As a woman, I've discovered that it's mostly a social-induced problem (there are exceptions, of course). I mean, since in they early years, females are made insecure by the standars set for them.
They must learn fast to be well groomed, graceful, pretty, nice, polite, slim, fashionable and all (I'm referring, of course, to the standards existing in the society I live in but I have the feeling that it must be likewise almost everywhere). Then, when a person is insecure, everything can trigger wrong reactions like those (even if a bit extreme LOL ) reported in that article.