Western society values the female slenderness as an expression of sexual attractiveness. The average American female is 5'4 and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5'11 and weighs 117 pounds. This is the body type that young girls are taught to believe is the accepted norm. In one sense, I would argue that it does.
Women are generally more weight conscious than men.
Studies have shown that the attitudes held by women are more inclined to be influenced by the stereotypical ways of thinking- valuing thinness, beauty, dependence, etc. At the very least, statistics suggest that this is why more women tend to suffer from bulimia than men. It has been alleged that people suffering with this illness are psychosexually immature. While there is anecdotal evidence, there is nothing concrete to support the idea of psychosexual factors play a role in the development of eating disorders. Clinicians worldwide have noted the dissociative abilities that bulimics have.