[lil_bit]

Okay, so more than likely i'm just extremely naive here, but i was just awakened to the existence of pro-ana websites. Why on earth would anybody want to promote anorexia?!

[mtaylor]

It seems that some people are so involved with it and dont' see a way out so they want others with them. I had a friend that was and I never understood. I wouldn't wish my thoughts and my battles on my worst enemy. I completely agree with you. WHY ON EARTH WOULD ANYBODY WANT TO PROMOTE ANOREXIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[InACorner]

They are probably anorexics helping want to be anorexics....people who want to be skinny cuz they think they are fat feel that they cant eat anything otherwise they gain a pound...so they seek support to loose the weight and hide it from everyone all at the same time. Yet they dont know what they are getting into

[Juliana]

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.

[Perna]

Mercy, Unbound http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...8935&itm=1 is a very good book on the "other" side to help if you know someone too "into" anorexia. It's a novel about a girl who didn't believe she had anorexia. There are some people like that, who have anorexia but can't see/believe it so promote it instead as it's more or less their "life"?

[Maven]

You're right about that movie, Juliana, it was called The Best Little Girl in the World, and was based on a true story. I remember it.

I understand your concern when they show information on TV, in magazines, etc., in order to help the public be educated and protect themselves, but I think it's vital that they do that. Yes, the bad guys or persons who would misuse the info may learn stuff, too, but most of them will find the info one way or another, while the people who need to protect themselves will be less likely to find it.

As for the pro-anorexia sites, I've seen several shows and read several articles on them. Basically, it's like a support group, but it obviously does harm, not good. These are people (mostly girls) who believe not only that the thinner they are, the prettier (and better?) they are, but that it's beautiful when their bones show. They're presented with images of emaciated girls, and they think it's beautiful.

More recently, and perhaps more frightening, I've seen that there's a movement claiming that anorexia is a "lifestyle choice," and they are fighting for their right to live this way. But as you know, one doesn't live with anorexia if it doesn't get treated.

These sites are usually by anorexics, so they may not mean to hurt (although I can't say for sure), but to show other girls that they're not alone. They tell each other what they want to hear, and they give each other tips for hiding the things they do to keep up their anorexia. I even remember on a TV show several months ago (maybe the Oprah one you mentioned, Juliana), they said one of the sites told girls that beauty is worth dying for. It's terrifying that these sites exist.