Struggles among Japanese women with conservative gender roles flooded with ‘ideal’ feminine images through commercialism

Abstract

In Japan, eating disorders among women have been become a huge social problem in the past three decades. It is clear that eating disorders are developed by socio-cultural context, especially the pursuit of thinness. This paper first shows, through research using EAT-26, how such behaviours have recently spread even to elementary schoolgirls in Japan. It then attempts to explore, from feminist perspectives, the social status of Japanese women and how commercialism floods them with ‘ideal’ feminine images, which drive them to various self-destructive behaviours. Conservative gender roles in East Asian culture also greatly restrict women, consciously or unconsciously. Stereotyped feminine images function as a sort of internal oppression, which is observed in much clinical experience with patients with eating disorders. Jungian approaches, dream analysis, insight and withdrawing projections are helpful for patients. By reporting some patients' dreams, I describe their struggles to find their true selves. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.