Websites that ask users to rate the attractiveness of pictures of participants may contribute to girls obsessing about their appearance, according to a study of adolescent females in Great Britain.

This summer the Schools Health Education Unit, a British research service associated with the University of Exeter, found that the biggest concern of girls ages 12 to 15 years old was their appearance. Half believe they needed to reduce their weight.

Researchers pointed to pressure from websites such as Myspace, Facebook, Assess My Breasts, and others that encourage girls to post pictures of themselves for strangers to rate on "attractiveness scales" of one to ten.

"There's so much pressure on young girls that many aspire to an ideal that is impossible for most of us to attain," said Dr. Natasha Bijlani. "They want to be famous, and some are so preoccupied by their looks that they miss out on academic opportunities, normal relationships, and veer dangerously towards eating disorders. When girls go online asking others to rate their looks and seek approval from people they have never met, the root cause is low self-esteem."

Labels: body_image, pressures, self-esteem