Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure
of being thin, a study led by Michigan State University researchers has found.
From size-zero models to airbrushed film stars, thinness is
portrayed as equaling beauty across Western culture, and it's an ideal often
cited as a cause of eating disorder symptoms in young women. The researchers
focused on the potential psychological impact of women buying into this
perceived ideal of thinness, which they call thin-ideal internalization.
Changes in self-perception and behavior, caused by this idealization, can lead
to body dissatisfaction, a preoccupation with weight and other symptoms of
eating disorders.