“Guys don’t see me as beautiful... I’m too much, too different, not normal”: Romantic relationships through the lens of Black women with experience of anorexia

This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study aimed to explore the experiences of romantic relationships among nine British Black women who have had Anorexia Nervosa (AN), seeking to develop a greater sensitivity as to how the illness can intersect with the impact of race, culture, and interpersonal factors. The findings highlight that Black women who have had AN can experience strong ambivalence about romantic relationships and that this is linked to several factors, including low self-esteem (LSE), conflicting feelings towards sexual intimacy and one’s body, and wariness of trust. The findings speak to the complexities involved in navigating boundaries in romantic relationships and highlight how AN can be experienced as not only a barrier to, but at times, perhaps more unexpectedly, also a facilitator of, intimacy. The study highlights how race and culture can conflate with the illness and risk isolating Black women in ways quite specific to them. This research can help support ethical practice by demonstrating a greater awareness of the diversity in individuals’ experiences, including those from socially disadvantaged groups whose voices have historically been silenced.