Why do so Many Girls Worry About Their Weight?

It is a rather unfortunate state of affairs to see so many young girls already beginning to worry about their weight. There are girls that haven't even hit puberty, yet are preoccupied with the way they look and with trying to lose weight. When you're young, you shouldn't have to worry about your appearance or how much you weigh. Increasingly, though, young girls are reading magazines that talk about making the most of your appearance, whilst watching their own mothers battling weight issues. Consequently, the 'grown-up' thing to do is to go on a diet.

Usually, it is image-conscious youngsters that worry about their weight and decide they need to go on a diet, even when they are a perfectly health weight. However, in a society which is obsessed with the issue of weight and where everyone is constantly talking about wanting to be thinner, it is not surprising that many girls are adopting unhealthy habits in an order to control their own weight. They see adults going on diets, losing weight and receiving praise for doing so, which makes them think that they, too, could do with losing a few pounds in the belief it will improve their appearance.

However, what exactly are young girls so concerned about their looks for? Obviously, as you get older, there is a certain amount of pressure on you to take care of your appearance, because of the expectation that you have to look a certain way to attract a partner, procreate and, thus help to keep the human race going! Young girls are not in a position to attract a mate and have children, even though many are reaching puberty earlier. The trouble is that the kinds of magazines girls read and the television programmes they watch tend to propagate the idea that as a female it helps to be slim, as you are more likely to find a boyfriend and be popular.

It seems a shame that young girls are being forced to grow up so quickly. There are children that are learning to count calories and making themselves exercise excessively in order to lose weight that they don't really need to lose, anyway. This is leading some girls and boys to develop eating disorders. Although anorexia and bulimia are conditions which have long been associated with teenagers, increasingly young children are also developing eating disorders at a time when their bodies need the right nutrition for them to be able to grow.

Young girls who are worried about their weight are, in most cases, not actually overweight, and often take drastic measures to achieve the body they believe to be the most desirable. They don't consider the health implications of their actions, as they are too young to fully comprehend what they're doing to themselves. Unfortunately, if they become too obsessed with their weight, they could end up with an eating disorder that has a serious impact on their quality of life.