Are you suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
April 7, 2004 | 12:00am
Dear Tingting,
I am a British guy living in Naga City. I read your "Style SOS" column March 24, Wednesday. While reading the letter from Rina on the matter of plastic surgery, I was reminded of an article I read in the February 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest (British edition). The article was entitled "Obsessed with Feeling Ugly." It went on to outline a serious illness which supposedly affects one in 100 people. The illness is known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and characterized by distorted body image. Sufferers become obsessed with slight or imagined defects in their appearance.
It seems to me that your reader is suffering from this illness.
The UK expert in BDD is Dr. David Veale of Priory Hospital, London (UK tel. no. 0870-7700456).
I’m not sure if this article was printed in the Philippine edition of Reader’s Digest since my copy was sent from UK. Perhaps your reader could find the article on www.readersdigest.co.uk or she could do a search on the above doctor and BDD.
John Whelan
Dear Lucy,
I am a 16-year-old guy, about 5’9" tall, and weighing 45 kilos (in other words, I’m tall and thin). I have semi-dark to partial light complexion, straight black hair, and wear a pair of eyeglasses. Admittedly, I am a fan of white and light colors because I find them cool and unique, quite unlike other guys who like to wear dark, punk and stereotype styles which I don’t like. Also, I seldom use hair gel because one of my cousins told me that my hair is smooth and nice to look at – maganda ang bagsak. Is this OK? Could you suggest any outfit, style or color that a nerdy-looking guy like me should wear to look better?
Mr. Nerdy
Yup, you definitely sound okay to me – there’s nothing wrong with being tall and thin. Besides, you are only 16 (the most awkward stage for most guys, when you are not anymore a boy but not quite a man yet either). Chances are, you will start to fill out in the years to come, just wait and see. I remember the way my male classmates looked when we graduated from high school and when I ran into them during our college years, they all looked like "real men," so to speak.
For a guy your age, anything goes really. You can experiment with colors and styles – if you have broad shoulders, you can choose to emphasize that by wearing close-fitting shirts. If you have long legs (which I’m pretty sure you have), lean/bootcut jeans would definitely look good on you. Instead of the usual collared shirts, maybe you can wear those sporty, nice-looking ones that are so popular now. Just stay away from the common mistake of thin guys wanting to look big – they automatically wear baggy pants and pile on at least three oversized shirts to give the illusion of bulk. If you do layer your clothing, keep in mind our climate and stick to your size. A sporty jacket would look good – try getting one in any color except the predictable black and navy blue.
It also sounds like you have really nice hair – the less you do to it, the better. At the most, get a good haircut and in lieu of gel, which can give your hair a contrived look, try a styling cream instead. It will give your hair texture minus the stiffness.
Lucy
Dear Ms. Prieto,
I’m getting married in November and I was wondering if you could help me with a small dilemma. I have read through some wedding invitations at the printers as well as some of the invitations sent to me before, and all of them have the groom’s name and his parents’ name printed first. As I was searching through some old invitations of my mom, I found one belonging to the daughter of a former president and in this invitation, the girl’s name appeared first. What is the proper format for wedding invitations? Thank you for your help.
Wedding invitations should always have the name of the girl first, such as: Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso Garcia request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Evangeline to Mr. Stephen Yulo on Saturday, the first of June, at 5 o’clock at St. Patrick’s Church, De los Santos Avenue and at the dinner reception immediately following at the Le Pavilion Tent, etc. When the invitations are on both sides of the card, the girl and her parents’ names should be on the left side and the groom’s on the right.
Mary
Dear Tingting,
Do the scar removers advertised on TV (AMI Balance Essence and BNT Rosehips Scar Remover) really work?
Donna
I have heard of rosehips removing scars, but then again, Contracubex or Mederma were prescribed to me by doctors so they must be effective and allergy-free.
Tingting
Send e-mail to style_sos@yahoo.com or write to Style SOS, c/o Life Section, The Philippine STAR, 13th and Railroad St., Port Area, Manila.
I am a British guy living in Naga City. I read your "Style SOS" column March 24, Wednesday. While reading the letter from Rina on the matter of plastic surgery, I was reminded of an article I read in the February 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest (British edition). The article was entitled "Obsessed with Feeling Ugly." It went on to outline a serious illness which supposedly affects one in 100 people. The illness is known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and characterized by distorted body image. Sufferers become obsessed with slight or imagined defects in their appearance.
It seems to me that your reader is suffering from this illness.
The UK expert in BDD is Dr. David Veale of Priory Hospital, London (UK tel. no. 0870-7700456).
I’m not sure if this article was printed in the Philippine edition of Reader’s Digest since my copy was sent from UK. Perhaps your reader could find the article on www.readersdigest.co.uk or she could do a search on the above doctor and BDD.
John Whelan
Dear Lucy,
I am a 16-year-old guy, about 5’9" tall, and weighing 45 kilos (in other words, I’m tall and thin). I have semi-dark to partial light complexion, straight black hair, and wear a pair of eyeglasses. Admittedly, I am a fan of white and light colors because I find them cool and unique, quite unlike other guys who like to wear dark, punk and stereotype styles which I don’t like. Also, I seldom use hair gel because one of my cousins told me that my hair is smooth and nice to look at – maganda ang bagsak. Is this OK? Could you suggest any outfit, style or color that a nerdy-looking guy like me should wear to look better?
Mr. Nerdy
Yup, you definitely sound okay to me – there’s nothing wrong with being tall and thin. Besides, you are only 16 (the most awkward stage for most guys, when you are not anymore a boy but not quite a man yet either). Chances are, you will start to fill out in the years to come, just wait and see. I remember the way my male classmates looked when we graduated from high school and when I ran into them during our college years, they all looked like "real men," so to speak.
For a guy your age, anything goes really. You can experiment with colors and styles – if you have broad shoulders, you can choose to emphasize that by wearing close-fitting shirts. If you have long legs (which I’m pretty sure you have), lean/bootcut jeans would definitely look good on you. Instead of the usual collared shirts, maybe you can wear those sporty, nice-looking ones that are so popular now. Just stay away from the common mistake of thin guys wanting to look big – they automatically wear baggy pants and pile on at least three oversized shirts to give the illusion of bulk. If you do layer your clothing, keep in mind our climate and stick to your size. A sporty jacket would look good – try getting one in any color except the predictable black and navy blue.
It also sounds like you have really nice hair – the less you do to it, the better. At the most, get a good haircut and in lieu of gel, which can give your hair a contrived look, try a styling cream instead. It will give your hair texture minus the stiffness.
Lucy
I’m getting married in November and I was wondering if you could help me with a small dilemma. I have read through some wedding invitations at the printers as well as some of the invitations sent to me before, and all of them have the groom’s name and his parents’ name printed first. As I was searching through some old invitations of my mom, I found one belonging to the daughter of a former president and in this invitation, the girl’s name appeared first. What is the proper format for wedding invitations? Thank you for your help.
Wedding invitations should always have the name of the girl first, such as: Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso Garcia request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their daughter Evangeline to Mr. Stephen Yulo on Saturday, the first of June, at 5 o’clock at St. Patrick’s Church, De los Santos Avenue and at the dinner reception immediately following at the Le Pavilion Tent, etc. When the invitations are on both sides of the card, the girl and her parents’ names should be on the left side and the groom’s on the right.
Mary
Do the scar removers advertised on TV (AMI Balance Essence and BNT Rosehips Scar Remover) really work?
Donna
I have heard of rosehips removing scars, but then again, Contracubex or Mederma were prescribed to me by doctors so they must be effective and allergy-free.
Tingting
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