Have you ever walked into a room and felt like everyone was staring at that pimple on your forehead, your receding hairline, the baby fat you've had for the past thirty years, or any other little flaw? Have you ever been so self-conscious that you're willing to spend hours adjusting your appearance or thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery just to feel normal? Approximately 5 to 7.5 million citizens in the United States alone suffer from a unique mental prison known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD (Phillips). This disorder, characterized by extreme preoccupation with one's appearance, often goes unnoticed (Olivardia 60). Men especially seem to feel pressure to hide their symptoms behind a facade of masculine self-assurance. Take for example…show more content… Mental illness is not limited to maladies such as depression or bipolar disorder, although they are surprisingly common. Approximately one in three people suffer from some type of mood disorder (Gender and...). However, many cases of mental disorder go undiagnosed, like Curley in Of Mice and Men. Curley, the boss's son, is not often cited as a mentally ill character. This might be due to the presence of Lennie, an obviously mentally incapacitated character who repeatedly displays his lack of comprehension throughout the story in his words and behaviors. For example, Lennie’s childlike innocence is shown when, after being asked a simple question, he replies, “Tried and tried...but it didn’t do no good. I remember about the rabbits, George,”(Steinbeck 6).Curley, an angry and impulsive man, shows less obvious signs of mental illness. He is preoccupied with his height, as shown in his wearing of high- heeled boots. Curley also displays an offensive attitude when, after first meeting George and Lennie, he says “By Christ, he’s gotta talk when he’s spoken to. What the hell are you gettin’ into it for?”(Steinbeck 26). These character traits might be interpreted as an abnormal concern with a perceived flaw, the hallmark of…show more content… While many people probably suffer from feelings of inadequacy from time to time, victims of BDD must face these feelings almost constantly. Over 80% of surveyed men suffering from BDD said that they went to “great lengths to cover up or disguise their perceived flaws”. Common methods of disguising flaws included wearing extra layers to cover up a seemingly small build, hats to hide thinning hair, and sunglasses to hide beady eyes (Olvardia 60). As previously stated, Curley wears high heeled boots throughout the book. While one might see this fashion choice as a form of class distinction, it is more commonly seen as a way to make up for and to hide Curley's short stature. Curley’s aggressive behavior might also be seen as a form of compensation. The swamper in the novella, while describing Curley to George, says “… He's alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy,” (Steinbeck 26). Men who suffer from BDD may feel that their body concerns make them less of a man (Olvardia 61). It would make sense that, in order to make up for these feelings of femininity, they would try to show exaggerated, traditionally masculine behaviors such as picking fights with bigger men. Curley is often cited as the villain of the novella, not a victim of mental illness. At one point, a character in the book says “Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He
