Danielle Dubois
Holly Pappas
English 101
April 27, 2012
Argument
Pro-Ana
In
society today being thin has consumed young girls to the point where they are
encouraging each other through social networking sites to drop the pounds. Not
only are they being pressured by the television and magazines but now online
media sources are a huge problem. Pro-Ana sites at a glance seem to be
supportive and positive, but in reality the information is often negative and
life threatening. Pro-Ana is a term that
means Pro-Anorexia. These sites even warn the readers and bloggers that “You
don't have to agree, but you should respect the words and opinions of others,
and find a positive way to communicate even when you disagree. Be constructive
and positive, not destructive and negative” (PrettyThin).
Anorexia
is a disorder that takes over your entire way of thinking about your body. Not only does it affect your mind but the
person with the disease goes to extreme lengths to make themselves “perfect”.
Perfect to them is striving to keep losing weight no matter how thin or sick
they make themselves. “Some will diet to
dangerous levels or exercise excessively” (Pearson). They will not stop until they achieve their
weight goal, but once they reach their goal they continue to harm themselves
because their goal isn’t good enough. “The disorder involves extreme weight
loss—at least 15% below the individual's "ideal" weight--and a
refusal to maintain body weight that is even minimally normal for their age and
height and body frame” (The Eating Disorder Foundation). Anorexia changes the way their minds see
their self-images. What they see as beautiful, to others looks sickly, so they
struggle to keep their disorder a secret.
Deep down they know what they are doing is harmful to their health, but
their number one priority is to lose weight.
Hiding their disorders becomes a key element so that others do not try
to get them help.
Society
is so focused on being thin and young girls can’t help but to strive for the
same image. “The Pro-Ana Thinspiration
movement is a disturbing merging of social media and eating disorders” (Boyer). The Pro-Ana sites are meant to be a positive
support group for girls and woman who are struggling with their anorexia. “Thinspiration, or "thinspo," are a
collection of images, words, mantra's, and associations intended to
"inspire" or otherwise motivate an individual to be thin”
(PrettyThin). These sites are often used in a negative way by putting Pro-Ana
quotes like “nothing tastes as good as thin feels” (Boyer), these quotes
encourage starvation. This is why the
sites are encouraging girls in an unhealthy way. It is teaching them a deadly lifestyle that
can cause permanent damage and even have a fatal outcome. “Despite acknowledging
that their disordered eating had likely caused the physical ailment, they were
usually unwilling to change their eating behavior, and thus welcomed opinions
from others who could relate to these challenges” (Juarascio).
People
who use these sites feel a sense of comfort because they know they aren’t the
only one who is struggling with an eating disorder. The girls on the sites
mainly use it as a place to make relationships with others that feel the same
way as they do. They feel like it is a
safe spot to share stories and pictures of their daily progress. “Sites and
communities like this not only are great supplements to other support systems,
they sometimes are the only support system a person has” (PrettyThin). If they
were encouraging each other to be healthier then it would be a positive and
encouraging website but because they are using them with tips and tricks of how
to starve and purge they are harming themselves and others who are reading
these sites.
These
sites will never be able to be completely positive, but hopefully the stresses
of being thin will not provoke young girls to look them up. Hopefully the sites
will be used as a positive way to interact and help each other overcome their
eating disorders. “Recovery is a long road. It is a journey that is best
traveled with others” (ANAD). I believe that if these sites were monitored
somehow then they would be a positive and informational site that would benefit
people who have struggled with eating disorders. Until they find a way to sort out the
problems with these Pro-Ana sites they still cause harm and promote negative
information to women all over the world.
Works Cited
"ANAD." National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. 2012. Web. 27
Apr. 2012.
Boyer, Timothy. "Pro-Ana
Thinspiration: Signs, Symptoms and One Test of Women Dying to Be Thin.
Emaxhealth: Daily Health News. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
Juarascio
Adrienne S., Amber Shoaib & C. Alix Timko. Pro-Eating Disorder Communities
on Social Networking Sites: A Content Analysis, Eating Disorders: The Journal
of Treatment & Prevention. 23 Sep. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2012
Pearson, Linda C. "How the Social
Pressure to Be Thin Affects Young Girls." Helium. 07 Feb.
2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
"PrettyThin." The World’s
Largest Eating Disorder Community and Forum. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
"The Eating Disorder
Foundation." About Eating Disorders. The Eating Disorder
Foundation. 2005. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.
