Monki links with campaigning group to tackle body dysmorphia

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 25, 2021

H&M Group’s youth-focused Monki brand is linking up with the BDD Foundation in a drive to raise awareness around Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) “and the effect of altered imagery in social media”.

The psychological condition, in which a person becomes preoccupied with one or more features in physical appearance, has frequently been cited as linked to the fashion and beauty industries’ focus on looking perfect.

The company said it’s estimated that around one in every 50 people suffer from some form of BDD today but the condition is “largely overlooked and undiagnosed”. The BDD Foundation’s work is focusing on information, early diagnosis, and support in combating the disorder.

Supported by Monki, the group 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”.

For Monki, the partnership with the BDD Foundation “taps perfectly into the brand’s purpose. Since day one, Monki has been about empowering young women to feel good about themselves, just the way they are. Diverse casting, transparent retouch guidelines and #nofilter campaigns are some of the brand’s work to support this mission”, it said.

Monki MD Jennie Dahlin Hansson said that “we believe we have the responsibility to use our global platform for good, and we are very proud to be partnering up with the BDD Foundation and supporting their important work”.

The brand will use its digital channels to share information and educational materials with its community about body dysmorphic disorder.