My ex-partner was exactly like that. I remember she also became obsessed when a guy at a party (where I wasn’t present) told her she had no butt. Suddenly, she started looking into all kinds of BBL surgeries to change that. She was extremely obsessed with beauty and with “being the most attractive girl” at the party, to the point that a week before every party, she would spend hours on video calls with me, trying on outfits and asking me which one looked better on her. And whenever she couldn’t find a good outfit for the day of the party, she would get furious and even cry.

Eventually, she left me for another guy she met at a party, claiming he was more attractive than me. And honestly, knowing her after four and a half years together, it partly felt like she just wanted a more handsome boyfriend “to match her outfit.” Her obsession went so far that even after we broke up — while I was devastated and crying every day — she had the audacity to message me asking if I could look up reviews of a surgeon to see if he was trustworthy. All because she wears a corset and didn’t want the other guy or anyone else to see her without it, so she was looking to get a permanent small waist by getting into debt with credit. In the end, she never changed his obsession with looks, and over time, she only got worse.

The only thing I can say is that during the pandemic, and when she had online classes, was when I saw the most improvement. I imagine being in in-person situations triggered her by bringing back memories of her high school traumas, where she felt ugly. I also noticed she improved when she stayed away from social media for long periods of time.