Pathways to Eating Disorders by Gender and Sexual Orientation: Objectification and Thinness Ideal

Women and gay men exhibit a higher prevalence of eating disorders (ED) and related symptomatology (EDS) compared to heterosexual men. We explored two etiological mechanisms underlying these symptoms: the internalization of the thin ideal linked to the desire to appear attractive to men, and objectification resulting from gender role internalization, particularly in women. A sample of 202 women and 114 men with diverse sexual orientations self-reported their degree of attraction toward men, adherence to gender roles, internalization of thinness ideals, self-objectification, and scores on three EDS subscales: body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and bulimia. Our findings showed that women reported greater body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness than men, and that the degree of attraction toward men was positively related to drive for thinness and bulimia symptoms. For women, all evaluated EDS was explained by two independent pathways: attraction to men through the internalization of the thin ideal, and identification with the feminine gender role through body objectification. In men, attraction to men was related to ED symptoms via both internalization of the thin ideal and self-objectification. These results suggest two distinct but related mechanisms underlying EDS, highlighting the importance of gender role socialization in the case of women and assimilation of norms within the gay community in the case of men.