# Preteens and body image



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

My 10.5yo dd thinks she's fat. I'm a heck of a lot more concerned about her body image than I am about her current weight. She does have a little "pooch" on her tummy- her breasts are starting to develop but they don't stick out past her tummy yet. (Of course, I'm about the same difference being I'm in an I cup with a huge belly and she's in a AA cup with a small belly.)

I'm teacher her about healthy choices in food, how juice is high in calories and not very filling, even though it's "natural," and encouraging her to drink plain water more often. We're also trying to be more active as a family. I figure these are healthy changes for all of us, whether or not she really needs to lose weight (or stay the same weight and get taller.)

My big question is this: what is "normal" in terms of body fat for adolescents? Is she, in fact, slightly overweight, or is this just a normal phase in development? She's certainly heavier than any preteen models I've seen in clothing ads or catalogs, but I know that doesn't really mean anything! Are there any photos available of "normal" preteen bodies? I'm thinking of something along the lines of "the breast gallery" but of girls in early puberty, not adults (and it doesn't have to be nude photos either!!)


----------



## Queen Gwen (Nov 20, 2001)

Hmm, I'm not sure where you could find pictures. My kids take swim lessons at the Y during the winter, and we swim a lot during the summer...between these 2 activities we see quite a few bodies. They also take baton (which has leotard-type uniforms) and dance, so again, we see a lot of body shapes those place.

FWIW, the baton crowd tends to be heftier, and the swimming crowd runs the gamut. The dance crowd tends to be more athletic (it's not a heavy-duty, let's-be-anorexice type studio). So, my vote would be to hang out at swimming pools or beaches if you need to do a real-life study.


----------



## talk de jour (Apr 21, 2005)

Okay, just curious...

Why does she have to be 'normal'? Does it matter if she's overweight or not? People naturally come in all shapes and sizes... we all know that.

I'm not trying to jump on you here! I'm just wondering why it matters.

(oh, and as far as a little 'pooch'... she sounds absolutely 100% normal. The average ten-year-old has little breasts and a little belly... of course there's tons of variation, but that sounds pretty average.)


----------

