How We Became Disordered Eaters

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book and its core ideas and messages. It highlights the complications of modern food consumption, the medicalization of food, and the relatively recent classification of eating disorders (EDs) as psychiatric conditions. It sets out the sociopolitical dimensions of disordered eating and the commodification of body image, emphasizing how societal pressures and economic interests shape perceptions of obesity and EDs. The chapter introduces the book’s approach, which combines social constructionism, poststructuralism, and symbolic interactionism, explaining how EDs are shaped by various interest groups, including biomedical, psychiatric, and consumer industries. It examines the complexities of psychiatric diagnoses, questioning why psychiatric expansionism under capitalism has been less explored in relation to EDs than other mental disorders. It argues how economic and social factors are often overlooked in favor of psychologized solutions. Instead, the book aims to rebalance the study of EDs by integrating empirical data and theoretical perspectives, challenging the dominance of psychiatric terminology, and emphasising the need for broader social and economic reforms to address the root causes of disordered eating. It critiques the current focus on medical and psychiatric frameworks for EDs, advocating for a critical sociological approach that considers the political and economic contexts of disordered eating. Finally, the chapter explains how the book provides a comprehensive resource for researchers, students, and professionals interested in the social construction of EDs and the influence of market forces on their prevalence and treatment.