Ep. 2: Is Thinness Economically Rational? Cato Benschop on Eating Disorders and the Pursuit of Thinness

2024-06-14

TW: Thinness, Pursuit of Thinness, Eating Disorders, Eating Behaviors According to The Economist, it is economically rational for women to pursue thinness. I invite my friend Cato Benschop to examine this argument and discuss her views on the pursuit of thinness and eating disorders. We also ask whether or not it’s worth it for women to spend their time on this goal. What Cato does best is use philosophical perspectives to provide some conceptual clarity around eating disorders, and she has a simultaneously bold and empowering ta...

TW: Thinness, Pursuit of Thinness, Eating Disorders, Eating Behaviors

According to The Economist, it is economically rational for women to pursue thinness. I invite my friend Cato Benschop to examine this argument and discuss her views on the pursuit of thinness and eating disorders. We also ask whether or not it’s worth it for women to spend their time on this goal. What Cato does best is use philosophical perspectives to provide some conceptual clarity around eating disorders, and she has a simultaneously bold and empowering take here, that eating disorders are extreme versions of problems that are only to be expected in a society that values thinness so much.

Cato is an illustrator and philosophical researcher at Utrecht University, specializing in philosophical analysis of eating disorders — or as she prefers to refer to these conditions, eating problems. Last year, she founded a practice for combating this problem in Amsterdam, called “BEC,” where she helps people get rid of suffering and distress relating to eating. You can find out more about Cato on her website: www.catobenschop.nl

Chapters

00:04:50 Cato Introduction

00:05:46 How Philosophy of Mind and Agency Can Help Clarify Conceptual Confusion Surrounding EDs

00:07:36 Do People with EDs Have Agency over Their Eating Behaviors?

00:10:39 Where Does the Desire to Be Thin Come From?

00:17:04 The Economist’s “The Economics of Thinness”

00:17:51 Cato on Why the Pursuit of Thinness Is Important to People (Especially Women)

00:21:31 Eating Disorders vs. Eating Problems

00:33:37 Getting out of Dieting Trouble

00:37:20 Different Goals to Pursue in Lieu of Thinness

00:40:04 Broadening the Standard Medical View of Eating Behaviors

00:41:50 How Thinness Declines in Importance

00:44:07 Having New Goals and Pursuits

00:46:30 The Utility of Pursuing Thinness vs. Other Goals

References

“The Economics of Thinness.” The Economist, December 2022. <https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2022/12/20/the-economics-of-thinness?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=17210591673&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8fHCxaLchgMVJmtHAR3Y0w2SEAAYASAAEgJEevD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&utm_medium=affiliates.offer.pd&utm_source=partnerize-viglink&utm_campaign=a.io&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&utm_term=1011lyDpRuDf&partnerize_clickref=1011lyDpRuDf>.

Manne, Kate. "Diet Culture Is Unhealthy. It's Also Immoral." The New York Times, January 2022. <www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/opinion/diet-resolution.html>.

Cato also discusses Susan Bordo’s work in her discussion of eating disorders; Bordo’s book Unbearable Weight was published by the University of California Press in 2004. DOI: <https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520930711>.

Cover art by Cato Benschop (IG: @catobenschop).

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