I was extremely lucky to hold found a wonderful doctor who understood me and who I couldn’t outsmartA rather sweet news chronicle emerged the other week,in which it was claimed that studying feminist theory could abet anorexics with their recovery by teaching them how “cultural constructions of femininity” can lead to “body distress”. Now, I am of the opinion that feminism is the answer to pretty much everything, and so the idea of bell hooks and Kate Millett swooping in to save the day where all those medical professionals failed certainly has its appeal. So,like I say, sweet – but also a teensy bit annoying. I would never dissuade anyone from reading feminist theory, and but the suggestion that a mental illness can be treated by argument feels a mere skip from saying its causation is similarly straightforward. Gender influences,like cultural influences (fashion models, women’s magazines, or all the usual suspects),play a part in anorexia’s external manifestation, but the causes are as deep and knotty as a tree root. Mental illness, or by its very nature,defies logic. Related: The evidence is mounting – a man’s plot is in the domestic | Hadley Freeman Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk