"My own observations suggest that the changing status of (and expectations for) women plays a role [in the increase in anorexia nervosa]. Girls whose early upbringing has prepared them to become 'clinging-vine' wives suddenly are expected at adolescence to prove themselves as women of achievement. This seems to create a servere personal self-doubt and basic uncertainty. In their submissive way, they 'choose' the fashionable dictum to be slim as a way of proving themselves as deserving of respect."
--Hilde Bruch, 'Four decades of eating disorders'
A sort of identity conflict it would seem. What do you think of this explanation of eating disorders in girls?
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2 comments:
i'm not sure what a "clinging vine" wife is, but most of the people i've know with anorexia are super-acheivers and perfectionists. it seemed to me that they were looking for something they could control in a world that often felt beyond their grasp. you can control your body and see immediate results.
i think the control issue is an important part of the explanation. i wonder if the super-achievers also feel self-doubt and uncertainty? or if they see being thin as a way to "succeed" as a woman in our society?
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