TW: Eating disorders
GirlBoss. When the term was first coined in 2014 it was supposed to conjure up images of women smashing the glass ceiling dressed in high heels with oat milk latte in hand. But now six years on, after its meteoric rise, the movement has officially crashed and burned.
“Girl Boss is a sexist Trojan horse. It appears to raise women up, to carve out space for us in a working world still too crowded with men. But in reality it denies us agency, it diminishes us and denigrates our authority,” Vicky Spratt explained to Refinery 29.
Whilst we may have moved on from what is now commonly accepted as performative feminism, what are the lasting effects on us, our bodies, and our minds?
And although it should be celebrated that women have finally gained a seat in the boardroom, and rightfully so, the sharp increase in those seeking help for eating disorders in the UK is certainly worrying.
In a male oriented environment, women must work harder to prove themselves in control. However, this need for control in the office can translate to other areas of their lives.
”High pressured environments can not only trigger eating disorders but can exacerbate any disordered eating patterns that may already be present.”
“Eating disorders are known to be a coping mechanism for difficulties and a way to establish control within oneself when life feels uncontrollable. Women may internalise problems more easily than men, and therefore women turn to food as a comfort or coping mechanism,” said Jessica Veal, a London based mental health counsellor.
But she explains that developing this habit may not even be intentional at times. She continues by saying that “high pressured environments can not only trigger eating disorders but can exacerbate any disordered eating patterns that may already be present. Somebody may choose to work through their lunch break due to deadlines or stay late and skip dinner because of the company’s expectations to attend back to back meetings.”
These changes in behaviour can be encouraged or enforced by the lifestyle that is inherent of fast paced and high pressure careers.
”But developing an unhealthy relationship with your body doesn’t only happen once you’ve secured yourself a job title at the top.”
“Large companies often offer health club memberships as a staff benefit, encouraging a physique and exercise conscious environment. What may start as trying to ‘improve’ one’s appearance for work can spiral out of control and become an obsession.”
But developing an unhealthy relationship with your body doesn’t only happen once you’ve secured yourself a job title at the top. Starting your own business or climbing the job ladder can also create a dangerous mindset
“When you set yourself one goal you lose sight of everything else. You don’t allow yourself time to maintain friendships or relationships; partake in self-care or enjoy your hobbies,” said Liat Hoch, a BACP & UKCP qualified child, adolescent and adult psychotherapist.
Isolating yourself and obsessing over one ambition means that often everything else is set to one side. This creates a breeding ground for unhealthy habits to form, especially without loved ones around you to keep you in check.
“Its so important to have friends and family members that look out for one another. Eating and working out together helps to ensure that physical and mental health needs are met and social lives are maintained.”
Liat recommends keeping in mind a long term goal so that “in ten years time, once you’ve built your successful business, you will also have friends surrounding you, a healthy body, and a happy mind. It is important to aim for fulfilment in as many areas of life as possible.”
In regards to the need for control that Jess outlined as a cause; Liat also offers some advice on the subject.
Referencing one of Brené Brown’s most famous Ted Talks, Liat explains that one of the scariest things we have to do, as humans, is to be vulnerable.
“We are vulnerable to external judgement when we allow our colleagues to see our mistakes and witness our flaws. We are vulnerable to our internal judgement when we give in to our human needs for food, rest, comfort and let go of being in control. Once we manage to survive being that vulnerable, we are much stronger.”
”Nearly 62% of women between the ages of 13 and 19 years old report some level of body dissatisfaction”
“Theres a time and a place for it. Crying in the boardroom during a presentation may not be the best place but making sure you take time after to process your feelings and letting yourself cry as this will allow you to move on and ensure you’re not beating yourself up over something that you can only learn from. Same thing for eating. Its a busy day you have to meet a deadline. You finish your work and then you say okay now is the time to take a break to relax, eat and digest before going back to your laptop.”
Although, the number of older women who are coming to terms with an eating disorder are rising it is very underreported.
Eating Disorder Hope reported that ‘nearly 62% of women between the ages of 13 and 19 years old report some level of body dissatisfaction and further studies reveal that this value rises 67% in women over the age of 30 years old.’
Jess Veal explains why it so often goes unsaid.
“It seems that there is a lot of shame surrounding the topic of eating disorders and I get the impression that clients feel that they are the only person they know who feels this way. In fact, eating disorders are much more common than people realise, however, the stigma and shame surrounding talking about them openly encourages secrecy and alienation from others.”
“It is also a myth that eating disorders only affect teenagers and young people, in fact they can affect people of all ages and be triggered at any point in life and we see people coming forward of all ages to talk about their problematic relationship with food.”
For anyone who feels as though they do have a negative relationship with food, exercise or their body she says the best thing to do is seek help.
“My advice to anyone who believes they may be struggling with an eating disorder is to speak to someone you trust about it, whether that be a family relative, friend or qualified professional such as a qualified counsellor (ensure that they are BACP registered).”
For more information the charity Beat offers a simple guide of how and where to find help on their website.
Gracie Leader
Featured image Sasha Freemind via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
A well written piece on a difficult subject.
Interesting quotes and details.
A well written piece on a difficult subject.
I found interesting quotes and detailed information.