I saw a show about those "pro-ana" websites on Oprah one day. I think the point of the show was to alert parents about the existence of those sites, but I just worried about younger people seeing the show and going to explore those websites and getting sucked in.

My sister became anorexic back in the early 80s after seeing a movie called "The Best Little Girl In The World." I think it was based on a true story about a teenager's struggle with anorexia. It was meant as a cautionary tale, but my sister saw something appealing in it. For some reason, it looked like an answer to some of the things that were going on inside her head and she set out emulating the behaviour of the girl in the movie. She had never heard of anorexia before seeing that movie and after seeing it she decided she WANTED to be anorexic... and that's what happened. It was a trigger for her. She had a long struggle, went through therapy and she's healthy now. Before that movie, it hadn't occurred to her to try to gain control of her life and herself by starving herself, though. It started her on a very long, destructive path.

So, those websites scare me. I wish there was a way to get them shut down. I know it's important for parents to know about them to protect their children, but I also worry about shows like Oprah publicizing them. When I watched that episode of Oprah, I went and checked out the websites -- out of curiosity. I'm glad I'm not an impressionable teenager. Some girls are actually drawn to what is presented to them on those sites as a "glamourous" lifestyle. They're uninformed and young have no idea what they might be getting themselves into... and how the behaviour and thoughts can spiral out of control.