Prelims

Half Title Page

Eating Disorders in a Capitalist World

Series Title Page

Women, Economy and Labour Relations

Series Editor: Martina Topic, Leeds Beckett University, UK

This series aims to publish monographs and edited collections that tackle the position of women in the economy as well as explore labour relations. By labour relations, it means studying human relations in work in its broadest sense and analysing how labour relations affect social inequality with particular reference to women. In terms of social inequality, this series particularly welcomes analyses of women and class and broader analyses of labour relations. The series will publish perspectives from around the world and thus the series fits into the understanding of labour relations through both work relations in a Western sense and non-Western forms of labour. The series is also interested in studies of the position of women in worker's unions, the stance on women's affairs within workers' unions and the position of women and women's affairs in labour movements. Both historical and contemporary perspectives are welcome. Studies in industrial and economic sociology are particularly welcome.

The book series aims to publish books from a variety of perspectives, e.g. the series will equally accept both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Also, the book series will accept case study perspectives on women working in various industries. We would particularly like to hear from authors who research the position of women in working-class jobs, e.g. factory workers, supermarket workers, etc. Studies on women in feminised industries (e.g. nursing, teaching, PR) and masculine industries (construction, business, finance) are equally welcome. This book series's main aim is to deconstruct women's position in the economy and explore labour relations from a feminist perspective. All feminist perspectives are welcome, which includes liberal feminist perspectives, as well as analyses of the position of women from radical and socialist feminist positions. In the case of the latter, we particularly welcome proposals that tackle the economic system and inequalities with special reference to the position of women. The proposed books should particularly focus on analysing structural problems that bring about inequality, the distinctiveness of women's contributions to the economy, work conditions and masculinities in organisations and wider societies and differences between men and women. Besides, books that tackle economic systems and link this to the position of women are also welcome.

Title Page

Eating Disorders in a Capitalist World: Super Woman or a Super Failure?

By

Jelena Balabanić Mavrović

Centre for Eating Disorders BEA, Croatia

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Copyright © 2024 Jelena Balabanić Mavrović.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80455-787-7 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-786-0 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80455-788-4 (Epub)

About the Author

Jelena Balabanić Mavrović was born in Split on 16 June 1972. She graduated in 1998 after completing a single major study of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. That same year, she enrolled in a 5-year study of psychotherapy at the European Institute for Reality Therapy in Kranj, Slovenia, where she studied intermittently and graduated in 2015. From 2001 to 2005, she studied at the Department of Sociology and earned her Master's degree, her thesis being ‘The concept of reflexive modernisation in contemporary sociological theory’ completed under the mentorship of Prof. Rade Kalanj, PhD.She finished her doctoral studies in 2022 at the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.She is professionally active in the non-profit sector, where she has headed several associations focused on the promotion of health. In 2012, she started specialising in mental health problems, i.e. prevention and provision of psycho-social support to patients with eating disorders. She is one of the founders of the NGO BEA Centre for Eating Disorders, where she still works. She works closely with the Day Hospital for Eating Disorders at the Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital and with other institutions treating patients with anorexia, bulimia and other specified feeding or eating disorder.She authored the eating disorder prevention programme ‘Tko je to u ogledalu?’ (‘Who is that in the mirror?’), which has been implemented in secondary schools in the Republic of Croatia since 2009 and is the co-author of the prevention programme ‘Baš je dobro biti JA’ (‘It's good to be ME’) for elementary schools. She works as a counselling therapist at the BEA Centre, helping people suffering from anorexia, bulimia and other specified feeding or eating disorder and their family members on a daily basis. She regularly designs and implements training programs for experts, parents and the wider community aimed at prevention and identifying and treating patients with eating disorders. She organised expert visits by top therapists and authors in the field of eating disorder treatment from the United Kingdom, the United States and Italy for the purpose of building a system of prevention and treatment of eating disorders in the Republic of Croatia. She is a member of HURT (Croatian Association for Reality Therapy) and EAP (European Association for Psychotherapy).

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my interviewees, 30 brave young women who placed their trust in me and made it possible for me to write this book. They share their valuable life experience through this volume with everyone who would like to understand what it means to have an eating disorder. My interviewees speak for hundreds of thousands of women and men whose voices are not heard and who struggle daily with the demons of a disturbed relationship to food and the body.

I owe many thanks to the management of the Sveti Ivan Psychiatric Hospital and the fantastic team at the Day Hospital for Eating Disorders, led by Dr Handl, who supported this research. These kind and dedicated people treat young men and women with eating disorders every day, restoring hope to those who had lost it.

I would like to thank my translator Marko Majerović for his refined translation of this book.

I also thank my mentors Branka Galić and Ksenija Klasnić for their support and guidance. Branka Galić kept reminding me of the importance of maintaining a feminist perspective, and Ksenija Klasnić kept a watchful eye on methodology, never losing sight of the bigger picture, helping me to put the various parts together into a meaningful whole.

Heartfelt thanks to Jelena Ogresta, who gave a significant contribution to this book by selflessly sharing her knowledge of qualitative methodology.

This research would never have happened without the amazing women on the BEA Centre for Eating Disorders team, my regular port of call and professional home. Tončica, Maja, Martina, Ivana K.V., Ivana J., Nikolina E., Irena and my other colleagues made discrete contributions to every page of this book. Our many discussions and case analyses from our practice pervade the whole of this text. Miriam, Tina and Antonela, whether far away or close by, you are always here.

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Karin Sernec, who, like an angel sitting on my shoulder, keeps guiding me on my professional (and private) journey.

Thanks to Danijela and Maša for their friendly advice and support.

Thanks to the teachers of Reality Psychotherapy who passed on their knowledge to me, with which I grew into a therapist. Their influence is indelible.

I would like to thank my colleagues from Zagreb hospitals, University Hospital Centre Sisters of Mercy Zagreb and University Hospital Centre Zagreb, who keep helping patients with anorexia and bulimia. Orjena, Ivan, Darko, Maja B., Lena, Ivana, Barbara, Marija… Thank you for being with us all these years. Thank you, Božidar, Ana P. and other experts in the health system, for not giving up on the prevention and treatment of these severe and often misunderstood mental disorders.

And finally, I give thanks to my wonderful family – my husband Željko and my children, who patiently waited for Mum to finish her book. With their support, everything was possible. I thank my parents Nađa and Šime for teaching me to finish what I start, and that it is never too late to do the right thing.