Pro- Ana, Pro- Mia, Thinspiration , Scary!
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- “This is forever. I will do whatever it takes. I want to be thin more than anything, even food”
- “One day I will be thin enough. Just the bones, no disfiguring flesh. Just the pure clear shape of me, bones. That is what we all are, what we're made up of and everything else is just storage, deposit, waste. Strip it away, use it up”
- “Food hinders your progress”
- “How many pounds till I am happy, how many pounds till I get thin? Three more pounds till I am skinny, three more pounds and I win!”
- “When you coast without eating for a significant period of time, and you are still alive, you begin to scoff at those fools who believe they must eat to live. It is blatantly obvious to you that this is not true”
How scary is this! These are actual quotes from young girls who are anorexic or bulimic and think it is a lifestyle choice rather than a disorder. I had done this post before for my friend who is a plus size model and a discussion on the forum made me think of posting it here.
Pro Ana Pro Mia
Pro Ana is a concept that rejects Anorexia Nervosa as an eating disorder or condition that requires medical intervention. While some Pro Ana Mia sites groups / forums / organizations are for offering support to socially-isolated Anorexics, others attempt to explain Anorexia as a "lifestyle choice" that should be respected by doctors and family.
There are groups or forums which are usually places where crash dieting techniques and recipes are shared, members compete to lose weight or organize group fasting, share how to hide weight loss from parents and/or doctors. While information about maximizing safety of practicing anorexia is shared what is also shared, worryingly is advice on how best to induce vomiting or about how to use laxatives and emetics.
Thinspiration
So what is thinspiration then? It is image or video montages of slim women, often celebrities, who may be anything from naturally slim to emaciated with visibly-protruding bones. Then there is also, reverse thinspiration which may take the form of photographs of fatty food, overweight or obese people intended to induce disgust and motivate further weight loss.
Like I said, really scary!
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Comments
You are quite right Bala, by this token suicide can also be said to be about personal choice, and drug addiction and alcohol abuse etc etc
nothimg the matter with your bones showing bones are beuatiful fat is not
its so beuatiful bones are beautiful fat is nasty and it jiggles gross
These two comments above actually demonstrate the point I am trying to make.
That's an unfair statement to make. This is not a 'token suicide', it's simply a choice that some people have made. How is anyone supposed to distinguish between a healthy and unhealthy weight anyway? As a girl I consider a role model said, she was taken to rehab because she was what, 110 pounds. The doctors said they wouldn't release her until she reached 'a healthy 120lbs'. The same night they told her this, the winner of The Biggest Loser (America) was praised and awarded because she lost her weight, quickly and unhealthily, and became a 'healthy 117lbs'.
If you're 150lbs, you're fat. If you're 110-120lbs, you're too skinny. Since you have written on the subject of anorexica, you would've done your research (otherwise you would be a misinformed and unintitled to an opinion on the subject) please tell the world what a healthy weight is, how to to fix the mental scars and what the side effects of ana are. You have in no way mentioned any of the unhealthy or dangerous side effects of fasting, nor the healthy ones (yes, it is actually healthy to fast. The Apostles in the Bible did it, it cleans your system, cures you of many ailments, and helps your mind. That is a scientific fact.)
You haven't mentioned anything other than your own discrimination against the people who have a disease.
"There should be a Medical and Psychological bench mark to determine the basic nutritional parameters and they should be implemented by law." Yes, there are studies that have already been done to show the nutritional needs of the human body. I agree, let us remove all the fast food, the alcohol, ect from the system. Let's monitor absolutly everyone so that no one can be unhealthy. You would never have another donut, beer, French Fry, burger, hotdog- anything. Instead you can live like the anas do and have Celery and Cereal, Fruit and Vegetables, Vitamins. You can drink water like we do, instead of that unhealthy, damaging soft drink. Wouldn't that be fun?
