How Peer and Social Pressure Can Affect a Person's Obesity

Statistics on obesity should be taken seriously. The real problem with being obese isn't that one can't wear the latest fashions nor has difficulty fitting into a seat on an airplane. The real problem is that obesity is unhealthy. In fact, being obese can be deadly.

PEER PRESSURE

The strong influence that one's peers have on attitudes and behavior. A peer is a person who is one's equal in age and social standing. Everyone experiences peer pressure, but it tends to be at its strongest during adolescence.

Peer pressure can be outspoken and direct, as it is when someone looks at your new jeans and says, "Those are so uncool." Peer pressure can also be subtle and indirect, as it is when you notice that everyone on the tennis team wears the same brand of tennis shoes. No one said you couldn't pick out another brand, but if you know everyone else chose a particular brand, you may feel that you should wear the same shoes everyone else is wearing.

Teenagers are vulnerable to peer pressure because they are still figuring out who they are. If people your age make fun of you or say bad things about you, it can send your self-esteem plummeting. As your self-esteem drops, your risk of developing an eating disorder may increase.

Praise also has an effect If your peers compliment you on the way you look; you may center your self-image on your appearance, which also increases the risk of an eating disorder. Because self-esteem is fragile during adolescence, teens often have an intense desire to be part of a crowd. Teens may go along with what everyone else is doing, even if it involves making bad choices about drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, or sex.

PEER NORMS

Peer norms are the common expectations and behaviors accepted by other people your age. Peer norms are not necessarily the way you should act, but the way most people your ages do act. If all the girls you sit with in the cafeteria make it a habit to skip lunch, then skipping lunch becomes the norm. Sometimes, following the norm is a good thing. Sometimes, following the norm can be harmful-for example, when the norm is something dangerous to your health, like smoking.

Every once in a while, people need to consider the norms that they find themselves accepting or rejecting and evaluate whether their decisions are healthy or not. Many people will do what everyone else seems to be doing simply because they don't think about going against the norm. They do what they see other people do. Sometimes people follow the norm because they are afraid of the consequences that may follow if they break the norm. They fear peer pressure.

SOCIAL PRESSURE

Peer pressure is a type of social pressure. Social pressure goes beyond peer pressure to include what is popular in our larger society. For example, many teenagers feel pressure to dress a certain way. Popular styles often mimic the way celebrities dress, even though many of those celebrities are unnaturally (some even dangerously) thin. Those who don't meet that standard may develop a negative perception of themselves. They may also be abused by their peers. People who are overweight are often teased, bullied, and alienated. They may be treated as if they were lazy, stupid, or dirty.

Yet, with all the pressure to be thin and fit, teens are just as likely to feel social pressure to eat. Most social activities include food, and many popular restaurants add to the problem by serving huge portions of food. This creates a clear social conflict-the pressure to look thin vying with the pressure to eat. Some girls resolve the conflict by turning dieting into a form of bonding even though it puts them at risk of malnutrition and the development of an eating disorder.