The media is full of images of slim models.

The message that attractiveness, success and happiness depend on being thin is everywhere.

Media models are not 'real'
Explain that the models in fashion magazines are not 'real'; flaws in their complexion are removed, teeth whitened and the body reshaped by photographic techniques. The average girl or boy doesn't look like that - in fact, the model herself hardly looks like that! Above all, emphasise that reshaping one's body to conform to an unachievable ideal won't bring happiness.

Discuss diet culture at school
Discuss peer pressure to be thin. Let your child know that friends should like her for who she is, not what her weight is. Encourage her to follow her own judgment and not feel the need to diet because someone has teased her at school or to attract a particular person.

Establish a close relationship with your adolescent
Adolescence is a period of transition and makes many youngsters feel insecure and vulnerable. It's the peak period for eating disorders like anorexia. Striving to attain an unachievable 'ideal' weight implies that your teen is dissatisfied with her 'real' self. Make sure that she knows that you accept her for what she is; don't pressure her to be thinner or to achieve more than she is capable of at school or elsewhere.

Communicating with your child and encouraging her to confide in you with her anxieties is a key element in working through potential problems. Accepting her for what she is will boost her self-esteem and give her confidence to value her intelligence and personality above her body shape.