I guess what I'm trying to say is, do some research. Most of the ProAna-Mia sites actually supposrt those in recovery, and never, ever encourage people to 'become' anorexic. Would you really rather your little sister thinking she's alone? Thinking that no one feels how she does? Or your little brother taking laxatives and diet pills without having the information provided on these sites about how dangerous they are? How some affect your heart, liver and kidneys?
Before you accuse do some research, seriously. Try understanding instead of discriminating. We need love and kndness, not blind hatred. If that's what you feel like doing, leave us alone. Because most of the time- we're lovely people who are just sick.
Just as an after-thought, how would you feel if you had an eating disorder (which is exactly what Proana sites call it) and the world told you dumb and stupid for having it? Would you just stop, or feel worse and hide in your addiction? Have some respect, it is a mental disease. Would you write about how parents who are informed that their children have Autism should put them into an institution because they are 'stupid' for not speaking, or 'idiots' for not learning the same way you do?
Thanks Pooty, for your impassioned comment; I really appreciate the time you have taken to express your feelings. I have actually come acorss several sites that give you 'tips' about how to become anorexic or bulimic, trying to promote these diseases or trying to explain them away as lifestyle choices. THAT is what I condemn.
You make a good point, about healthy at 117 pounds and and unhealthy at 110 pounds. While 110 may be perfectly healthy for one body type and build, it may be disastrous for another. The point I am trying to make is that you have to be healthy given your particular body type, build and metabolism, and not try and achieve what may well be an unhealthy weight (which could be more or less) that is all.
If intersted you could try reading another write up of mine http://hubpages.com/hub/Sexy-at-Any-Size-Really to understand what I think.
110 - Unhealthy
117 - Healthy
120 - Unhealthy
Even NASA's tolerance bandwidth for rocket launches compare poorly with this weight management parameters.
The emphasis of the hub was on deliberate loss of weight for Modelling or other purpose. The illustration was of such cases. The point was concern for the lasting damage to the girls system.
I think it is exploitation of these wannabes. There is gender discrimination here. Has anyone heard of males to Pro-Ana specs?
As for eating disorders, the very fact that it is a disorder makes it, anomaly and a case for treatment.
As for your query about the standard for weight of people, there is one. It is called BMI or, Body mass index. It is calculated, taking height and weight into consideration. There are corrections for body frame size. Even by that standard, the model in the hub is way below the healthy level.
Reena, Attagirl! Good for you.
Thanks Bala, isnt it the most heartening thing that writing can spark off debate or thought or even change, even of the minutest kind?
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First, I would like to address this comment 'I have actually come across several sites that give you 'tips' about how to become anorexic or bulimic, trying to promote these diseases or trying to explain them away as lifestyle choices. THAT is what I condemn.' You will often find on either the front page of the site, or even the very page the tips are on a disclaimer warning against ED (Eating Disorders). They often have useful tips for those already with the disease (e.g., if you purge (throw up), make sure not to brush your teeth within an hour otherwise the enamel in your teeth wears off. Don't use diet pills as they absorb the water in your body, as do laxatives. Drink a lot of water, etc.) Also, anorexia and bulimia are lifestyle choices, so is binge drinking, smoking pot, etc. What you have to understand is that condemning the ED is condemning the person. You can't help anyone with an ED, we can only help ourselves.
Secondly, beauty is perception. Some people suit weight, others don't. I don't, but plus-size models do. As long as you’re healthy, that's all that matters. Ana's live extraordinarily healthy lives. We research, we try to be healthy- we just want to be thin. As for metabolisms, you can speed yours up in an attempt to lose weight.
The shape and size of your body always counts, which is people choose different goal weights. I want to be 110lbs, then perhaps 90.I is about 5'2", 5'3"- that's healthy. I have a classic hour glass shape though, where my hipbones are perfectly inline with my shoulders. I suit the mold of 'slim'.
