Young Women and the Body A Feminist Sociology

Why are young women today deeply unhappy with their own bodies? Why do even young girls inflict serious harm to themselves by dangerous patterns of bingeing and dieting? Drawing on a wide source of feminist perspectives this book examines this epidemic of body-hatred.

Liz Frost is Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England.

Acknowledgements

x

Introduction: the Alien Body

1

(1)

The concept of body-hatred

1

(1)

Aims of the book

2

(2)

The body projects

4

(2)

The structure of the book

6

(4)

What is Body-Hatred?

10

(24)

Body-hatred and psychiatric medicine

10

(2)

Body dysmorphic disorder

12

(1)

Eating disorders

13

(6)

Self-harm

19

(3)

Psychological approaches to body-hatred

22

(3)

Feminist sociological approaches to body-hatred

25

(2)

Gender ambivalence: a liberal feminist perspective

27

(1)

Body debasement: a radical feminist perspective

28

(1)

The capitalist manufacture of bodily discontent: a socialist feminist perspective

29

(2)

`Woman' as inferiorised category: a feminist social constructionist perspective

31

(1)

Summary

32

(2)

The Limits of Self-Reflexivity

34

(26)

Identity

35

(6)

The body

41

(6)

Theorising the female body

47

(5)

A note on female embodiment

52

(2)

Theorising youth

54

(3)

Young, female and self-hating?

57

(1)

Summary

58

(2)

Adolescence and Body-Hatred

60

(22)

Age difference and social difference

61

(2)

Historical constructions of adolescence

63

(3)

Present-day young people as adolescents

66

(1)

The problematisation of adolescence

67

(2)

Adolescent girls

69

(2)

Girls and their bodies

71

(1)

Girls and physical changes: menstruation and breasts

72

(3)

The construction of womanly appearance

75

(2)

Vanity and self-appreciation

77

(3)

Summary

80

(2)

Teenage Consumers and Body-Hatred

82

(26)

A consuming society

83

(1)

Consumption and the visual

84

(2)

Teenagers, teen-culture and consumption

86

(3)

Young women and the process of consumption

89

(3)

Young women and the products of consumption

92

(1)

Gender and teenage leisure

93

(2)

Girls as viewers and readers

95

(5)

Teenagers and friendship groups

100

(2)

Close friends and `bedroom culture'

102

(4)

Summary

106

(2)

Sexuality and Body-Hatred

108

(23)

Introduction

108

(2)

The sexualisation of girls

110

(1)

School and the sexualisation of girls

111

(5)

Going out with boys

116

(6)

Young women, sexuality and being `bad'

122

(4)

Young women, sexuality and the family

126

(4)

Summary

130

(1)

Young Women's Experience of Body-Hatred: Stigma and Shame

131

(39)

Stigma

132

(4)

Shame

136

(1)

Stigma and the female body

136

(3)

Shame and the female body

139

(2)

Conversations with teenagers

141

(2)

The interview and questionnaire material

143

(1)

Young women speak

143

(11)

Moving closer to girls: two case-studies

154

(14)

Summary

168

(2)

Young Men and Body-Hatred

170

(24)

Boys as consumers

171

(3)

Young men and images

174

(2)

Boys and the masculine body

176

(1)

Class, labour and the masculine body

177

(1)

Sport and the masculine body

178

(2)

Black youth and the masculine body

180

(3)

Young men and homophobia

183

(1)

Gay guys and the `butch shift'

183

(3)

Being `a girl': the worst insult

186

(3)

Boys and relationships with girls

189

(2)

Different for boys? Some final thoughts

191

(1)

Summary

192

(2)

Young Women and the Body: Some Conclusions

194

(5)

Girls and the bodies they inhabit

194

(1)

The beauty imperative

195

(1)

The thin imperative

196

(1)

Issues of sexuality

197

(1)

Summary

198

(1)

Bibliography

199

(10)

Index

209

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Young Women and the Body A Feminist Sociology

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Table of Contents

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