Pro-Ana Sites

Today, the news is full of stories about the recent article in Pediatrics magazine regarding the influence of Pro-Anorexia websites on the behaviors of teens and young children. Basically, they are finding that eating disordered behaviors are more likely to occur in people who use or frequent these sites.

Duh.

Sorry to be so blunt and bold right now. But this kind of spin makes me angry.

Yes, if you have an eating disorder, are in immense pain, are hiding in shame and secrecy, and visit one of these sites you will most likely fall deeper into your behavior and thought process. If you are merely thinking about an eating disorder, have marginal behavior already, and are fascinated by the 'thinspiration' world out there, yes you will be influenced to perhaps try these techniques or even at the very least you will be validated in your fascination by other like-minded souls.

This is the same for all fetish sites out there. For all sites dealing with the 'hidden' or 'darker' realms of our behaviors or addictions. What makes this even more troubling is that - who the heck can tell the difference between a pro-anorexia 'thinspiration' site and the cover of any daily tabloid?? These underground images that girls shrare on this site are seen EVERYWHERE in our mainstream media. So on one level it isn't that odd that girls are drawn to the 'normalcy' of eating disorders - as our entire culture is as well!

We never get to talk about why girls and women and men frequent pro-anorexia websites. What they psychologically get from being a part of this community. They experience they have is very similar to the connectiveness of this online blog and community. Right, wrong, or indifferent, these people are finding a place to express themselves when the rest of the world silently does endorse what they are doing but publicly shames them. We are so conflicted with our own body issues that it is hard to get a clear cut opinion on eating disorders when it comes to the extreme nature of it. Many women are drawn to the emaciated images of women and secretly long to have that 'control'.

Parents in this study talked about how they knew their kids were checking out these sites but didn't talk about it with them. That is one area where we can draw some support and ask for change. As frightening as it is - we have to have an open dialogue about the complex nature of eating disorders and body image or else the media, peers, and others will be having that conversation for us. And of course, in order to have that conversation we must get clear within ourselves as to our own body stories and relationship with weight, food, etc.

There is so much to say about this...I am sure it won't be the only post I make.

Tonight I will be on CNN's Showbiz Tonight discussing this topic and you can tune in at 8 pm PST and 11 pm EST.
Watch the show and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

More later...

Comments

wow, jess. i just watched the cnn piece and i am kinda sick to my stomach. i knew these sites existed but i didn't know to what extent.

i thought you had a lot of good things to say but i am really wondering if other mom's on here have heard of pro-ana websites or know if their kids have looked at them yet. i have a 13 year old step-daughter and i want to have a conversation about this with her but don't know how to do it, any thoughts?

I am disgusted by these sites and by super skinny women. I feel like they look like concentration camp survivors and we are supposed to think that is beautiful? To not eat, to work out every day for hours, to take pills, that is beautiful? Give me a break!

Hi Jess,
this is a general "I love this idea" comment! I have read your books and am very stoked that you are doing this for the women like me that still want some kind of answers to thier emotional eating (or restricting) lifestyle. I hope that your messeges about turning off the tube and negitive images get through, that seems to be a big piece of the pie. Thanks for all your hard work and working it into this type of site, its genius.
Fab

I'm 16 and I've had an eating disorder since 7th grade. By learning about these websites as a 12 year old, I searched for them (it's easy access) and they kept me "on track". I've battled my ED every since.
The rational side of me says these websites are absolutely disgusting and should be shut down to stop promoting eating disorders. I regret to say I'm falling back to my old habits and the thinspiration pictures on these websites just make me never want to eat again. It's like an addiction. I really hope steps are taken to eliminate these harmful websites.

Thank you for speaking out about this...I know the pro-ana sites are out there. And they are so tempting and hard to stay away from. I've had first hand experience.

I hate those websites. I've struggled w/ annorexia and sadly the reason I'm not nearly as bad anymore is that it wasn't making me much skinnier and I figured if I was going to be fat I might as well do it w/o being hungry and miserable. The websites should disgust me, they sort of do but... at the same time I'm jealous of the people in those pics for being thin.

I really am glad that you did a post on this. I like how you referred to it as a "community." When I suffered more from my ED I kept a diet diary on Xanga, and there are many communities for anorexics there. When my intake wet too high, I felt the other girls would be "ashamed" of me... they were always so encouraging and helpful, "stay strong, starve on." Anyway, I'm glad you're helping bring this to light.

my bf and I wacthed "THIN"---> Lauren Greenfield's new documentary a few weeks ago...the setting is in an eating disorder recovery facility...

shocking & disturbing

pardon the pun, but when it comes to practicing their eating disorders,these women feed off of each other...

so sad

After reading this blog entry, I did a quick search for these sites, and was shocked at what I found (and how many are out there). I'm a mother of a young girl (6 years old), one who has a large frame, and I am so afraid for her when she hits the pre-teen and teen years and all that media crap really starts to hit her hard. Your blog entry inspired me to point out a woman on a billboard to my daughter and have a discussion with her about how the woman did not look *healthy* because her bones were sticking out. I used to think she was too young for these types of conversations, but I've decided I'd rather start early than too late.

Love your blog, Jess!

Jen-Jen
Good for you for taking a risk and talking to your 6 year old. I wish she was too young as well but the truth is she is not - and the fact that you chose to really go out on a limb and have an 'uncomfortable' conversation really helps lay the groundwork for further conversations with her down the road.

I am a firm believer in sharing the truth with our kids - it protects them more than trying to shield them from the hard reality they will experience anyway. Because the truth is - if we aren't talking to our kids about this stuff - the media will...and I guarantee they won't do as good a job as you just did!!! :)

Awww, thanks Jess. Your response made my day. :)

I know this is only the first of many frank conversations I will have with my daughter over the years about this subject, but thank you for inspiring me to get the dialogue going.

Its need a private place to get information about teens health, growth, and emotions. Where I can get doctor-approved info I need to understand? WBR LeoP