Australian men's magazine FHM recently conducted an online survey asking men to pick their "preferred" body type from models who were sizes eight, twelve and fourteen. Overwhelmingly, men chose the size 12 and 14 models, which some think is good news for women and young girls who struggle with body image issues.

"But Julie Thomson, general manager of eating disorders and body image campaigners The Butterfly Foundation, said such surveys were far more damaging to women than they were helpful."

While Thomson believes such surveys objectify women, body image expert Marika Tiggemann believes the findings show that most women have distorted views of how thin they have to be in order to be attractive. Source: SMH.com.

Worried that your pre-teen daughter is dealing with mixed feelings about growing up? Today, young girls face challenges that can cause them to spin out of control. If your tween isn't handling the pressures of growing up as well as she could, check out New Leaf Academy. Their all girls junior boarding schools offer safe, structured environments for pre-teens.

Labels: body_image, body_type, media_influences