A new study conducted by doctors at the National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has found that peer groups strongly influence not only a girl's perception of her body, but also the methods she uses to control her weight.

"More specifically, girls identifying with athletic peers.... were less concerned about their own weight and seemed less likely to be trying to control their weight. Girls identifying with non-conformist peers.... were more concerned about their weight and appearance and more likely to be actively trying to lose weight.... Finally, girls who did not belong to any particular peer group were the most likely to use slimming strategies."

According to the study's authors, this information reveals pathways through which peer groups can exert influence on a girl's body image and weight control practices, meaning that girls in certain groups can be identified as "at risk" and given special attention. Source: MedicalNews Today

Labels: influences, peers, perceptions

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