The increasing prevalence of eating disorders, especially in women, has motivated feminist theorists to evaluate the social, cultural, and historical roots of these illnesses. This paper argues that traditional models of psychology are embedded in a patriarchal, individualistic society where the impact of culture on eating disorders is largely ignored. Counter to traditional psychology, feminist psychology views eating disorders as a reaction to the oppression of women in western culture. This point of view suggests that eating disorders are one way women protest against the objectification of women and the expectation that they embrace patriarchal values while rejecting their own femaleness. The influence of individualism and body-mind dualism on traditional models of psychology and eating disorders are also reviewed. It is suggested that family therapy has broken ground and created an effective contextual framework for treating eating disorders, but it is imperative that a model of psychology includes not just the familial context but also the larger cultural context. Indeed, feminist psychology suggests that eating disorders are a cultural disease. Contains 24 references. (Author/JBJ)