First, a confession. I once commented unfavourably on the legs of one of my daughters. I was cross about her short school skirt, but it’s no excuse. May God forgive me because, according to a study this week in Eating and Weight Disorders, she will never get over it. Researchers found that the more a parent comments on their daughter’s weight, the more likely she will be unhappy with her body as a young woman. In the study, 501 women between the ages of 20 and 35 were asked about their body image and to recall how often their parents commented about their weight. Those with a healthy body mass index were nearly a third less likely to recall parents commenting on their weight than women who were overweight. But regardless of their BMI, women were less satisfied with their weight if their parents had made remarks about their size as adolescents. The message to parents? Zip it. But does that mean you can’t comment at all? More
