Beyond body image: The integration of feminist and transcultural theories in the understanding of self starvation

Abstract

Objective: The present study represents an intersection between cross-cultural theorizing and feminist scholarship. It is an attempt to provoke as well as augment prevailing biomedical models that esteem fear of fatness as the primary motivation for voluntary starvation in anorexic women. Method: Recent studies of eating disturbance in both Eastern and Western societies are invoked to demonstrate the ways in which women straddling two worlds, be it generational, work-family, cultural, or traditional and modern, may employ food denial as an instrumental means of negotiating the transition, disconnection, and oppression that they uniformly endure. Results: A feminist/transcultural interpretation of the literature suggests that by construing anorexia nervosa as a body image disorder or Western culturebound syndrome, extant models miss the broader contexts and varied meanings of food refusal. Discussion: The implications of cross-disciplinary perspectives for theory building and treatment are discussed, acknowledging not only the gendered nature of eating disorders but their embodiment of power differentials as well.

Cultural correlates of eating attitudes: A comparison between native‐born and immigrant university students in Israel

“…Indeed, Katzman and Lee suggest that among immigrant women, food denial or control may offer a potent means to negotiate transitions in values, expectations, and the conflicts they feel in absorption into a new society. 32 Simpson takes a similar view and shows that when we move away from Western culture, eating disorders may be associated with different norms such as religious asceticism, and culturally acceptable, psychosomatic expressions of distress. 33 The findings from this research emphasize the difference in the way exposure to Western culture affect men and women, with a significantly stronger influence on women.…”

Disordered eating related behaviors among Arab schoolgirls in Israel: An epidemiological study

“…It may be that the degree of resemblance between the schoolgirls' eating behaviors and preoccupations and the morbid behaviors diagnosed as eating disorders is dependent upon the degree of exposure to Western/modern body ideals and the presence of conflict between modern and traditional values in relation to the female role. 47,48 Support for this explanation is provided by recent studies of eating disturbances in both Eastern and Western societies, 35,49 demonstrating the ways in which women may employ food denial as an instrumental means of negotiating the conflict between two worlds-whether it be a generational conflict, a work-family conflict, or a conflict between traditional and modern cultures.…”

Ethnic differences in BMI, weight concerns, and eating behaviors: Comparison of Native American, White, and Hispanic adolescents

“…The idea that cultural conflict associated with affiliation with more than one culture -the socalled "two-world hypothesis" (Katzman & Lee, 1997) -may lead to an increased risk of eating disorders (EDs) has been supported by studies showing that Black girls who accepted White values and beliefs were significantly more likely to have a higher drive for thinness and engage in restrictive eating behaviors than those who did not accept these White values (Abrams, Allen, & Gray (1993). However, despite such evidence, a recent meta-analysis by Wildes, Emery, and Simons (2001) found little support for this differential acculturation hypothesis.…”