Reflections of the self: comparing pressures on men and women to lose weight

Survey data from faculty and staff at a college in the United States (n= 136) reveal that women obsess more than men about their weight, a phenomenon perhaps related to a greater proportion of women having their mothers urge them to lose weight (23 percent) than men (3 percent). More overweight men believed others perceived them to be about the right weight when they were overweight up to 20 pounds (33 percent) or at least 20 pounds overweight (43 percent) compared to overweight women, none of whom believed others perceived them as having an appropriate weight. Greater awareness that women face not just media images of corporal perfection, but often direct feedback from family members, can help us better understand women's greater preoccupation with weight