Dr Megha Dhillon
Dr Megha Dhillon
India
“We have spent far too much time disempowering young people by scrutinizing their appearances. We would evolve into healthier societies if we focused more on the functionality of young persons’ bodies, developed their cognitive strengths and honed their social consciousness.”
Living in New Delhi, Dr Megha Dhillon is a Professor of Psychology at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Her visionary perspective and track record has earned her the reputation of being the leading body image and mental health expert in India.
She is passionate about upskilling young people with mental health literacy, and challenging gender and social norms that perpetuate limiting stereotypes. She is also known for her ability to translate and adapt evidence-based techniques across cultures.
How did you come to be a Dr in Developmental Psychology?
My PhD degree stems primarily from a persistent curiosity about human nature. My interest in Developmental Psychology stemmed from the understanding that adolescence is an extremely significant phase of the life cycle biologically, psychologically and socially. By the time I chose the area of Developmental Psychology I had come to understand that events and incidents during adolescence could be game-changers for better or for worse. Since the completion of my PhD degree, my interests have diversified into gender and disability. Development, disability and gender have close ties with the field of body image and I frequently find myself pulled towards analyzing their intersections.
Tell us about a distinctive memory of how body image affected you?
I have several memories related to body image. I remember being grabbed by the waist by an aunt when I was 8 years old, who laughingly told me that I looked fat. I felt very hurt and refused to talk to her for years after that. On one occasion in my teenage years I was told that I couldn’t possibly be the daughter of my beautiful mother, as I wasn’t good looking enough. There were also several instances of people telling me to take better care of my skin so that the acne on my face would subside. All of these experiences were very frustrating. Through them I learned never to criticize anyone’s appearance. I learned how disrespectful and damaging it can be to do so. Amazingly most of the things said to me were probably said out of concern. Some were meant to be funny. But it never felt caring or humorous to me.
Why did you get into body image and mental health research and work?
I think the strongest factor was the struggles I had been through when I was young. I began struggling with body image and self esteem issues in my mid-adolescence. I was unable to understand how to cope with the feelings. When I look back, I realize that these issues were poorly understood at that time and were mostly relegated to the back burner. Much greater priority was given to academic success and developing a career. The struggles were likely exacerbated by a lack of resources that could have helped empower me - this has left its imprint on me. I wish to channel these frustrations into creating accessible resources and platforms for young people in India who may be grappling with societal pressures to attain the ideal appearance.
What work are you most proud of to date?
If I may say so,I feel proud of all the work I have done in the field. The first piece is a qualitative study we did on documenting Indian adolescent girls’ struggles with weight. This included gaining relevant insights into the factors that fueled their dissatisfaction and how they coped with the feelings. Another research project that I enjoyed was a small scale intervention we designed on promoting media literacy among young people in India. We designed the intervention for the urban, Indian setting and found it to be effective in promoting body satisfaction and enhancing young people’s awareness about the artificiality of media messages. I have also conducted several sessions on body image within my own institution and consider the discussions I have had with students to be effective in helping them develop an appreciation for body diversity.
Why is this work important to you, where do you see it going and who would you like to work with?
This work is important to me because I have witnessed several young women around me struggle with body image issues on an everyday basis. I have seen them dealing with a diminished sense of self-worth, at a time when they should be finding their place in the world. I hope that we can continue to develop wide-reaching, cost effective interventions in a variety of Indian languages, so that we can reach out to young people in different parts of this vast nation. I would like to work not only with young people but also their families and educators. Families in particular play a very strong role in determining the way young people feel about their appearance. I think there is also more scope to work with media houses in India to increase the representation of different kinds of bodies in films, adverts and television shows. This may also help to stop the body shaming that persists in the media targeted at those who do not meet appearance ideals.
The Small Print
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Developmental Psychology), University of Delhi
Master of Arts in Psychology, University of Delhi
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours), University of Delhi
Current Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi (2010-Present)
Other Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Jesus and Mary, University of Delhi (2010-Present)
Publications
Can be viewed here
Honors & Awards
The Junior Research Fellow Scholarship, 2008
The NCERT Scholarship, 2007
The Dr. N.V. Banerjee Prize for being Best candidate in the M.A. examination in Philosophy and Psychology, 2005
The Shashi Kala Gold Medal for being Best candidate in the M.A. examination in Psychology, 2005
The Lala Jugal Kishore Jagdish Prasad Memorial Prize for standing 1st in M.A. previous, 2003-2004
Certificate for understanding of psychological issues awarded by Lady Sri Ram College, 2002-03
Prize for Best Student in Psychology, 1st in South Delhi Campus, 2000-01
The Vice-President’s medal for standing first in humanities stream, awarded by President A.P.J. Kalam, 2000-01
When I’m not working, you’ll find me…
Spending time with my daughter
Admiring Nature
Working out while listening to Music that I love
Watching investigative shows on Netflix
Trying to keep my house clean
Connect with me
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