I have been taking part in research conducted by lesbian PhD Psychology student, Rebecca Jones, into lesbians’ experiences of eating disorders (b-eat.co.uk/support-us/get-involved/research/take-part/lesbians-experiences). Very little research has been conducted on this subject. Most existing research assumes a heterosexual identity. In her pilot research, Rebecca Jones has uncovered some common ways in which lesbians talk about their eating disorders:
- a response to the stress and uncertainty of not fulfilling hetero-normative expectations
- to fit into hetero-normative standards of femininity by being slim
- to avoid one’s sexuality by focusing on food
- to defocus people’s attention from one’s sexuality by being ill
If you would like to take part in this research, please email Rebecca.