“Body Dysmorphia” by Javi That’s Me is an acoustic indie track filled with painful vulnerability. Javi struggles with unrequited love, self-esteem, and body image in this stripped back track. No matter the specificities or severity of hardships you’ve faced, we all can relate to not feeling good enough and being unhappy with ourselves. Javi reminds us that we’re not alone in those sentiments while simultaneously giving us lyrics to represent those difficult feelings.
“I’ve been eating less but it never works, and I’m always stressed ‘cause I’m always hurt, and I never know what to do.” This one line beautifully encompasses the theme of “Body Dysmorphia.” The stark simplicity of the sentence makes the emotion cut deeper, because everyone knows the well of pain that lies under words like these. On the surface, it’s “I’ve been eating less,” but we know that comes with severe body image issues and feelings of inadequacy that you have know idea how to reconcile. It’s almost impossible to articulate our most upsetting emotions, so sometimes all you can say is “I’ve been eating less” or “I’m always stressed.”
The vocals in this song are overlaid with a modulating effect, and it’s interesting to think of this as representative of body dysmorphia itself. Body dysmorphia is a mental illness where a person obsesses over a “flaw” in their appearance, and many times this flaw is imagined. The modulation that makes the vocals sound muted and echoed parallels the warped perception of those with body dysmorphia.
“I wish I didn’t look the way I do.” Javi That’s Me puts the negative thoughts many people have about themselves into song form, delivering an unguarded track about insecurity through “Body Dysmorphia.”
Written by Emily Cushing
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