(Jade, 2002) Though the fashion industry and the media may take advantage of an impressionable mind, the spokesman for the Eating Disorders Association proclaimed that "media images don't cause eating disorders, but if someone goes through an emotionally turbulent time, for example the end of a relationship, it is possible that is they are bombarded with particular images, their thought processes might be influenced" (Eating Disorders Association) .
Researcher Deanne Jade explains that Americans must realize that the media merely reflects current or nascent trends that we "the people" have perpetuated. (Jade, 2002) Society is made up of different sub- cultures or social groups such as race, social class, political groups and as Jade describes "adhesion to value systems, such as "vegetarianism"." (Jade, 2002) These social groups are what mold our society's values; either rejecting messages or filtering information to the groups liking. The British Medical Association reports on eating disorders, body images and the media:.
"In a media saturated culture, the argument that long term exposure can help shape the world views of particular sections of the audience is one that merits consideration, however, the EXTENT to which the media contributes to its personal identity remains unclear and is subject to continuing academic debate the media do not, by their very definition, provide pure experience of the world but channel our experience of it in particular ways."(British Medical Association).
This explains why the media has such an impact on our culture, and why the media and fashion industry may be a lurking variable in the problem of eating disorders, but not the one and only culprit. The message the media sends out is audience dependent; the media seeks to inform us, persuade us, entertain us, and change us. (Jade, 2002).
A research project was conducted by psychologists Eric Stice, Ph.
