This November, Scandinavian fashion brand Monki joins the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation to raise awareness around body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a distressing psychological condition where a person becomes very preoccupied with one or more features in physical appearance. With about 1 in 50 suffering from BDD today, this condition is largely overlooked and undiagnosed. The BDD Foundation’s work is focusing on information, early diagnosis, and support in combating the disorder.

The BDD Foundation supported by Monki, will start a petition directed at the EU Parliament calling for transparency on altered images on social media. This would push for changes to ensure that organisations, companies, and influencers are legally required to state when images have been manipulated for paid content online. Tapping into an already important and ongoing movement recent years have seen changes in law in Norway and France.

One important part of the BDD Foundation’s work is to remind people not to compare themselves to others. Altered images can affect our body image, triggering body dissatisfaction and exacerbating BDD symptoms. We see this petition as a vital tool for approaching the EU Parliament to raise questions and drive real change.

Kitty Wallace, Head of Operations at the BDD Foundation