We all remember the awkward stage of teenage adolescence where fitting in with all the other high school kids was an alien and often incomprehensible part of our existence. This is the stage where most people are still finding out about themselves and establishing their own identities. It made us more susceptible to peer pressure as we find comfort in the people who are most like us.

The media has sometimes been blamed on the image-conscious youths of today. Fashion models and actresses are too thin is a common complaint found in most sectors. It turns out that the media might not be to blame after all.

A study conducted at the University of Texas suggests that teenage girls look to each other when they make conclusions about their body image. Researchers scoured information from a national study on adolescent health and discovered a correlation between a girl’s weight loss goals and her peers average weight.

For instance, girls in a school where most girls are underweight are more likely to view themselves as underweight. This motivates them to lose weight in order to look more like the other girls in the school. The opposite is also true. Girls in a school where the average weight is higher are less likely to try and lose weight.

It is not uncommon for peers to influence perceptions. The herd mentality describes the way human behavior can be influenced by a group of “early adopters”. More and more people are swayed to follow this group as conformity is a decidedly human trait.