Feminism causes eating disorders

[Angharad Crewe]

I think one of the ways feminism gets blamed for this sort of thing is that it led women to be more out there in the marketplace, they were more easily able to hold office jobs and the like. Where people IMHO go awry though is assuming that it's somehow just "natural" that once women are more out in the public sphere instead of being hidden away at home, that they must, NECESSARILY, be judged for their looks with a very critical (male) eye 24/7. That part isn't feminism. There is no reason why women need to be eye candy on top of whatever else they're doing. There's no reason why we need to critique Hillary Clinton or Condoleeza Rice's hairstyle and pant suits when we don't do the same for Kissinger.

To give some more modern example, you can see all over the media how now supposedly it's "okay" (as if anyone needed permission) for girls to be geeks, now, but in those same articles it implies heavily that while girls can now do X, Y, and Z, they better look "hot" and sexually attractive while doing it. The emphasis is on looking cute while being so "daring" to do these "boy" activities. It's still about look, you can get a boyfriend!

That's not feminism.

Not to be nitpicky, I don't think that it's only men who are critical of women's looks. Women can be just as harsh in criticizing a woman's appearance as men can. I think that it's a cultural thing that we judge women - and to a certain extent, men - on appearances rather than on competence or capability.

Kind of on the same topic: I watched an interview with the cast of Les Miserables, and all the men were asked serious questions about the experience acting in the film/ what they thought about their character, etc. Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seifried were asked who designed the dresses they were wearing.

[AVENues]

This is about the stupidest, most outrageous explanation I have ever read. Really.

[treehugger]

I have a feeling that more than a few Fundie women have eating disorders. Being thin is part of Gothard's ideal of feminine beauty and food may be the only thing that a fundie woman may be able to control.

QFT. I know quite a few fundie/fundie-light girls. Without fail, almost every single one has struggled with anorexia/bulimia. Most of them don't even know it. They have to be thin, because otherwise they won't be attractive (read: never find a headship). Also, thanks to the extreme pressures they face to only eat a little bit (because people are starving in Africa), to be thankful for the meagre amounts of food they get, and the pressure to have complete control over their bodies and desires (no chocolate!), most of them end up malnourished and yes, obsessing about food. Feminism definitely does NOT cause eating disorders. Dads who insist their daughters remain slender and frail DO.

As an aside - my baby sister has struggled with anorexia since she was 12. She is now 18 and has never fully developed. She will never have children and she will never physically mature into a developed woman because of it. This kind of shit attitude towards eating disorders makes me want to :angry-banghead:

[skeptifem]

The FLDS has a serious case of fat hate. I am sure that the health nut fundies around here think that weighing too much is a sin or a sign of gluttony or whatever.

The post is so infuriating to me because it is like saying feminists caused marital rape- because no one discussed it before feminists brought it up. Well DUH. No one thought it was a problem before feminists brought it up, that doesn't mean it wasn't happening. Naming a problem and getting the word out is important.

I'm surprised she blamed feminists instead of karen caprenter- she is the one who made the problem famous in america iirc.

[nolongerIFBx]

femalemisogynist.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/feminism-and-eating-disorders/

I know this is an old post, but I felt the strong urge to share it. Seriously, this is one of the most ill-researched posts I have ever seen. Eating disorders have been documented since the late 1800's before da evub feminism.

Also as a fat woman myself, I do not push men away from me, and neither does any of my other fat girlfriends. She claims that anoxeria and bulmia happens in late adulthood, when in reality most of the biggest victims of eating disorder happen to be young girls, who are still fertile.

This just made me angry, both as a fat young woman, and someone who has suffered through eating disorders

So does fundamentalism when you become so ashamed of being female that you over eat to hide your figure or undereat to get rid of it.