Pro Ana Websites

blondie7

has anyone seen these or heard anything about them?? TV3 this morning show are doing a special about them tomorrow (Tue) so i googled pro ana, and was amazed at the amount of these websites that are out there. there is one called the Ana boot camp (ABC) that gives you a layout of the amount of caloies you have to take each day, the high days are 500 calories and the lowest i think is 50 calories a day and then fast for one day. this is a 30 day thing to lose serious wieght.

anyone any thoughts on this i think its outragous there are people out there are trying to convince young girls to become anorexic.

Nevyn

I'd ask that people please don't put up any links to them.

Yes they exist and so do the very twisted communities around them of people (not just females) who goad and encourage each other into damaging their bodies which such drastic measures.

I am all for taking control over yourself in your life and making choices and getting help
and support to loose weight is wonderful but the pro ana mindset is frankly toxic and they perpetuate it among themselves.

It's certainly something which is on my watch list as a danger to either of my kids.

Wibbs

Thaedydal wrote: »

I'd ask that people please don't put up any links to them.

Agree 100%. Please no links folks.

blondie7

im just trying to raise awareness among people especially those who have young teens and might want to do a little research to block these websites from there home computers.

Nevyn

Unfortunatly body issues and awareness is not an issue just for teens any more, I have had my kids talk about being worried they will be fat when they were as young as 7.

blondie7

Thaedydal wrote: »

Unfortunatly body issues and awareness is not an issue just for teens any more, I have had my kids talk about being worried they will be fat when they were as young as 7.

well thats true but remember most kids hit puberty ALOT younger these days too so stuff like pregnancy and eating disorders are bound to start affecting rhem younger. all anyone can do though is raise awareness early on in the childs life or pre teens as they want to be called:rolleyes:

Nevyn

The thing is that can be a two edged sword as raising awareness can in it's self lead to a child having issues and complexes.

I made a point of never making comments about thin = pretty or big = ugly and waited for them to start making comments and for them to raise the topic which given the bombardment with the media and how kids talk and tease didn't take long

amacachi

I doubt most people would be swayed by those sites. They may well reinforce or prolong the disease but I doubt many people going onto them haven't already started well down the path.
It's also one of those strange topics that raising awareness of them may have the opposite of the desired effect. Obviously no-one will post links to them but they're ridiculously easy to find, so a mention on a TV show is going to increase the traffic massively, which isn't what's needed at all.

The sites are pretty minging, and I don't mean that in an insensitive way about the people on it, and I find it funny how easy it is to track illegal downloads and shut down sites providing them, yet this stuff and others are allowed stay up in plain sight.

Thaedydal wrote: »

The thing is that can be a two edged sword as raising awareness can in it's self lead to a child having issues and complexes.

I actually agree with you on something. :P It is a strange little balance to get right, and at times it's probably better not to bring certain things up as they just get kids' minds working overtime on what for them should be a non-issue.

rannerap

i agree with the double edged sword comment,raising awareness could have a negative effect as well as positive,i do think a lot of it has to do with how you were raised and the attitude your family had towards food as well though,im my house we have never owned a weighing scales,no one has ever been on a diet and we all have a healthy attitude towards eating,i think it would help to put out the message to just be yourself and that you dont need to be thin to be happy etc

florio

"Ana" doesn't strictly mean anorexia nervosa anymore really. You get lots of girls (and the occassional boy) using it as a term to describe a fantasy best friend or inspiration ("Anna") who encourages them to lose weight, it's accepted on many pro-ana sites that everyone has their own definition of Ana, and plenty of people do use her without going down to extreme weights or developing the symptopms of Anorexia. Some people do use the concept healthily, though overall it's a worrying development. I'd wager this has happened because the term was originally coined by people with a misunderstanding of what anorexia really is, and that's left the door open for any sort of weight loss, motivational, or self-esteem gaining concepts to be linked in with its definition.

Nevyn

Anna is code for anarexioa, it started to be used when hosting sites in the usa started to crack down on such sites and so the term 'my friend Anna' started to be used instead.
I am aware of the culture that surrounds such sites and thier thinspiration pictures.

6th

I watched a programma a couple of years back about these sites and I have to say there are few things that have shocked me as much since.

florio

No, not on all such sites. I've been on many of them before myself and there is an extremely hazy concept of what Ana really is on the majority of them. It's not all just code to hide from censure. though that element only helps muddy the waters further. I suppose you could broadly split the users of such sites into two types: Those who have been diagnosed with anorexia and seek the sites out as a result, and those who are there because they wish to find a strict philosophy to guide them in their own weight loss goals. The first kind I agree do usually use it very unhealthily, to deny their illness, but the second type, not necessarily so.

Mixedup

God i got the fright of my life when i saw this thread title, for a split second i thought it was people looking for links!

Those things are insanely dangerous, ive never been so disturbed by anything i googled!