In response to Bala, your BMI is inaccurate. Arnold Schwartanegger's (spelling?) BMI in his heyday would have classed him as well into the overweight. If you have muscle, any muscle, it is inaccurate. My mother is five foot and weighs more than she looks. She works on a stud, running up hills all day and carry large buckets of water. Her BMI states she's overweight- does that mean she is?
Ana's spend ALOT of time working out. What's to say we're not muscle-y? Show me an accurate way to calculate weight. And as for your questions about males and Ana, I might have misunderstood the question but here is the answer. Men can also be anorexic. The weight they want to become is a deeply personal choice. They could be 7foot and want to weight 100lbs.
No one I have conversed with who is Pro-Ana has ever, ever recruited any 'non-anas'. In fact, it is discouraged. What you don't understand is that we both love and hate our disease. We adore and detest Ana.
I'm not trying to change anyones opinions, just showing the other end of the conversation. Our end is often ignored, re-worded and abused.
Pooty, how old are you? You sound very young. On the one hand you refer to 'eating disorders' and call your condition a 'disease' and how others should be sympathising with you, and on the other hand you call it a life style choice.
If you are anorexic, it is a disorder (look up the dictionary meaning it means something is WRONG) and you need help. But then I don't know you so I wont presume to tell you what you need and don't.
Besides Pooty, I am not too sure what it is that you are defending. Are you defending the sites I have talked about or are you defending a perceived attack on people with eating disorders? Because far from attacking, I am suggesting that people with eating disorders need help; just not 'help' from sites promoting 'thinspiration' and other such concepts.
Actually, according to the Websters dictionary the definition of disorder is not 'WRONG':
Main Entry:1dis·or·der 1 : to disturb the order of 2 : to disturb the regular or normal functions of
I am young, I am 19 years old, 20 later this year. However, it's not the physical age that counts here. I have alot of trouble expressing what I am thinking to others sometimes, and get caught up in my own head.
I'm not sure what I'm defending. It is a lifestyle choice. Let me explain.
As almost any ana will tell you, we like control. We control our bodies, what goes into them, what comes out, etc. Have you ever been more than a day without eating? It's painful. Do you think that we would rather plonk ourselves into the dieseased pile? Or admit that one, we love control, two, we can't stop and three, if we admit we can't stop then we admit we have no control- therefore it becomes a 'choice'.
I'm defending all of it suppose, because these sites are made by us. The 'help' you're suggesting is often painful and forced. Instead of 'helping', many judge, hurt, abuse, distrust and make things worse. These sites, made by sufferers ninety-nine percent of the time support recovery. In my own opinion, when I am ready to hang up my measuring tape it is these sites I will run too- not a doctor or a family member.
Going back to a point I made earlier, do you really expect any Ana to seek 'help' from the same hypocritical people who declare us an obese society, then say everyone who isn't overweight is underweight? Take Oprah for example- one day she's buzzing about a new crash diet, the next she's crying about anorexia.
You have never once mentioned the brilliant parts of these sites- the help with recovery, the safe tips (if you're already doing it, isn't it better for you to learn the dangerous and often deadly parts from people with experience?), the community, the safeness of these places.
These sites are refuges for those who have no where else. You can't turn to a parent- what if they do (insert extreme here)? You can't turn to 'friends' because everyone bitches- let's be honest. Don't you think it's safer to learn the good parts from these sites rather than die because you were misinformed, or had no information?
In response to Pooty: Eating disorders are not 'choices'. If that was the case, I would never choose to go through all the pain I've been through as aresult of my eating disorder. There's a big difference between anorexic and pro-ana. Anybody that has really suffered an eating disorder would not promote it or think of it in a negative light. Eating disorders are mental illnesses, very different from starving yourself (unless you are starving yourself because of your eating disorder) which is your choice.
Hi Emily,
I agree with you. It might sound as though I'm back tracking but I actually do. When I said they are a choice, I didn't mean that we all thought when we were kids that we'd grow up and become ana or mia. I meant to say that it's not up to anyone else to 'fix' us. All I've been trying to say is that pro-ana websites are not always evil and wrong. Often, they are very supportive of recovery and promote healthy ways of trying to live with ana, for instance, negative calorie foods, exercise, etc.
