Criticisms, such as teasing about another’s weight or promoting dieting, can work to uphold ideal body standards, leading to negative thoughts regarding body image, or even disordered eating. This is known as social reinforcement.

Social reinforcement

Others may display disordered eating behaviors, such as dieting, excessive exercise, or purging as a means to control weight and body shape. When individuals copy these behaviors as seen in others, this is called modeling.

Modeling

University of California, Berkeley

Peer relationships can influence adolescent girls’ perceptions of themselves and their bodies, potentially leading to the development of disordered patterns of eating, or even diagnosable eating disorders. 

Influence of Peer Relations on Adolescent Girls

Interpersonal influence and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls: The role of peer modeling, social reinforcement, and body-related teasing. Eating Behaviors, Volume 2, Issue 3, 2001, Pages 215-236, ISSN 1471-0153, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1471-0153(01)00030-7.

Interpersonal influence and disordered eating behaviors in adolescent girls

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