EDITORS: Valentines Day is Feb. 14. National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 20-27.

ANN ARBOR—Many young women spoil their chances of having a happy Valentines Day, according to a University of Michigan psychologist.

“A surprising number of young women say they have turned down dates because they feel ugly or fat,” says Mary K. McKinney, a senior staff psychologist at the U-M Psychological Clinic.

“Others describe breaking off new relationships before they have a chance to become physically intimate, because they’re afraid the man will be repulsed by their bodies. It’s really quite sad. Many women end up avoiding romance because of the harshness of their negative thoughts about their bodies.”

These are pretty, young women whose weight is perfectly normal, notes McKinney, who conducts workshops on eating issues and body image. They don’t have full-blown eating disorders. But they still feel fat and ugly.

According to McKinney, young women in their teens and twenties, who are constructing their adult feminine identities and trying to establish sexual relationships, are particularly vulnerable to developing body-image problems.

Among the signs:

According to McKinney, young women with body image problems but not full-blown eating disorders can take many steps to correct the problem.

Here are a few of them:

If you do get a big box of chocolates for Valentines Day, don’t panic. “It’s important NOT to have forbidden foods,” McKinney advises. “Have a few pieces, then share the box with others.”

For information on classes on eating and body image issues, call the U-M Psychological Clinic at (734) 764-3471.