John Casey

In May 2000, the British Media Association released a report, Eating Disorders, Body Image, and the Media, which argues that television images of thinner-than-average women are a “significant cause” of eating disorders. John Casey, a fellow of Caius College in Cambridge and a columnist for the Evening Standard, disputes this notion in the subsequent viewpoint. He maintains that the thin women featured on television and in fashion magazines represent an aesthetic ideal that has little influence on how real women live.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Casey characterize the “realm of fashion and catwalks”"

2. What is the “anxiety game,” as defined by the author"

Thin models, on the catwalk and on television, have become a mortal danger to intellectually challenged young girls. That...