Young girls ‘obsessed’ with weight

TEENAGE girls are living on unhealthy diets in a quest to look like skinny international pop divas, it has been claimed.

Some, who are restricting themselves to low fat foods to have the same figures as Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham, are as young as 12, according to a University of Ulster survey.

The media and fashion industry, which dictate that thinness equals feminine beauty, lead girls to become concerned with their body image, a lecturer said.

Dr Chris Strugnell said of the survey of 14-16-year- old girls in Ireland: “Dissatisfaction with body image is associated with restrained eating and dieting practices, which can lead to nutritional inadequacies and negative psychological states.

“The media and fashion industry have an influencing role with their promotion of ultra slim role models,” he added.

“If Britney Spears was fat no one would buy her CDs” and “Boys don’t like fat girls” were typical quotes from the survey.

“Teenagers equate thinness with success when they see teen magazines and pop videos showing all size 8 women,” said Dr Strugnell.

In interviews with teenagers in Irish urban and rural areas it was found that celebrities are a major influence on how girls eat.

Dr Strugnell added: “A certain amount of short- term dieting is executed. More apparent however is that food choices are restricted for reasons of weight control with low fat products being popular.”

Calling for action, Dr Strugnell said: “Nutritional health promotion specifically targeted at female adolescents is required to promote healthy eating habits and a positive body image.”

However, a top Dublin modelling agency dismissed claims that the fashion industry is to blame.

Margaret Humphries, owner of Assets Model Agency, which represents Miss World Rosanna Davidson, said it wasn’t fair to blame models or celebrities for girls’ body image concerns.

“Some models are just very thin, they lead very active lives and do miss meals but they cannot be blamed if these kids go down the same route,” said Ms Humphries.

She added: “We encourage the girls to eat healthily and go to the gym but most of our models eat like pigs.”