One of the things I like to do, but rarely have time to do, is to look at my most popular posts. This is a good way of making sure that the content of the blog doesn’t focus just on what I find personally interesting, but that we also address the interests of our readers. Very consistently, people find my previous posts on anorexia and pro-ana sites to be very interesting, so I thought it would make sense to update this issue while my long-suffering biopsych students complete their second midterm (it’s not nearly as awful as the first midterm).

While searching for pro-ana sites for this post, I came across one that I hadn’t seen before, prothinspo. Now some pro-ana sites actually serve as communities designed to help people with eating disorders, but prothinspo is unabashedly in favor of promoting thinness at any cost. In the about us page, the author, who describes herself as a former model, says that the purpose of the site is to “help us meet our goals,” which of course is “perfection,” and that  “thinspiration is not a negative part of today’s society.” The site features links on “Fasting Help and Answers,” “purging tips,” and “pro-ana tips.” Actually, this site is so blatant that I hesitate to give it further publicity by talking about it, but I doubt that will make too much of a difference, given its already high status on Google, and its obviously lucrative (and amazingly intrusive and annoying) advertising.

So do we have to worry about the impact of these sites? According to a study of adolescents and pro-ana sites conducted by researchers at Stanford, I think the answer continues to be yes. Among teens already diagnosed with eating disorders, many frequented pro-ana sites, and few parents were aware either of the existence of these sites and/or their teens’ use of the site. Nearly 13% of Belgian girls in grades 7, 9, and 11 have visited pro-ana sites. However, it is likely that self-selection plays a role here, too, as additional research indicates that individuals with eating disorders who frequent pro-ana sites are already more disturbed in their body dissatisfaction and eating habits than individuals who view medical information sites on their disorder.

What is apparent is that we need more information about how to effectively prevent and treat eating disorders. A review of university initiatives points out that we have little long-term data about the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs. My personal, anecdotal view as a university instructor is that we see a lot fewer obvious cases of anorexia on campus than we did during the 90’s, and California is definitely an image-conscious place to live, but my observations are contradicted by work in Australia that shows increases in eating disorders over the last decade. I found it difficult to find additional work looking at changes in prevalence over time, and hopefully, people are looking at this.


7 Comments

Sageman4u · February 24, 2009 at 10:40 am

It’s appalling that these websites exist. While reading one of the blog websites posted on your previous pro-ana blog (from 2008), I was shocked that these women, although being nagged and pressed to gain weight, disregard any advice to gain weight. In fact, in one blog, one woman actually criticized her family for staging an intervention on her behalf, and was openly guilty about having subsequently gained weight. What was even more disgusting was all the blogger’s supporters who posted encouraging feedback to continue to starve herself.
It’s truly astonishing that some people, despite numerous pleas to become healthy by the people that love them, continue to disregard their own health for their own misconception of beauty.
I can testify myself, that as a man, I’m attracted to a woman who appears healthy. If I can see her ribcage, that doesn’t appear healthy. Besides, people who throw up all the time have bad breath.

cduke · February 24, 2009 at 4:04 pm

I was completely unaware that these sites even existed until I read this blog, and I really cannot believe these websites exist and are serious in what they talk about. On the website shown here, the “about us” page talks about humanity’s age-old “strive for perfection” and “perfect form,” yet then ironically displays picturesof obviously unhealthily thin people almost as an example of this so-called perfection. I don’t know about others, but a figure that proves to be detrimental to my health should never be considered “perfect,” if there even is such a thing as perfection. I also think this just shows how distorted some people’s views of perception can become. Though I am a man and am not burdened with as much social pressure to look a certain way as women, I still can understand how extreme societal pressures can drive one to lose a sense of reality and what is beneficial to him/herself. It is really unfortunate that our need to overcome our personal insecurities can lead to such drastic negative impacts.

rsheffel3 · February 25, 2009 at 12:44 am

Although I have visited these websites previously, I find them growingly more repulsive and disgusting every time I visit. It is hard for me to imagine the amount of self-consumed hate that is necessary for these people to be so heavily critical of themselves. As a female college student who could stand to loose a few pounds, I know that our culture impresses upon women from a very young age, this idea of thinness and “beauty”. Women are expected to dress and appear in a certain way that is unrealistic. I am not saying that we should perpetuate our current obesity epidemic, but I do believe that a healthy body image is important. It promotes a women’s self-esteem and understanding of her inner self. As women and men of society, we need to take a stance against our media portals promoting these airbrushed and photoshopped images as reality. Magazines such as Playboy, attract men’s sexual attention through displaying these stick figured, unhealthy women. In return, men come to expect these same types of body shapes in real women and become increasingly selective to the females that possess these traits. Because sex is a very important stimulus for males and females, these ideas become more deeply ingrained into our societal standards and practices.

I believe we should come to embrace evolutionary traits that men and women possess. Women have wider, more full hips and strong full legs in order to capacitate child birth.

Change must come about through ideas that we impress upon our children. Marketing and Advertising schemes must be uprooted, and given a more honest looking facade. We all should give more thought to the ways that these companies effect how our children think and act.

jforsberg · February 25, 2009 at 3:12 pm

Unfortunately I became aware of these websites in high school. A family member suffering from both anorexia and bulimia was a member of “ana” and “mia” (pro-bulimia) websites. The culture of young girls who frequent these websites is fascinating, intricate, and saddening. They wear bracelets of different colors to identify their unique combination of “thinning” rituals so that in public the girls can both recognize each other and offer advice and support. In some ways I feel that participating in these sites normalizes these conditions for girls suffering from eating disorders, giving them a sense of community. It’s so unfortunate that these sites exist and so depressing to read the advice that the girls give each other to reach such a distorted state of “perfection.”

elliekrump · February 28, 2009 at 11:24 pm

Thank you for this informative post, Dr. Freberg. Quite honestly, I had no idea that websites such as the ones described above even existed. I think that this is a very sad reality nonetheless. I can’t argue against freedom of speech, but websites such as these are obviously more destructive than they are constructive, as they only further perpetuate distorted thinking, which in turn, fuels unhealthy behaviors and eating habits. I believe that sites like these should be abolished forever. Today’s focus on appearance is so superficial; let there be more websites focusing on self-empowerment!

raquelart22 · March 2, 2009 at 8:35 am

Dieting is a very interesting topic because I honestly don’t stress nor are constantly aware of my weight. Maybe because I have a high batablism and I’m naturally thin (obviously). I don’t understand the obsession of being thin like a model…depending on your height your weight should and will be in the range of where you are considered “healthy”. People need to stop comparing themselves to media idols who are not even in the same body frame as them. I am all for being healthy and living each day to the fullest but come on, food is GREAT for the body not starvation.

katyupchurch · March 10, 2009 at 4:35 pm

I was definitely not aware of the popularity of these websites! Between these websites and the media, what are young girls supposed to think? Personally I think the first change needs to take place in Hollywood- if people didn’t see this “perfected” image, maybe the problems with self-image would not be as great as they are now. my roommate showed me a video on youtube.com of the Dove Evolution commercial and it is very true! Hollywood makes people unrealistic and then sells it to people as real. I just hope it stops soon for the youner generations’ sake!

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