(NewsNation) — A new study suggests the roots of poor body image and an unhealthy focus on appearance start as young as age 3 for many girls.

The research from California State University psychologist May Ling Halim’s lab found stark gender differences in how highly preschool-aged girls value being beautiful compared to boys.

“Across all of the measures that we assessed, girls on average greatly valued their appearances,” Halim wrote in a HuffPost column. “Girls said that to be a girl they needed to be pretty, and looking pretty was important.”

The 170 children ages 3-5 were interviewed and observed. Girls tended to select fancy outfits and appearance-focused occupations like models when presented with options. They showed better memory for pictures of fashionable clothing than boys.

By emphasizing beauty ideals from a very young age, “we are missing an important piece of the puzzle” in addressing body image issues that often intensify with social media use during adolescence, according to Halim.

The study concluded gender differences in prioritizing beauty commence in preschool, with some experts pointing to the early 2000s rise of the Disney Princess franchise as an influential driver.

“Although Disney movies have evolved and now try to include more agentic heroines, the take-home message received by children still centered on beauty,” Halim wrote.

By tying self-worth to looks from a young age, Halim wrote children – especially girls – become primed for distorted body image, eating disorders, depression and limits on their aspirations later on.

To counter these harmful stereotypes, Halim advises examining the toys, shows and messages about appearance that children encounter daily. She suggests praising attributes other than looks when talking to young girls.