Abstract
Researchers have demonstrated that societal concerns about dieting and body size have led to an increase in negative attitudes toward obese people and that girls as young as 3 years old endorse similar body size stereotypes as have been previously found with adults. Few studies, however, have examined age differences in their participants. A sample of 102 girls (3–5-years-old) completed measures of body size stereotyping. Results indicate that while body-size stereotyping is present by age 3, pro-thin beliefs may develop prior to anti-fat beliefs. Implications and future directions for research with preschool children are discussed.