Clayton Echard is most well-known for being The Bachelor in 2022. Even more than that, he became the guy who fell in love with three women and broke two of their hearts.
Echard now wants to become known for using his platform to bring awareness to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a condition that he is very open about. He has partnered with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) to do so.
He has also written a book about his journey, 180 Degrees: On Mental Health, Mindfulness, and Unlocking Self-Belief.
What was Clayton Echard’s experience with BDD?
Echard was a professional football player who went on to become The Bachelor. He may not seem like someone with body issues, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
According to the ADAA, body dysmorphic disorder is “persistent and intrusive” thoughts about “real or perceived flaws.” Those who suffer from BDD “can’t control their negative thoughts and don’t believe people who tell them that they look fine.”
He told Shape that he began comparing his body to others back when he was in seventh grade.
“I just saw the way they looked, and I wanted to look that way as well,” he told the outlet. “But I just found myself constantly obsessing over my stomach area … staring in the mirror a lot, pinching my lower abdominal, pinching my obliques.”
His struggle continued during college and in the NFL, “I naturally started to accumulate more fat because I needed to be heavier to play the sport,” said Echard. “So, it actually kind of increased those negative feelings that I had about my body.”
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What happened with Clayton Echard’s teammates in college that triggered his BDD?
One of the reasons that the former football player is speaking out is that it is a common misconception that BDD only affects women. In reality, it affects men and women equally.
The Bachelor told Us that he began talking about the issue in college; “I opened up to the wrong people, and they used it against me. They weaponized my body image issues.”
He went on to say, “They call me ‘bad body Ech.’ That was my nickname by some of my teammates in college because they knew that I didn’t like my body.” He said that he laughed it off, but it really bothered him. It taught him a lesson.
“That’s the thing where I try to tell people — when you open up to the wrong people, it will hurt you. But when you open up to the right people, it’ll help you tremendously.”
Clayton Echard is putting less emphasis on physical appearance
Echard definitely learned a lot from both his experience with BDD and The Bachelor. He learned to put less emphasis on appearance as he dates post-reality TV. “I’m just super open, having conversations with everybody because you never know when that one person that maybe you wouldn’t have given a chance to prior might end up being The One for you,” he said.
He also admits that his dating life is complicated, and although he has met some incredible women, he is very focused on himself. He went on to say,
“So either they’re gonna understand that, and they’re gonna gimme my space and allow me to build right now, or they’re gonna say, ‘Hey, he just can’t gimme what I need right now, I’m not interested.’ I probably have lost a few people to that, but I have to do with what’s best for me first.”
How to get help: In the U.S. call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237.
