Girls Just Want to Fit In

Not all teenage girls are dying to be thin—most just want to look like their schoolmates. A study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior used data from about 4,000 girls from 132 middle and high schools across the US to compare individual teens’ body mass indexes (BMI) and weight-loss goals with those of their peers. Among the notable findings, average-weight girls attending schools where students had lower BMIs overall were more inclined to want to be skinnier, while average-weight girls from higher BMI schools weren’t as compelled to shed pounds. Results also showed that peer-group weight-loss goals greatly drove individual desires—regardless of a school’s average BMI. For instance, overweight girls weren’t necessarily trying to drop pounds if their similarly overweight classmates weren’t also eager to lose weight. Researchers hope these findings can help schools design programs that teach girls self-empowerment and promote positive body image.