I don't look at ana as a curse, but a gift.
Pooty, I admire you for the spirited argument you are putting up. Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example of the in accuracy of BMI? Wrong choice.BMI is a system designed and modeled on normal muscle density. Yes it can be inaccurate in the cases of people who either pack in abnormal amount of muscle on to their frame, or simply dry out intentionally. Your next statement proves me out.
About your mother, again, compare the national statistical average height to hers. There is good chance that you will find a substantial difference. Both of the examples are abnormal and do not fall under statistical averages at all.
Now is statistical averaging any accurate? Yes! it is. Worlds economy runs on this.
Pooty,
If you really appreciate the seriousness of eating disorders, don't use the words "Ana", use the correct medical term 'anorexia nervosa'.
Anorexia nervosa is NOT a gift. If it is, it is the most unwanted gift I've ever received.
Thanks Emily, for putting that in no uncertain terms, that it is NOT a gift; that 'Ana' is not some sort of benign, friendly companion. I thought that coming someone who really knows what they are talking about, it would carry more weight for someone like Pooty?
Emily- unfortunately pro-ana and pro-mia sites are never supportive of recovery. When I was diagnosed with an eating disorder at age 16, I decided to search the web for information about it. I was clueless that there were sites out there that were actually encouraging me to not receive treatment for my disease. So, you can imagine how difficult it was for me to begin my recovery once I came across several sites offering TIPS on how to hide my behavior and telling me that nothing was wrong with me, telling me that having heart palpitations, weakness and black-outs and the inability to focus in school, was all ok and just part of who I was.
These sites are very, very dangerous. Please do not think that they support you as a person, they are supporting and encouraging eating disorders. While an eating disorder is part of you, it is not all of you.
Those sites made my recovery impossible. Once my mother was told about these types of sites and that our home PC should be checked, she was able to closely monitor my internet activity so I couldn't keep receiving support from anonymous people online. The tips and tricks and inspiration was supporting me to do damage to my body, instead of beginning the healing process..
You're right, eating disorders aren't a choice but we can choose how we cope to deal with them. I know they never go away, I know that for sure. But, I have been able to deal with mine; this would've been impossible with me frequenting pro-ana/mia sites. I'm just very sad that there are sites out there that encourage eating disorders, when there is so much you can do to start the path to something much more powerful, which for me is the control that I have to eat a normal amount of calories, but mostly all healthy foods.
I'm not saying I'd relapse if I looked at a pro ana/mia site, but it could be possible. I wish they weren't allowed and hope that I don't accidentally stumble across one some day.
I know that pro-ana/mia sites do not promote recovery, that's why I don't frequent them.
Many are 'pro-recovery' in theory, but in reality, they are stopping the sufferer from telling somebody of real medical importance (i.e. a medical professional), and delaying recovery.
Now can people please differenciate between anorexia nervosa and pro-ana, because they are entirely different. Anorexia nervosa is a mental disease that you cannot choose to have and has a 20% mortality rate, while pro-ana is the imitation of anorexia sufferers in order to lose weight.
Yes Pooty, people with eating disorders should not be discriminated against, I should know, the stigma I've encountered became so unbearable it pushed me deeper into my eating disorder.
But Pro-Anas should not be tolerated, they don't understand the seriousness of eating disorders and don't respect all those who have died as a result of eating disorders, or medical professionals that attempt to recover sufferers, or scientists and psychiatrists that have researched and provided the world with valuable information on the subject of eating disorders.
Instead, pro-anas are (generally) teenage wannarexics that emulate the behaviour of sufferers of anorexia nervosa for vanity.
People that really have suffered from anorexia nervosa know, for a fact, that eating disorders have very little to do with vanity.
All I can say is what I know.
