Sexual Barrier Weight: A New Approach

Abstract

An eating disorder may have part of its roots in sexual abuse and/or trauma. We have studied 42 women with eating disorders, two-thirds of who gave histories of sexual trauma. By graphic analysis, age vs. weight, we have shown that fluctuations in body weight have followed sexually significant life events. This is especially significant in victims of rape and termination of a sexual relationship. We suggest that sexually traumatized persons may resist a specific body weight due to fear of sexual attractiveness or impulses relating to specific sexual trauma that occurred at that weight. Further study is necessary to confirm these hypotheses.