High Price for Trying to Be a Superwoman

By EMILY ANDREWS

A GENERATION of girls trying too hard to become ‘Superwomen’ are facing emotional problems ranging from low self esteem to anorexia, a survey has found.

Girls as young as 13 feel under increasing pressure to excel in everything from exams to looks and relationships.

Faced with the wealth of Paris Hilton, the fame of JK Rowling or the sporting prowess of their favourite athlete, they feel like failures when they can’t match up.

‘What fuels disordered eating in some women is the desire to be the ultimate woman,’ said Dr Janell Lynn Mensinger, who directed the study published in behavioural science journal Sex Roles.

‘They want to be superwomen with a perfect life. No matter how well they are doing, they never feel quite good enough.’ The personality traits associated with anorexia and other eating disorders perfectionism, obsessiveness, and approval-seeking are also prevalent in high achievers.

‘The eating disorder is a coping mechanism to deal with the fulfilment of multiple demanding roles,’ said Dr Mensinger.

According to the leading psychiatric experts, anorexia is now the third most common chronic illness among adolescent girls after obesity and asthma.

Those between 13 and 19 are at the greatest risk, with as many as one in every 150 girls aged 15 estimated to suffer from the disease, compared with just one in 1,000 boys.

The survey, in which almost 900 girls were questioned by academics in New York, suggests schools and peer groups play a key role in the development of eating disorders.

It was also found that girls who attend ‘hothouse’ schools, where there is pressure to excel in both academic and extracurricular activities, are most likely to be afflicted.

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