Nevyn

The second type are those I worry about more, they get infected with the mind set of the first and follow all those insane tips and regimens of the thin at any cost philosophy rather then healthy weight loss which can be sustained. There are many different types of eating disorders and Ana is only one but the distorted mindset and wrong relationship with their body and food is common to all of them.

metaoblivia

I have a friend who frequents sites like this. He has ED and severe body image issues. He down plays it when he's with our circle of friends, but he slips things in sometimes, like the time his mother threw out their scale and he through a temper tantrum and had a panic attack because he couldn't weigh himself.
It's such a bizarre world.

Wibbs

Sites like that and communities like that worry me, but show how much of an issue is, even on the fringes. I can see lower level pro ana sites springing up more and more.

The percentage of women I've known with body issues and food issues is alarmingly high.:( TBH I can't recall any woman I've known well(exes and mates) that didn't dislike their bodies, or some part of their bodies to some degree. The ones that had issues around or their focus on food the same. Either too little or too much.

What has surprised me over the years was that even if they were the bodyshape held up as the "ideal", an ideal that many women would kill for, they still felt wrong in some way. I could understand women falling outside that ideal feeling bad, but ironically they were the ones who had this the least in my experience.

Now all but two of the women I've known didn't have an actual eating disorder(that I know of of course), but most of the rest were paddling in the shallows of that sea. Some further away from the shore than others.

Too many women, smart, gorgeous, good hearted women with so much to offer waste the best years of their life worrying unnecessarily when they should rejoice in their bodies. OK if you're very underweight or very overweight, neither is healthy and if you can reduce that impact more power to you, but what I've learned is no matter how many dress sizes you drop(or gain), you'll rarely feel you've arrived. Its like chasing a rainbow.

Speaking selfishly for the moment, as a man it's very hard at times. "Does my arse look big in this" may be a long running joke, but it can be hard to navigate as mate and especially as a partner.

Dudess

blondie7 wrote: »

i think its outragous there are people out there are trying to convince young girls to become anorexic.

Aren't the proponents anorexic and mentally unwell themselves though?

Wibbs wrote: »

What has surprised me over the years was that even if they were the bodyshape held up as the "ideal", an ideal that many women would kill for, they still felt wrong in some way.

Yep. I'm absolutely shocked at what I used to consider "fat" when I was a teenager. Thankfully most of that crap has left me - but it never fully does. Me and probably the vast majority of women though.

Now all but two of the women I've known didn't have an actual eating disorder(that I know of of course), but most of the rest were paddling in the shallows of that sea. Some further away from the shore than others.

Spot-on. If an eating disorder is merely an unhealthy relationship with food, then I really don't think eating disorders are one bit rare whatsoever.

Too many women, smart, gorgeous, good hearted women with so much to offer waste the best years of their life worrying unnecessarily when they should rejoice in their bodies.

Spot-on. It's a horrible shame.

Speaking selfishly for the moment, as a man it's very hard at times. "Does my arse look big in this" may be a long running joke, but it can be hard to navigate as mate and especially as a partner.

It's a really unfair thing to do to a guy - and goes from upsetting him to just exceptionally boring after a while.

Yeah I remember looking up those about 4 or 5 years ago after reading about them in a magazine, just to see what all the fuss was about. Found a load of them alright. Was kinda in a wtf state of mind for a while. Not because I was shocked, more because I found them just ridiculous really.

But I've never been able to "get" eating disorders. Couldn't grasp the concept of people being so obsessed with their weight, and only their weight. Really I mean how could you just stop eating? Baffles me. Guess you just have to have a certain kinda mindset. But many of my close friends have eating disorders. Which is pretty sad. 2 of them have been hospitalised and nearly dies because of them. I do think that putting pro ana sights into the spotlight has encouraged people to look them up and therefore caused more eating disorders. Might sound kinda ignorant or whatever, but is bloody true.

Crumble Froo

scary, scary sites. suffer from EDs since i was about 12, and ill never forget coming across the pro-ana and pro-mia sites when i was about 16 or 17 (when we first got internet). it's... even if you read it with a critical disapproving eye... the sharing tips... when you get into a bad headspace that info comes back and then you put it into practice. not good.

similarly, when my boyfriend got chucked into the looney bin when he got his weight down to 6 stone (a stone per foot) and after his lungs had collapsed a couple of times from not eating, and over exercising, he got put in with other people with EDs... and they shared tips etc too... like going to jail and learning to be a better criminal really. :rolleyes:

@ Lia Lia ...

But I've never been able to "get" eating disorders. Couldn't grasp the concept of people being so obsessed with their weight, and only their weight.

it's just not always about weight though. weight wasn't an issue for me for about 4-6 years of my eating disorders... oddly, it was after i started recovering and reading up more about it,t hat i began to link the ways i ate with my weight.

as for broaching the issue or raising awareness. i do believe that seeing it in the media etc can sort of put ideas into your head... a good honest conversation about it with your kids (at the appropriate time/moment), could be a good idea. i know my parents made me hide my eating disorder from my sister (5 years younger than me) so i didnt put ideas in her head, and of course, y'no, it wasn't normal, and shame and blah blah whatever :rolleyes:
the fact they were already worried about her (a gymnast) because she could find bits of flesh to pinch now and then and would talk about 'being fat'. i still beleive that it would have been more appropriate to have my sickness be out in the open, **** knows i was miserable enough, and ive been used often enough within the family as a learning story of 'what could happen if you dont...'.

