Keeping Up With the Kardashians has been furthering the conversation about some incredibly real issues that affect everyone — including the Kardashians. Earlier this month, Kim let the cameras keep rolling in the middle of a panic attack she said was triggered by her harrowing experience in Paris, when she was bound and gagged by robbers. Now, the latest episode focused on Kim’s body image issues and body dysmorphia.
In Sunday night's episode, while in the car on the way to May's 2017 Met Gala in New York City, Kim began panicking over her appearance and started sweating. The attack came after bikini photos from her Mexico vacation were heavily scrutinized by the media in April. "I'm literally going to sh*t my f*cking pants," she sobbed in the car, later saying she felt like she was "about to throw up" and "totally had a freakout."
Days into the controversy, Kim really began to spiral, People reports. “When will they stop with this story?” she said on the episode. “You definitely get a thick skin once you have been through it a lot, but pictures just keep coming up every day and they just won’t let it go. I know I can handle anything and everything, and if I can’t handle it...who can?” She made it clear that body dysmorphia — a very real condition that causes an obsession with perceived flaws, even imaginary ones — can happen to even those we look up to as beauty icons.
Kim brings up an important point: that no one is immune to mental health or anxiety attacks, no matter how famous or powerful. "I just am in the house so much that I get so freaked out if anyone, like, looks at me," she said in the episode. "[It's a] full phobia — I freak out about everything. Why do I subject myself to being seen? Why don't I just stay at home?"
Meanwhile, her sisters tried to help her by deleting social media off her phone and keeping her sheltered from gossip websites. "I feel like one of the best things she did for herself after her Paris incident was she really detached herself from the internet and social media,” said Khloé. “I think we kind of need to step in and do something like that so she realizes this does not matter, and we take that bullsh*t out of her life.”
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) "suffer from obsessions about their appearance that can last for hours or up to an entire day." It can focus on body fat, muscle mass, tone, or any other perceived imperfection, and severe BDD can cause people to stop leaving their homes altogether — much like Kim has wanted to do.
And she’s certainly not alone. The ADAA reports that an estimated 2.2% of American women have BDD, and it often begins to occur from ages 12 to 13, or around puberty. The ADAA says BDD can occur due to life experiences and trauma — a possibility for Kim, considering that Kourtney said on the episode that this isn't "normal" for her sister. However, the ADAA says that the causes of BDD are unclear, and depending on the person, body dysmorphia could strike due to "genetic predisposition, neurobiological factors such as malfunctioning of serotonin in the brain, [or] personality traits." In addition, BDD often goes hand in hand with other mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, or eating disorders.
No matter the cause, it’s essential that powerful stars with a platform keep speaking up about issues like panic attacks and body dysmorphia.
Related: Kim Kardashian Let People Film Her Panic Attack for an Important Reason
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