How Mothers Influence their Daughters Attitudes towards Weight

(686 Words)
In a time when young girls face life-threatening eating disorders, it is vital that everything be done to help girls develop a positive outlook on weight. A great influence on how they look at weight stems from their mothers. A study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that mothers’ desires for weight loss influenced whether children wanted to lose weight. This influence begins at an early age and is shown in many ways.
How does the mother treat the daughter?
Obesity is a major problem in the United States, and even children are affected. Unfortunately, many women make unhealthy statements to their daughters about weight. First, many women will complain even when their daughters are of an acceptable weight. There is a range for every height, and most girls are not the size 0 the models exemplify. Some mothers will literally call their daughters names such as “chubby” and “fat.” They may make jokes about the child’s clothing or appearance. To the mother, it might be just a light joke, but to the daughter it can be devastating. This can cause the daughter to fixate on weight and gain an unhealthy view of herself.
If a child does weigh too much, it is important for a mother to intervene, but there are healthy ways to do so that will help the child gain a good view of weight. She may emphasize the importance of eating healthy and exercising to be at a healthy weight, not a weight to fit into a minuscule pair of jeans.
How does the mother view herself?
Many mothers believe that their daughters are beautiful no matter what they weigh and never mention a word about their daughter’s weight. Despite this, many unwittingly influence their daughters to have a negative view of their weight because they show that they have a negative view of their own. Many women, both of normal weight and overweight, are very critical of how they look. They may frown when they look at themselves in their mirror or call themselves fat. Even body language can communicate important messages to the child, such as if a woman cringes when she struggles to zip up a pair of pants. Without saying a word to their child, this behavior can be very damaging.
Many girls do not learn behavior and attitudes from hearing their parents lecture to them but instead from how they act. If the mother always appears unhappy about her weight, then the daughter may learn to be unhappy about her own, no matter what it is. She may give it more importance than it actually has. It is especially damaging if the mother has any sort of eating disorder.
How does the mother view others?
A child can learn about weight even from a mother’s attitude about others. If the mother mentions that an actress on a television show looks terrible because she has gained weight, then the daughter may become more self-critical. If the mother makes comments about others as they pass, then the daughter may look more on what is on the outside than on the inside.
Of course with all of the above measures, a mother can influence her daughter in a positive way. If she always calls her daughter beautiful despite the fact that she is not the skinniest child, then the child may be happier as well. If the mother shows that she appreciates that everyone can be beautiful and that true beauty is on the inside, then the daughter may have these healthier views as well.
It is also important for the mother to respond correctly when the child complains about her weight. She should reassure her that she is of a healthy weight if she is. If the child needs to lose weight, she should help her do it in a healthy way, but still try to make her feel beautiful.
A mother can influence a daughter’s view on weight to a great extent. She should constantly monitor what she says, because her child’s self-esteem and even her life could be at stake.
Resources:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/features/the-mother-daughter-weight-connection
http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=692
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2530928/