Teen Girls and Dieting: Peers Are More of an Influence Than Celebrities

During the teen years, girls become almost painfully aware of their bodies, and many are often more critical than they need to be. Many girls ages 12-18 will diet even if they are at a normal weight, just so they can fit in or feel more attractive. Teen girls need to realize, however, that everyone has their own unique shape and size and that as long as their BMI is within a normal range, they shouldn't waste their time trying to diet just to look like celebrities, models or their peers. Dieting unnecessarily can not only risking their physical health, but their mental health as well. Sure, if a teen girl's BMI is above what's considered normal, she should see her doctor to be placed on a healthy eating plan that will allow her to slowly reach a more normal weight, but by no means is she to follow any extreme diet or exercise plan in order to achieve her weight goals. Weight and body image is a really iffy topic in this age group, and sometimes even if a teen girl knows her dieting practices may be unhealthy, whoever she's influenced by will take precedence over what she knows is healthy.

Many people expect for teenage girls to be more influenced when it comes to body size by celebrities and models, yet according to a recent study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin, this is not always the case. Study results have concluded that teen girls are more apt to look at their peers and their friends, and if a majority of the girls are heavier, teen girls are more likely not to diet. On the other hand, if more of their peers and friends are on the thinner side then this usually prompts them to diet.

Researchers feel that teen girls are more prone to diet in order to look like their peers because they want to "fit in." These teen girls are somewhat influenced by models and celebrities, but the feeling of acceptance is more important than anything else, prompting many teen girls to become desperate and willing to "do anything" in order to look like "everyone else" in their social network as opposed to models.

It is very important that parents teach their teenage girls to love themselves, which may help to prevent life threatening eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. The more confident a girl feels about her body, the less likely she is to undergo any type of extreme dieting. Of course she will still be influenced by what sizes her friends and peers are, but she won't be as likely to go to extremes in order to look exactly like them if she feels good about herself.