Tiny tots worry about weighty matters

A study by University of Central Florida says many three to six-year-old girls worry about their appearance and weight. DNA tries to find out if the trend is prevalent in India too and if young ones are image conscious.

Expert view
Reality TV may have something to do with it
These days children are very conscious about their body image. This to a large extent depends on their parents. Children pick up some mannerisms from their parents. Hence guardians must know how to behave when young ones are around. Girls are more aware of trends since they want to wear tight-fitting jeans, but boys are quite laidback and not so conscious.Girls, as young as 12, want to blow dry their hair. They don’t wear frocks anymore. Even on reality shows, we see that it’s the children from urban areas who pay more attention to their looks and appearance. Mothers are now finicky about kids diet, but otherwise I don’t think children at such a young age are worried about being fat.
—Chaya Momaya, grooming consultant

Child artistes have a lasting impact on them
The report that girls begin worrying about their appearance from a young age may not be true for Indian conditions. If children worry about their image, then parents won’t have to pester them to dress properly and maintain hygiene. But there is a trend emerging among children above eight years, especially girls. They are fastidious in choosing their apparel and make-up and obsessed with getting the right accent. In films and TV, children appear well dressed. Even parents want their children to be good looking and have right etiquette. They are influenced by media and cosmopolitan culture.
—Svetlayna Casper, grooming consultant

Report seems strange in the Indian context
The report seems strange in the Indian context. How can a three-year-old girl worry about her body image? I have a child, who is not yet three years old. But observing other children of this age group, I don't think they are aware of their body image at such an early age. Parents usually take care of young ones and ensure that they get the right food, dress and playing equipment. If children are conscious about their body image then, I don't think any parent will be worried about their health.
—Tara Sharma, mother of 5-month-old Zen 

Children copy their parents’ mannerisms
I’m not perturbed by this study. This trend won’t be prevalent across in India. At the age of three, kids aren’t obsessed about their appearance or weight. But, children are certainly much more conscious about their style. My two-year-old daughter is fussy when it comes to what she wants to wear. Clothes as well as sandals must be of her choice. I believe that parents are the best role models for children. If they are obsessed with their weight and hairstyle, children are bound to follow suit. So the demands of children or their way of thinking depends on their upbringing. 
—Kejal Khiraiya

My three-year-old kid likes to apply cosmetics  
The finding that girls begin worrying about their appearance and weight from the age of three is right. I have been observing the same tendency in my three-year-old child. She is particular about choosing her apparel, face cream and perfumes. She might be influenced by me, but it proves that she is conscious about her looks. When I was young, I wasn’t so aware about my body image. To an extent, I worry that she will be obsessed about her looks. But a positive side to the trend is that kids know how to care about themselves. They are more knowledgeable than I was at a young age.
—Ashwini Devasthalee

Don’t want to put on weight and look fat
I’m extremely conscious about my eating habits, although I’m in school. I don’t want to put on weight and look fat. I keep myself fit by being involved in physical activities like badminton and football. I like wearing short skirts and low waist jeans and hence I like to be fit and thin. It’s good that people at a young age are aware about fitness and eating healthy. Moreover these days, children are influenced by reading fairytales; but I don’t think at such a tender age, children are bothered about looking good. Children are conscious, when they look at others in schools or in their peer group.
—Fiona Noronha, 12 years

Obsession can be bad and will lead to damage
Such studies are not very startling, since we see children being conscious about their looks in many Hindi movies. Being conscious about a good appearance is understandable, but being obsessed with the perfect look is another thing. One needs to know where to draw the line. The children’s psyche is changing these days. Also when they associate themselves with characters like Harry Potter and others, they want to be as good looking as them. At a young age, children tend to imitate what siblings and parents do, and this is another factor which influences them immediately.
—Shivani Jhaveri, 16 years

Worry about weight and looks come later
I think it’s just not possible that at the early age of three, girls in India will be conscious and would want to lose weight. It’s just not in our culture or tradition to be anxious regarding such issues at such a tender age. Even till school-going age parents are a major factor influencing their children. But once in college, girls are totally obsessed with their weight, hair and their overall appearance. But at a later stage, I know so many girls who are obsessed with losing weight and straightening their hair. Today many are totally fixated regarding physical attributes.   
  —Srishti Kakar, 16 years

Soon all will start aping foreign trend
Children nowadays are quite conscious about how they deck up. Though this study might not be applicable in India, children in the age group of three to six years will soon be particular about the way they dress up. In India, there is too much dependence on parents and hence children at a young age don’t experiment. But just like other things have found their way into the country, the trend of children wanting to be thin and beautiful will happen soon. Getting hair straightened and coloured and imitating film stars is common, for teenagers, but I'm not in favour of kids blindly following the trends.  
—Juie Pagnis, 15 years