Is she doing it for attention?

Question

So my friend is 12 years old. She is about 5'1. (Not sure) (I don't know if this is important to this question)

Anyway.... She is super skinny! She tells me she is 68 pounds! (At this age we are suppose to be like 98-106? RIght)

She keeps saging she needs to go on a diet because she is fat. She has been doing this for a few years. Then she slaps her stomache and says that is plain fat. (By the way she dances for a dance company 6 days a week till 5:30-9:00)

Anyway do you think she is doing ti for attention or is she being serious.


By the way do you think I am being selfish for getting mad she is saying that? I am getting tired of it.

I have mentioned it to my mom, she said "Leah" is doing it for attention. (That isn't her real name)

Answer 1

well its hard to say, most likley she is doing it for attention. but if she isnt it could be a serious problem. i would talk to her and ask her to tell you the truth. tell her that is she is doing it for attention to stop because she is really starting to worry ppl.
hope this helps!

Answer 2

It's in her head, she's obviously not happy with the way she looks.. She thinks she's fat although she isn't. It could lead to eating disorders.. She obviously cares about vanity. I believe that this is because she is being serious, not because she wants attention. You are not selfish for getting mad at her for saying that because that's what i would have done with my friends.. The thing is, it's in their minds and the fact that they think that way is disturbing whilst the rest who looks at them actually know that they are not fat. It's she talks to an adult about it who had experience or even the doctor, they will explain to her the dangers of dieting when you are a teen. She is 12 years old! She needs all the nutritions and she needs all the calcium, protein, the whole lot! She cannot go on a diet at this age because it could destroy her. She needs to eat healthily if she wants to maintain a healthy weight and she needs to grow, if she is older, she can still eat healthily and probably do some other sports also but dieting.. Not an option.

Answer 3

She might be doing it for attention but if it has been going on for a few years she may have a problem. She sounds way too thin. My son is in 4th grade and weighs about the same and he's shorter than her. And he's NOT fat. He's very thin. She may have some sort of eating disorder. I know because when I was a teen I dealt with that myself. She may feel as though she has no control in her life and her weight is the only thing she can control.

I don't think you are being selfish.

Answer 4

She may be doing it for attention or she may have an eating disorder. Your not being selfish at all. I have a friend that doesn't really talk about her weight but she is sooo skinny and eats like crap. She also eats a ton and still wears girl sizes because shes too small for juniors! It would drive me insane too but give her a chance because she may have a problem. Instead of being mad, you should feel sorry her, because if she weighs so little she is going to have health problems and a lot of emotional issues too. Good luck:)

Answer 5

Your friend is probably looking for reassurance. It sounds like she has the beginnings of an eating disorder, and as her friend you need to talk to someone about it - maybe your mother. It's likely that some of the pressure for her to be thin comes from the dance company or being around thin girls so often.

You are correct that she should not weigh 68 pounds at 5'1''! She should weigh at least 90. Please talk to someone about it. If you're comfortable with your friend's mother, maybe you could tell her you're concerned about your friend's low weight and obsession with dieting.

Answer 6

Its not your problem that her self-esteem is low, but what you can do to help her is just tell her that you're sick of hearing that shes unhappy with the way she is. My god, she's 12 years old and shes already worrying about weight? I worry about the next generation coming through, I really do. I think it is some form of attention seekage, just go "mmmm" while she says it or "ok thats great" or "i have to concentrate". She could snap back, but its important that you don't continue to fuel her need for attention in a negative way.

Answer 7

No i don't think your selfish at all! your concerned and she is lucky to have a friend like you. even though it is doing your head in you are still concerned for her. I think she could be doing it for attention also i think she could have problems. most anorexics think they are fat when they obviously aren't. Dancing also burns alot of fat. if i was you i would tell her parents or someone like that. Best to try and stop it before it gets out of hand.

good luck to you babe x

love faith x

Answer 8

Tell her how you feel, ask her if she truly feels that way or if she's just doing it for attention.

I had a friend that just did it for attention so me and my friend teased her till she stopped saying how fat she was. She eventually stopped saying it, even though what we did was mean.

Answer 9

to be honest when i was 12, i was 72 lbs. its because i have high metabolism. she sees other people who are bigger than her who say they are fat, but she must think she is their size so she thinks shes fat. if she has high metabolism(ask her if she knows what it is)if she says yes, tell her that she is definately not fat. she might think shes fat cause her stomach is big. if it is, she is definatly not fat. just tell her that .
and maybe some other stuff you can think of.

Answer 10

yeah i know a girl like this it gets pretty annoying i think shes just fishing for compliments so ppl could say dont say that ur beautiful and skinny and blah blah blah all that junk ur not being selfish she probably feels insecure about herself so she wants to hear others opinions and this is how she does it!
i really understand what ur feeling sometimes when it gets out of hand i just wanna slap her! haha