmorphic disorder.
For this in particular, one could view muscle dysmorphia through the eyes of Ian Hacking, for both of his coined slogans. For his “making up people,” the idea of muscle dysmorphia is very common among the gym community. There are numerous posts of individuals referring to their “body dysmorphia” about how small they are compared to others online. The labeling behind having muscle dysmorphia makes them up, as they become the one with the disorder. These individuals train to extremes, almost to the point of injury, along with taking steroids to enhance their physique. One example of this are the Tren Twins. These are two influencer brothers who are known for taking a steroid known as trenbolone, or tren for short. It is also known that they refer to their “body dysmorphia,” although it is not known if they are actually diagnosed with the disorder (@trenbolonetwinspin). One of the twins, Mikael Gaiera (Mike), especially refers to how he feels about his body, saying how he has small features about his build which he would like to make bigger, and about his weight loss. Mike had also torn his left pectoral muscle. This was due to their extreme exercise along with the use of steroids, as those who use them strengthen the muscle disproportionately to the tendon (Stefanou 2023). When it comes to “the looping effect,” this was also the case. As gym-goers continuously go to the gym, they find imperfections about them that no one else would see, adding more aspects to the disorder. Whether this is an asymmetric physique, not having all the muscle groups as large as they should be, etc. This adds on to the disorder more than it is initially, resulting in the effect that Hacking refers to.
In conclusion, through Ian Hacking’s lens, presented through “Kinds of People: Moving Targets,” the effects of “making up people” and the “looping effect” can be observed in muscle dysmorphia. Muscle dysmorphia is a mental disorder in which a person may observe one or more bodily flaws, resulting in unhealthy habits in response to these defects. When talking about “making up people,” the label of having body dysmorphia results in those who label themselves to fit with the diagnosis. They often have a small or nonexistent muscular flaw, resulting in compulsions when encountering it. In regards to the “the looping effect,” the labeling of having body dysmorphia results in more and more symptoms, such as seeing unique flaws about one’s appearance, which were never before seen. In these instances, the media portrayal of this disorder may affect those in the community to label themselves this way, causing these effects. Hopefully in the future, portrayal of body dysmorphic disorder can be controlled, thus, allowing for those who are suffering to get the help they need.
Works Cited
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed., Text Revision, American Psychiatric Publishing, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.
Hacking, Ian: “Kinds of People: Moving Targets: British Academy Lecture,” in Proceedings of
the British Academy, Volume 151, 2007 Lectures. pp. 285-318.
Stefanou, Nikolaos, et al. “Pectoralis Major Rupture in Body Builders: A Case Series Including Anabolic Steroid Use.” Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, vol. 15, no. 1, 2020, Article 371. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-020-01869-4.
“Make Your Day.” TikTok, @trenbolonetwinspin, 19 Apr. 2024, www.tiktok.com/@trenbolonetwinspin/video/7359732643325398315.
