Just because one may appear to have it all, the perfect body, an amazing career, and to all outward appearance seem to be living the dream, that does not make them immune to insecurities and their own inner turmoil. When it comes to one's body and their body image, what they see in the mirror can be vastly different from what the rest of the world perceives. In her recent interview with Q magazine, Lily Allen admits that she suffers from Body Dismorphic Disorder, "I was sitting in bed last night and I caught sight of myself in the mirror," and what she sees is, "someone who is more overweight than they actually are."

In fact, BDD is a distressingly common problem, and while it does not always accompany an eating disorder, the two often go hand in hand. It is a psychological disorder in which sufferers aren't able to accurately see themselves in their true shape. BDD is very common with anorexia in which the individual will generally still see themselves as too fat despite protruding bones and a dangerously low weight.

This preoccupation then feeds into their disorder as they still adhere to their strict diet and workout regime. In a culture that is so obsessed with thinness and the perfect body, it is sad that for an increasing amount of young women, and men too, eating disorders and BDD is rampant. The line between a healthy diet and exercise amount is often blurred, and when one crosses the line between what is okay and what is instead a life consuming obsession it can be hard to distinguish as an outsider.

For this reason many eating disorders and exercise additions go both unnoticed or untreated, as the individual will often vehemently deny that their is a problem. In fact they will more often than not be in a state of self denial themselves. Yet both of these are life threatening problems that carry both physical dangers and mental torment. Early recognition and intervention for those with eating disorders and exercise addictions is the key to a successful recovery, for the longer these unhealthy habits are allowed to continue the harder it is to reverse them.

While BDD alone is not necessarily going to cause someone to take unhealthy and drastic measures to change what they see in the mirror, it is a dangerous step in that direction. Eating healthfully and exercising in a moderate amount has shown to help improve one's self esteem and can at times help to combat a poor body image, but when taken to the extreme it can wreck havoc on one's body and mind.