tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post6907036427322244552..comments2023-10-24T03:48:17.089-04:00Comments on Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder?: Supergirlsdrstaceynyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11698974154886393241noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-74905845510710874482009-03-20T12:36:00.000-04:002009-03-20T12:36:00.000-04:00I found this post really interesting because at my...I found this post really interesting because at my middle/high school, it was not the popular girls (generally) who were overscheduled to the point of insanity, did three thousand different things, and got good grades. It seems that this book is missing the phenomenon of "good grades aren't cool" that was prevalent when I was in middle/high school (I graduated in 2006). I was definitely a "supergirl" but I didn't buy into the whole popularity show. Sure, I had a lot of friends, but they weren't the "right" ones. I was scheduled all the time, I danced, was in plays and musicals, played cello (still do) and a bunch of winds and was super busy on top of getting good grades. But, I hated the high school fakeness and refused to be around people considered "popular" and even though I was obsessed with my appearance and have had an ED since I was 12, I went to a number of lengths to remove myself from mainstream culture, because I saw it as fake. Out of high school, in college where there really isn't a "popular" crowd, I'm still a perfectionist/supergirl. But I'm paying for it.Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10551205198587924136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-41467601946803699492009-03-19T09:08:00.000-04:002009-03-19T09:08:00.000-04:00Like Nancy, I immediately thought of Perfect Girls...Like Nancy, I immediately thought of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. <BR/><BR/>I think that both perfect girls and supergirls look for control, which ties in with eating disorders. <BR/><BR/>I was in everything throughout junior high and high school, I cheered, I was the president of multiple clubs... but I was heavy, and constantly tried to lose weight. It didn't matter to me that I had straight A's and was very involved- I still felt that because I wasn't "skinny", I wasn't good enough. <BR/><BR/>There's a quote from Martin's book, something along the lines of "they told us we could be anything, we heard that we had to be everything" that I think really can be applied here. Even when you know that these expectations are an external and non-realistic thing, it's still hard not to succumb to them in some ways.Slackeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02343674928995150291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-17827852662661130872009-03-18T17:39:00.000-04:002009-03-18T17:39:00.000-04:00I think it's really interesting to examine the con...I think it's really interesting to examine the connection between supergirl behaviours and the rise in eating disorders. Today was my first visit to your website and it's really interesting.Jackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356965226446396971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-23538791278377839302009-03-18T15:51:00.000-04:002009-03-18T15:51:00.000-04:00Hi,I have been following your blog a lot and it gi...Hi,<BR/>I have been following your blog a lot and it gives me such inspiration. I had an eating disorder for a long time and of course sometimes still suffer with it. thank you so much for your blog and your information. I started a small food storage business and was wondering if you would put a link to our site from yours, our site is called www.foodstoragedepot.com we are not trying to take any of your traffic from your site to ours but merely trying to get google to recognize our site. In exchange for linking to our site we are willing to give away some free food storage to you. If this interests you please email me at taraivers@gmail.com I would really appreciate if you would put our link on your page. I love your blog. ThanksMatt. Tara. Addi. Roslyn.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04278616687314394612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-85795219063058185232009-03-18T11:31:00.000-04:002009-03-18T11:31:00.000-04:00Not sure I would be classified as a Supergirl, cer...Not sure I would be classified as a Supergirl, certainly not these days when kids and teens seem to have every inch of their lives accounted for. I did get good grades, played team sports, had lots of friends and boyfriends, blah blah, in high school but was quite healthy. It wasn't until my freshman year of college - when everything started to fall apart - that I developed an ED. After all, ED is all about control and when you feel like you can't control anything...well, you all know the drill. I think it's not the Supergirl tendencies but the sudden realization that there is so very little you can control in the world that leads to ED. If nothing else, at least I can affect what I eat.Leigh Purtillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00477635525179050959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-64802148659216403982009-03-17T11:44:00.000-04:002009-03-17T11:44:00.000-04:00I was a Supergirl without the perfect grades (I th...I was a Supergirl without the perfect grades (I think that was maybe my first act of rebellion). I also think that perfectionism is, in a way, anti-feminism. We don't put pressure on boys or men to be perfect in every way. We don't expect men to be hyper-successful at work AND THEN go home and keep a perfectly clean house, raise perfect children, put the perfect amount of fabric softener in the laundry, cook a gourmet meal for 10, then take their wives to bed and give them 10 perfect orgasm in a row, all while looking as if they were still 19 years old. But this is EXACTLY the message girls and women receive. <BR/>A few weeks ago I did an experiment: I watched daytime TV and paid close attention to the ads, which are geared toward women during that time. (Because, after all, WE'RE the ones who don't work outside the home, right?) Between the hair care, makeup, moisturizers, teeth whitening products, weight loss gadgets/pills/services, feminine hygene products, hair removal devices, shoes, and callus exfoliators, there wasn't an inch of the female anatomy that couldn't be "improved." I mean, c'mon, EYELASH EXTENSIONS?!?!?! And don't even THINK of leaving the house if you have a yeast infection, or of spending time with your kids until the house is completely spotless (and white; that was kind of interesting).<BR/>As a recovering perfectionist, I know that perfectionism isn't about making yourself happy. It's about pleasing others. Sometimes it's about trying to please people who simply cannot be pleased. Sometimes, we don't even KNOW WHO IT IS we are trying to please!<BR/>And, BTW, I ended up with an ED.azusmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08833120044345423052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-26288022594869336862009-03-17T10:15:00.000-04:002009-03-17T10:15:00.000-04:00I found this very interesting. I definately had "s...I found this very interesting. I definately had "supergirl" tendencies through my life -- I only made 1 B on a report card between 2nd grade and senior year of high school, in high school I was editor every year for some part of the newspaper, held officer positions in groups, played varsity softball, took AP and honors classes, and played tournament softball outside of school. <BR/><BR/>It wasn't until college when I gained weight that I developed an eating disorder that I have now struggled with for over 5 years.<BR/><BR/>I was less than perfect, and I could take that. Now I have been through every eating disorder there is and am finally really trying to actively seek recovery on both a mental and physical basis. <BR/><BR/>I think the idea of the "supergirl" is definately pushed on our society and that it can have very detrimental consequences when one of those "supergirls" falters.Sheenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07556757686360954033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-76910435173634852762009-03-17T10:03:00.000-04:002009-03-17T10:03:00.000-04:00See also Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters for a s...See also <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Girls-Starving-Daughters-Frightening/dp/0743287967" REL="nofollow">Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters</A> for a slightly less recent look at eating disorders (mostly anorexia) among high-achieving young women.Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27277534.post-5831887626661883472009-03-17T09:01:00.000-04:002009-03-17T09:01:00.000-04:00I went to a specialized high school for academic a...I went to a specialized high school for academic achievement in NYC, and there were a few Supergirls, but the vast majority of girls didn't care about the more shallow/frivolous things described in this article. Academics, honors, charity work, and getting into the right college trumped the body image obsession, compulsion to please everyone, super athlete/cheerleader/social climber mentality, and the obsession with dating the perfect guy, and it held true across race and socioeconomic statuses. Mind you, the population of this school was close to 70% female, so there was less pressure from the male population to live up to a certain physical standard.<BR/><BR/>It really depends on the parents, school, and social group the girl is in. It has nothing to do with feminism, and everything to do with the environment the girl is raised in. If individuality is not encouraged and praised, the chances you'll end up with a Supergirl/Superbot are exponentially higher. Young women need to stop measuring themselves up to other people's standards and look inside to find what is right for them.justelisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06719764978806673862noreply@blogger.com