Body Image and Eating Disorder of Women in Hong Kong
BY
LAU HOI YING
17225043
A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (HONOURS)
IN
SOCIOLOGY
HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2021
, HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
April 2021
We hereby recommend that the Honours Project by Miss LAU Hoi Ying entitled
"Body Image and Eating Disorder of Women in Hong Kong" be accepted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in
Sociology.
Dr. WONG, Day K.M. Dr. WONG, Odalia M.H.
Chief Adviser Second Examiner
2
,ABSTRACT
Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent in Hong Kong, especially among
women. By interviewing six Hong Kong women with either anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, emotional eating, or their crossover, I try to answer three research questions:
(1) how ideal female beauty in Hong Kong constitutes women's eating disorder? (2)
what is the complex developing process from body dissatisfaction to eating disorders?
(3) what helps these women recover? The findings show that media and celebrities
define the ideal female beauty and lead to thin-ideal internalization in Hong Kong
women. Their body dissatisfaction is developed from interaction with others through
the looking-glass self process. The sexual objectification and the culture of criticism
escalate the dissatisfaction. It usually leads to normal weight-loss behaviors at first.
They only become an eating disorder when progressively intensified by positive and
negative reinforcement. What makes bulimics different from anorexics is their
tendency to treat eating as a stress-coping strategy. For recovery, I find that
institutional support in Hong Kong is not sufficient. The patients' negotiation to ideal
beauty, social support from significant others, and tips sharing from the online
community of recovered patients are considered more helpful.
3
, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my informants for sharing with me valuable information about
their life. Special thanks are extended to Dr WONG, Day K.M., Chief Adviser to the
project, for her advice and encouragement.
__________________________
Student signature
Date: April 14, 2021
4
BY
LAU HOI YING
17225043
A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (HONOURS)
IN
SOCIOLOGY
HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2021
, HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
April 2021
We hereby recommend that the Honours Project by Miss LAU Hoi Ying entitled
"Body Image and Eating Disorder of Women in Hong Kong" be accepted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in
Sociology.
Dr. WONG, Day K.M. Dr. WONG, Odalia M.H.
Chief Adviser Second Examiner
2
,ABSTRACT
Eating disorders are becoming more prevalent in Hong Kong, especially among
women. By interviewing six Hong Kong women with either anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, emotional eating, or their crossover, I try to answer three research questions:
(1) how ideal female beauty in Hong Kong constitutes women's eating disorder? (2)
what is the complex developing process from body dissatisfaction to eating disorders?
(3) what helps these women recover? The findings show that media and celebrities
define the ideal female beauty and lead to thin-ideal internalization in Hong Kong
women. Their body dissatisfaction is developed from interaction with others through
the looking-glass self process. The sexual objectification and the culture of criticism
escalate the dissatisfaction. It usually leads to normal weight-loss behaviors at first.
They only become an eating disorder when progressively intensified by positive and
negative reinforcement. What makes bulimics different from anorexics is their
tendency to treat eating as a stress-coping strategy. For recovery, I find that
institutional support in Hong Kong is not sufficient. The patients' negotiation to ideal
beauty, social support from significant others, and tips sharing from the online
community of recovered patients are considered more helpful.
3
, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my informants for sharing with me valuable information about
their life. Special thanks are extended to Dr WONG, Day K.M., Chief Adviser to the
project, for her advice and encouragement.
__________________________
Student signature
Date: April 14, 2021
4
