Within the Naked Body: Phenomenological Perspectives on Women’s Corporeality and Eating Disorders in Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls and Elena and Clara B Dunkle’s Elena Vanishing: A Memoir

This research paper explores the experiences of women grappling with eating disorders through a phenomenological lens, concentrating on Leib and Körper as both are synonymous with ‘body’- ‘leib’ from Latin generally refers to the ‘body as a subject’ (i.e.) the body that I am, ‘körper’ comes from Middle High German meaning ‘body as an object’ which also denotes the body that I have are utilized in this paper to exhibit the current condition of women’s corporeality. Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls and Elena and Clara B Dunkle’s Elena Vanishing: A Memoir are the selected literary texts which showcase how beauty standards and internalized trauma shape self-perception and corporeality. Kim Chernin’s Feminist theories enhance the study by revealing the intersection of body image, mental health and societal expectations. By engaging with medical humanities, this research offers valuable insights into the narrative and cultural dimensions of eating disorders, contributing to interdisciplinary conversations on mental health and identity.