While awareness about unrealistic body standards has risen by leaps and bounds in recent years, there are still those who have had their lives warped pursuing that "ideal body."

Tami Roman remains a prime example of this phenomenon, to the point that she has a mental health condition called Body Dysmorphic Disorder. 

Fans Concerned over Tami Roman's Weight Loss

For those unaware, Roman was the talk of the town on Twitter on October 2021, when fans were worried about the reality star's weight loss. The already slim actress was still losing pounds. 

Understandably, fans were worried about Roman's weight loss and the potential health problems that might ensue. Take a look at some of these tweets.

Tami Roman Opens Up About Her Weight Loss

During a recent episode of The Real Daytime, Roman revealed that her weight loss was directly correlated to a condition that she had: Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

As per WebMD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD refers to a distinct mental disorder in which a person is preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see.

Hence, those suffering from this disorder see themselves as "ugly," avoid social exposure and take drastic measures to "improve" their appearance.

Tami Roman Suffered from BDD Since She Was 13

Delving deeper into the topic, Roman confessed she had been suffering from this condition since she was a 13-year-old when someone at a modeling agency ripped her body image apart. 

Back then, Roman was an aspiring model, and in her mind, she had all the traits to pursue her dream: she was lean and tall. She stood at the height of 5 ft 9 inches and weighed less than 120 pounds. 

However, when she went to a modeling agency, they stood her in front of a mirror and started pointing out supposed flaws in her appearance. Roman outed, 

She literally stood me in front of a mirror and said, 'You've got backfolds. You've got fat over your knees. You know you need to do something with your chin. Your breasts are sagging.' I went home that night and from that moment every time I looked at myself in the mirror I could find something wrong with myself.

With her confidence in her body shattered, Roman resorted to not eating, abusing laxatives, and throwing up—essentially anything and everything that would let her be skinnier. 

She even had her mouth wired in 1993 to curb her food intake and accelerate her weight loss. 

Tami Roman's Idea of Positive Comments Was Warped

In time, Roman lost a considerable amount of weight. So much so that people started commenting on how frail she had become. Instead of taking these comments as a sign to stop losing more weight, she felt as though they were compliments. 

She even admitted to wanting to lose ten or even 20 more pounds.

Thankfully, she sought professional help and was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder in 2008. She had been going to behavioral therapy to try to unlearn things she had convinced herself of.

Tami Roman's Message to Her Fans

Obviously, Roman was well aware of all the ruckus transpiring on Twitter about her weight loss, and apparently, it was not at all helpful.

I put up a picture and you go, 'You're so skinny, I hope you're not sick. I'm praying for you.' Don't pray for me for something you don't understand. Yes, don't pray. I don't know what you know yes the intent behind your prayers. Please don't. Because you don't know what I'm dealing with.

She said that what people were doing to her on social media was body-shaming from the other end of the spectrum.