Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

UA prof to publish book on body image in teenage girls

"Fat Talk" examines the desire to discuss dieting and

For three years, the two phrases UA assistant anthropology professor Mimi Nichter heard most were, "I really shouldn't be eating this," or "I really need to go on a diet."

Nichter, her husband Mark - a UA cultural medical anthropologist - and former UA nutritional anthropologist Cheryl Ritenbaugh followed a group of 200 adolescent girls ranging from 13 to 17 years old since 1989 in a study entitled "The Teen Lifestyle Project."

Nichter used her findings to write a 260-page book, called "Fat Talk," that will be available for sale this month.

"My focus was the ethnography, which was the actual talking to the kids about the culture, and what they said in return," she said.

Many adolescent girls talk about wanting to diet, she said. The question is whether they really go through it. The study found only 10 to 12 percent are actually dieting.

Nichter, who teaches a graduate seminar on adolescent health and Anthropology 315, found many of these girls would say they needed to be concerned about their bodies because it was culturally appropriate.

"In many scenarios, the girls would complain about being fat, and their friends would say, 'No, you're not' just to affirm it," she said. "Why would anyone want to say something negative to get a positive reaction?"

The finding that amazed Mark Nichter the most was the lack of communication adults have with teens.

"People talk very little with teens, and we allow them very little time to speak. It just shows how little we (adults) understand," he said.

Mimi Nichter briefly addressed the issue of the media and the influence on teen girls, saying many of the girls would compare themselves to famous models.

"They certainly have a sense of what's perfect, five foot seven inches and 110 pounds," she said. "What is interesting is that if they know someone in school who is the idea of perfection, they would look for a flaw in her. Many times, they would say she is stupid, and it made them feel better about themselves."

She also noted many of these girls would criticize them, asking if they were anorexic.

None of the girls the team followed suffered from eating disorders, but some of them would experiment with diet pills and various diet plans.

"These were mostly the upper- to middle-class kids whose parents would pay for it," she said. "Some of these kids would try Slim Fast or Weight Watchers, or would steal diet pills from their moms."

Nichter recognized the difficulty teens have sticking to diet plans.

"It's not easy for kids. Everyone sees what you eat and everyone watches," she said. "These kids are already under the watchful gaze of teasing comments, and these comments linger for girls and stay with them."

For the girls who stuck with the diets, only half would diet for less than one week, and two-thirds lost 10 pounds or less.

"Many of these girls would diet from breakfast until noon ... or a group would diet, and when one would go off, they all would, but before by saying 'I know I shouldn't eat this.'"

She added the teenage girls have difficulty with dieting because they need to eat to nourish their growing bodies.

The study also looks at the difference in body images of African American girls to Caucasian girls.

"The Caucasian girls were always very concerned with their weight, whereas the African Americans were happy with themselves, even at heavier weights," she said.

Nichter is a mother of two sons, and recognizes this is not only a problem for girls.

"I think with boys, the pressure is much more on their height and muscle proportions, and girls just seem to talk about it more," she said.

One chapter in the book deals with the relationships between girls and their mothers.

"Typically, the mothers who were very cautious of their daughters' weight were heavy when they were young, so they were always watching over them," she said.

Nichter believes she uncovered some positive findings as well.

"It seems girls today are eating healthier and living healthy lifestyles," she said.

She also examined the change in discussing diets in college than in junior high and high school.

"My sense is that most girls don't talk about it as much (in college)," she said.

When UA chemistry freshman Shannon Kidd was younger, her friends would merely joke about their weight.

"Right before eating McDonald's, they would say, 'Wow, I'm getting chubby,' but would still eat it," she said.

She believes students in college can diet easier because they have more resources readily available.

Nichter agrees.

"It's not easy to work out at a gym, they are expensive, and you would need someone to drive you," she said.

UA business sophomore Kristan Harwood said dieting was never an issue with her and her friends until the girls reached high school.

"Before, kids just made fun of you," she said. "In high school, girls would talk about it (dieting) but never did anything."