Male domination, and the low and stigmatised status of women, cause teenage girls to engage in punishment of their bodies through eating disorders and self-mutilation. There is increasing evidence that woman-hating Western cultures are toxic to girls and very harmful to their mental health. It is, perhaps, not surprising, therefore, that there seem to be some girls baling out and seeking to upgrade their status.
Interpretation
The quote addresses the harmful effects of societal expectations on women's bodies, leading to self-harm among teenage girls.
Sheila Jeffreys highlights the detrimental impact of male domination and societal attitudes towards women, suggesting that the stigma surrounding women contributes to serious issues such as eating disorders and self-mutilation among teenage girls. The quote indicates that these cultures, which perpetuate woman-hating narratives, are deeply harmful to mental health and may push girls to seek ways to elevate their status in a toxic environment.
In practice
In a speech addressing mental health in schools, one might use this quote to highlight the impact of societal pressures.
Men's ideas about what women are have been formed from their ruling caste position, and have assigned women characteristics that would most advantage their masters, as well as justify men's rule over them. They do not represent 'truth' but have been promoted as if they were, with the backing of science and patriarchal views of biology.
Listening without bias or distraction is the greatest value you can pay another person.
Marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she's a householder.
Sexuality poorly repressed unsettles some families; well repressed, it unsettles the whole world.
The secret of a happy marriage is to serve God and each other. The goal of marriage is unity and oneness, as well as self-development. Paradoxically, the more we serve one another, the greater is our spiritual and emotional growth.
Proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian message to a society which is tangent by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family.
Still and all, why bother? Here's my answer. Many people need desperately to receive this message: I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.
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