Chloe recalls starving herself when she was 13 years old. Not because she was overweight, but simply because she wasn't as skinny as a lot of her friends. It's a kind of competition among girls that's becoming more common, due in large part to peer influence that is stronger now than it has been in decades.

"Richard Hersh calls it the culture of neglect: kids growing up overly dependent on their peers - 'in essence, kids raising kids' - without developing a strong sense of self...[Parents, neighbors, teachers, professors] allow them to be socialized by television, the internet, and by their peers rather than by caring, demanding, and mentoring adults."

Hersh also contends that parents try too hard to shelter their kids, leaving them socially and emotionally fragile and therefore more susceptible to peer pressure. College can be especially hard, where girls are surrounded by other young, pretty, and possibly skinnier girls. It can cause a shift in perceived reality, making girls think and feel as though they're overweight, even if they're dangerously thin. Source: Psychology Today

Labels: influences, peers, perceptions