I look at this as a gift, but that is a personal choice. I don't support the 'recruitment' or encouragement of the disease, I support the care that the community provides.
My own generation embarasses me yet again.
Pooty is sounds as though you are determined to delude yourself. I hope you have someone there who can help you; and whom you will permit to help you.
Reena, I wouldn't go there if I were you. This could turn nasty!
I often wonder what age these people are, and it takes a 15-year-old to knock some sense into them???'
I'm not deluding myself. I have a problem- I know that. I actually eat, I just restrict.... alot. I fast, but I also reep the benefits. My boyfriend knows what I am, and I suppose you could say he helps. Reena- Have you ever had an eating disorder? And Emily, if you do have an eating disorder and are trying to avoid pro-ana sites then how did you find this topic?
In regards to what you mentioned earlier about me calling the disorder 'Ana', you do realise it is a personification of a diesese that is very painful yes? Also, "I often wonder what age these people are, and it takes a 15-year-old to knock some sense into them???'", no it doesn't. If you had an eating disorder you would realise that the opinions of people, especially those whom you don't know, would have little effect on whether you went into recovery or not.
Emily, sorry I misread your post earlier.
I agree with what you said. The majority of Pro-Ana sites are created by wannarexics who think it is a diet, what I am trying to defend is the handful that are not. There are a few out there that are not like that at all. These sites actually do support recovery, and the people with the 'problem'.
What I meat by knocking sense into them was not recovery, simply the fact that eating disorders are something you choose to have, they are mental diseases.
Yes, I have an eating disorder, I have suffered from it for two years now. I want to recover. I fully understand the deteriments eating disorders have on both physical and mental health. I want to get better because I don't want to suffer like this any longer.
The matter of the fact is, pro-ana and pro-mia sites delay recovery. Pooty, I can see that you're confused about what you're talking about because you're going back on your words. We're in the same situation you know. I know what you're going through, I'm going through it too. I want to get better, but not through dodgy underground websites created by mentally unstable people, but by people who have done the research and understand the scientific aspect of my mental disease.
Yes, you should not be ashamed of having an eating disorder, I am sick and tired of being discriminated because of mine, but you should not be proud of it either. Learn to acknowledge the seriousness of your eating disorder, it is not a 'gift'.
There's a difference between anorexia nervosa and pro-ana. A huge difference. I am not attacking suffferers of this mental illness, I am attacking those that promote it, glorify it and those who cannot respect the seriousness of the disease.
If you log on to pro-ana or pro-mia sites you are saying that you don't appreciate the seriousness of eating disorders or respect those who have suffered from them.
If you truly respect those who have died and suffered from these deadly diseases, you should be able to find the strength to get help yourself.
Pro ana/mia sites don't tell you anything you don't already know.. it's common sense. I was a vegetarian for the longest time and everyone thought I had an eating disorder. Excuse me for eating vegetables?
I think, in order for someone to write anything they really want the world to hear, they should be open minded and not attack any given person. Age is of no consequence here. I am going to be 30 yrs old this year, which is not young by any means. Anorexia and bulimia is a disease, not a life style choice. I have suffered and yes suffered, most of my life from this disease. Some people are so diseased they die from it and some can live an entire life with it and not die. Obesity is also a disease. It can kill people just as anorexia or bulimia can. I work in a hospital and see obese people die nearly everyday from heart attacks, and very rarely do I see people die from an ED. I could come on here and say the writer of this sounds young or the person who couldnt get the words out right was just a kid trying to be like me, but I am not. I disagree with both. I would love to wake up not obsessing over my weight, or having to immediately weigh myself, or feel so weak I can barely walk. however I can't control this, which makes it a disease and NOT a lifestyle choice. Unless you've been in my shoes, you will never understand what it's like. All this post did was remind me of how ignorant our world is and how they can attack peope they don't understand with out knowing exactly what it is they go through, which is exactly what they did back in the early 19th century, eg: skitzophrenics, etc. I can understand how frustrating it may be seeing these sites that teach people how to be anorexic but bear in mind these people tend to be in a very fragile state. Most of them die not on account of their disease but because they feel worthless and commit suicide. I really hope these people never read sites like this because these sites have the potential to cause suicide. You can attack me all you want but I only commented to let others know the truth behind ED's.
