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This qualitative study examines the representations of young Chinese girls and women with eating disorders (EDs) about the role of women in China, because conflicting societal values for women may foster the development of EDs there.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 adolescent girls or young women hospitalized for an ED and with eight of their parents. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to explore the data.

Three superordinate themes emerged from the participants' narratives: the thin ideal in Chinese society; the experience of gender‐related pressure; and independence and autonomization in a changing society. The ideal of thinness prevails, both in interpersonal relationships and in social roles. Highly codified representations persist, limiting women's opportunities. The participants and their parents show substantial ambivalence about …