Feminism can help treat anorexia, research shows

A new study has suggested that feminist theory could be used to treat anorexia.

Over a 10-week programme, academics at the University of East Anglia monitored seven patients at a treatment centre in Norwich.

During the programme, patients were shown TV adverts, Disney films, news articles and social media in order to spark debate around women’s bodies.

Patients covered topics such as “cultural expectations surrounding female emotion and anger” and “cultural prescriptions of femininity”.

Patients reported that the discussions were helpful for them when it came to tackling their condition.

Published in the journal of Eating Disorders, the paper concluded that the research “offers some support for the idea that focusing on broader gendered discourses – such as those relating to appetite for example – might be productive for participants in thinking about how often unquestioned (and potentially more ‘invisible’) gender inequities may shape the aetiology and maintenance of an ED [eating disorder]."

The paper said that patients found that talking about general topics surrounding appetite and females in society made them feel less likely to blame for their condition.

Researchers wrote that using feminism to address eating disorders enabled them to examine how “cultural constructions of femininity” could lead to “body distress”.

They pointed to examples such as society’s expectation that women will monitor their appetites.

"[Women] are called upon to exert greater regulation of ‘appetite’, both in relation to food intake and sexual desire," researchers wrote.

Dr Susan Holmes, from the university's department of Art, Media and American Studies, who led the research told the Telegraph: “The medical framework may offer the patient a greater sense of personal agency when it comes to feelings of control in recovery.

"Given that anorexia in particular is seen to be tightly intertwined with issues of control, this is clearly worth some thought.”