The girls were asked to name their 5 favorite television shows or music videos and their favorite characters on each show. Students rated how important television was as a source of information about fashion and attractiveness and how strongly their own choices of clothing, hair style, dieting techniques, and other appearance related factors were influenced by television. Perception of female peers, interest in dieting was assessed. Television influence was assessed in four questions asking how much the girls thought TV influenced their idea of the ideal body, the diet products they used, they foods they bought, and their exercise habits. A higher score indicates more perceived influence.
Higher scores indicate more peer influences regarding dieting.
Weight Management was measured by having the girls rate their use of eight weight management techniques during the past six months. The female characters on the favorite television shows and music videos of middle school girls are thinner than the average American woman. This is especially true of their favorite characters. Girls who perceive themselves as influenced by television's body shape messages also report substantial peer influence endorsing dieting. Girls who perceive higher peer influence and more television influence are more dissatisfied with their bodies, use more weight management techniques, and evidence more pathological attitudes about eating.