@Justme: I am not sure how my post 'attacks' anyone; it is merely about something that I found scary: that there are sites out there that encourage people with eating disorders, even share tips on how to become anorexic or bulimic and which teach how to hide the fact that one may have an eating disorder. That is the purport of my article; and the way that these sites have been defended in the ensuing comments bears out my premise I think.
Wow. go Emily! I'm 15 too and I have never had this disease, and I will never expect to fully understand it, so I can see from a different point of view than people who have been sufferers, and of course they have a different point of view to us.
Emily you give me so much inspiration, you are so sensible. Pooty, please listen to Emily, you are defending and glorifying something that is causing so much pain, and why? I don't understand that part.
Of course, it is good that some of these pro ana sites will help to make sure that people are being careful with what they do, but Reena's point still stands, these sites are preventing people from seeking help, and convincing people that there is nothing wrong with them, and giving tips on how to hide their situation.
Reena has not attacked anyone, only the fact that these sites are defending a terrible disorder that needs profassional help in order for any of these girls (or boys) to save themselves.
Feel free to reply if you don't agree, I'm just reading to learn and it is very interesting but upsetting, and I will admit, pretty scary.
Thanks for seeing my point of view Catherine.
go pooty!
I'm glad you wrote about it too, Reena.
You know another sad thing is: I was checking my Google Analytics a few days ago and some plonkers (excuse me) are using these keywords to search. "sexy anorexic pics", "Hot anorexic girls". Honestly, the world is just going crazy but I'm glad we are raising awareness and receiving positive responses.
Regards, Elena.
THIN is beauty!!!Why you people don't understand this?If we are skinny doesn't mean we are anorexics.we just eat healthy!leave us in our world!
I honestly don't know where to begin, pro-ana is such a debatable issue, something that should only be debated by people that have been affected by eating disorders and mental health professionals.
I hate this, "Go Pooty!" and "Go Emily!". It shouldn't be a war of two opposing sides, (as human beings, we should have common interests), it should be a war on our inner demons.
And I think, before we even try fighting this disease, several thing need to be established:
1. Eating Disorders are mental diseases with no one particular cause. Food itself is never the problem, so food can never be the cure. Eating disorders have nothing to do with vanity.
2. Every human being has a soul, and a person's beauty can only be measured by this soul. The human body is only a mortal or finite temple in which the soul is transported.
Now that we've got that cleared up (but of course, feel free to disagree with these points), we can move onto the nitty-gritty.
Now Justme: You agree that anorexia nervosa is a nervous illness, I presume. So how can you compare a mental illness with a physical state? Yes, obesity can kill just like any eating disorder. Obesity is defined as having 20% or more extra weight than you should have. I know plenty of people that are obese and their quality of life has not been affected in any way. But I do not know one genuine disordered eater that is satisfied with their quality of life.
I, personally, have what is considered a healthy weight BMI. If you didn't know me properly, you'd say I was 'the picture of health'. You wouldn't think that I was fighting a disease with a 30% mortality rate. There isn't one day I'm not fighting with my own self. I have been attacked by a disease that contradicts my sanity and my health and everything I've ever been told. It has invaded my mind and it alienates me in my own mind. I don't have any idea who I am without my eating disorder because it is a permanent parasite that feeds off my sanity and leads me to self-destruction. I don't believe I'll ever be living my life until I'm recovered.