I doubt most people would be swayed by those sites. They may well reinforce or prolong the disease but I doubt many people going onto them haven't already started well down the path.

in my experience (just mine), it can be incredibly isolating to have an eating disorder. there is shame, stigma, and all that fun stuff around it, and well, it's quite often the refuge of someone who is at least somewhat miserable with other elements of their lives... if you come across a site full of 'people like you' who will give you support and acceptance... it is easy to get more into it, to be encouraged and to accept that this is not an 'illness', but a 'lifestyle choice'.

sorry this has turned a bit rambly... it's quite late here, and a bit of an emotive subject for me.:o

panda100

Lia_lia wrote: »

But I've never been able to "get" eating disorders. Couldn't grasp the concept of people being so obsessed with their weight, and only their weight. Really I mean how could you just stop eating? Baffles me. Guess you just have to have a certain kinda mindset.

I think many people who suffer from eating disorders and mental illnesses in general do have a certain mindset. They generally tend to be very intelligent and high achieving people who use food, or the lack of it, to gain some control in their lives.

shivvyban

I'll be completely honest here. I know three people who suffered from anorexia and one from Bulemia, luckily all are well now but while I saw what these girls were doing, I though fair play to them. Having been bullied for my weight for years, I admired these girls even though I knew they were ill. Please don't jump down my throat here, guys, this is the way I USED to think. I went through bouts of both not eating for days on end and then others were eating and making myself sick up until last year and no-one knew. I, like the girls I mentioned earlier, snapped out of it. They got help and I just woke up and realised what I was doing.

I never even looked at those websites before I saw this thread. I'd heard about them but to be honest, avoided them in case I would go back to seeing the appeal of looking that way.

I bit the bullet and had a quick look. I am disgusted that this stuff is out there. It goes further and beyond any of the hopes/visions I had for being 'super skinny'. It makes me look back on what I was trying to do and thank god or whoever woke me that I got out of it before I got too into it. :eek::eek:

This thread reminds me of the one that someone posted a few weeks ago about the kids getting changed for/after swimming. I stand by what I said then - it is a f***ing disgrace!! :mad::mad:

eth0_

If anyone thinks these websites will make a non-anorexic become anorexic, you are seriously deluded/ignorant.

Wuggectumondo

Articles like the one printed in the Evening Herald annoy me. I've had an ED and never heard about pro- ana and mia sites until there was an article printed in the Independent

Nevyn

eth0_ wrote: »

If anyone thinks these websites will make a non-anorexic become anorexic, you are seriously deluded/ignorant.

They won't the same way a picture of self harm ( cutting) will not effect someone who doesn't suffer from that but will impact on those who does which is why those images are triggering and we don't' post them on this site.

Those sites may not make a person anorexic but they can contribute and they can normalise what is a toxic mindset about body image and crash dieting.

eth0_

Thaedydal wrote: »

Those sites may not make a person anorexic but they can contribute and they can normalise what is a toxic mindset about body image and crash dieting.

True, but you obviously already have body image issues if you're looking for these sites for any reason other than morbid curiosity.

Nevyn

eth0_ wrote: »

True, but you obviously already have body image issues if you're looking for these sites for any reason other than morbid curiosity.

Nope, not in my case, I have an interest in the darker side of the internet.
As much as it is a wonderful way of disseminating information and bringing people together in a positive supporting way there are toxic communities out there.

Most people don't' go there trying to find how to be a better anorexic they go there for 'weight control' tips.

shellyboo

eth0_ wrote: »

True, but you obviously already have body image issues if you're looking for these sites for any reason other than morbid curiosity.

Yes, and the websites exacerbate the issues. They provide people with a community and make them think that what they're doing to their bodies is ok.

eth0_

Thaedydal wrote: »

Nope, not in my case, I have an interest in the darker side of the internet.
As much as it is a wonderful way of disseminating information and bringing people together in a positive supporting way there are toxic communities out there.

I didn't mean "you" as in "you, thaedydal". I meant the general population. You (like everyone on this thread) have looked at them out of morbid curiosity.

Thaedydal wrote:

Most people don't' go there trying to find how to be a better anorexic they go there for 'weight control' tips.

Learning new ways of not eating/purging food from your body is learning how to be a 'better anorexic'...these sites are setup in the style of a support group. After all, anorexics are mentally ill, they don't see anything wrong in supporting a girl who's 5' 8" and weighing 5 stone.

eth0_

shellyboo wrote: »

Yes, and the websites exacerbate the issues. They provide people with a community and make them think that what they're doing to their bodies is ok.

I never said they didn't. My point was, simply looking at a pro_ana website won't "turn you anorexic" unless you have serious underlying mental or body image problems.

Nevyn

eth0_ wrote: »

I never said they didn't. My point was, simply looking at a pro_ana website won't "turn you anorexic" unless you have serious underlying mental or body image problems.

Which a large % of girls and young women have and it's on the rise.