Catherine: Thank you for your reply but there's no point in trying to persuade Pooty to see the light. Eating disorders cannot be cured by knowledge. Pooty knows what she's doing, she accepts that her eating disorder is a mental illness, and she's fighting it as best as she can. Fighting it by living, because everyday is a struggle when you have an eating disorder. Pooty has to find the strength in herself to free herself from this eternal nightmare. She'll do it in her own time, and God help both you and I, Pooty, as only about a third ever fully recover.
Lady_E: What you have seen is purely a result of shallow ignorant uneducated fuckers that don't understand the fact that an eating disorder is a disease and not a 'diet' or 'lifestyle choice'.
CC: You're the very shallow ignorant uneducated fucker that I talked about previously. We understand correctly alright, we understand that beauty is skin-deep and that we are worth so much more than how people judge our bodies. We weren't complaining about skinny people, people often call me skinny, we are complaining about people like you that don't understand what beauty really is.
And lastly, Reena: I understand that you meant well in bringing up the topic of pro-ana as a means of raising awareness, but please don't ever again (though after these responses, I strongly doubt you will). Leave pro-ana to the mental health professionals because too many people don't know the first thing about eating disorders.
As a sufferer and one of the informed I feel it is my duty to add the following links that I advise you to use if you think you are at risk of developing an eating disorder:
http://www.eatingdisordersanonymous.org/
Thanks for the links Emily. For some reason your comment was flagged as spam probably because of multiple links
Well, I read what everyone had to say. But to be blunt about the subject there really is no point in leaving comments about this. It's not going to stop any of the young girl's and boy's who take in this mental diease or (lifestyle) as some feel it is. In all reality the more attention it gets the worse it seems to spread such as the media portrays it in movies, magazines (skinny celbs), and the biggest one of all the internet. But I'am not saying we shouldn't talk about it, just we should attack the people who help fuel it...but not really the websites them self's but the fashion runway shows, the magazines that say "hey lose 20 pounds in a month" on there cover the billions of advertisments on tv saying take this to lose weight, be fit by the summer, with this diet. This is where young people first get it in there head that they need to lose weight fast and that it really is important. For example my little cousin who is under 10 years old as on numours occasions told me she is fat, that she is on a diet, that she needs to lose weight. She is a child and she is thin but she's got it in her head that she needs to diet and as someone who suffers personaly from EDNOS I can understand both sides. I have a promble I know that, but I've had it for years and have accepted it but that dosen't mean that I want other people to have to go through the thing's that I put my body through. So I believe that people should stop bitching at the sites and go directly to the source if they want to get something done. Remember the people who make these sites are people who are already touch by "pro ana" and they are mostly set in there ways people should just go after the main promblem. So that's what I think should happen.
hiya
ive read most of the comments on here, some were kinda long so i skimmed them, srry if i miss read them and so my views on what hav been said arent quite accurate. srry bout spelling too
my eating disorder started out as EDNOS and i found an online community on bebo, there i met many girls, some who would share with each other what they had eaten that day and their weights, others refused to do this as they felt it would create competition. i became good friends with a girl who was and still is extremely ill with this disorder and yes she would congratulate me if i had done a fast, however their were girls i've met they have told me to get help.
i did try and get, while i was waiting, 3 months i was on a list as they were overworked, i developed bulimia and by the time i was offered help i didnt want it because my thought patterns had changed, i still suffer with bulimia.
i use the pro-mia and ana sites, this does not mean i think it is a healthy option for people and would encourage anyone to diet unhealthly. but i does mean that i don't condem these sites. part of me does agree with pooty's early post's, not sure about the most recent ones.
Reena, i do think that your views on these sites come from an outsider looking in, who may have already had a biased view from the start due to media influence, unless you have used these sites will you know and used more than i would say 3, will you know that on these sites people are trying to help just as much as there are people on there who are that ill that they beleive eating disorder's are normal and the 'right way' to live your life
bala99 says:
5 months ago
There should be a Medical and Psychological bench mark to determine the basic nutritional parameters and they should be implemented by law. That way even suicide is a matter of personal choice! Dictatorship? Yes! But much needed, in such cases.