They call themselves "Pro-Ana" or "Pro-Mia", treating dangerous eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia as friends. Note the names "Mia" and "Ana", nicknames given to mimic girl's names, names which pre-teen and teen girls can call their disorder in an affectionate manner. Young girls and young women with these disorders begin to affectionately refer to their disorders as their "friend"- Ana or Mia.
What started this phenomenon? I'm not really sure- But I do know that as far back as ten years ago, when the internet was still relatively "new" and I was a teen myself, I stumbled upon these sites. I already had what my psychiatrist had termed "Anorexic and Bulimic Tendencies"- which is just another fancy way to say that I wasn't "full-blown" into either disorder yet. As a matter of fact, until my psychiatrist "labelled" me whenever I was 15, I didn't realize that the things I had been doing for the past three years WAS an eating disorder!
I do know that as soon as I had a "label" or a term to search for... I began searching for answers about my own behavior. This is when I discovered "Pro-Ana" and "Pro-Mia" sites. These sites are extremely dangerous, they can cause those who already dealing with an eating disorder to spiral down even further- they can cause those without an eating disorder to develop one.
I discovered that a lot of "Support" groups online for eating disorders were really nothing but a cover to help those who are suffering from an eating disorder to keep it hidden. I learned many more "tricks" that were disguised as "dieting tips", I learned more ways to keep my eating disorder hidden, and I fell even further into the trap of my eating disorders.
The Pro-Anorexia/Pro-Bulimia "movement" is a dangerous, quickly growing phenomenon that shows no signs of improvement. Our society is filled with messages of "Thinner is the Winner", "Thin is beautiful", and other various messages that are extremely dangerous to a developing young woman's sense of self and body image. No sooner are one of these sites removed by their hosts, than two or three more pop up to replace them.
These websites are dangerous; they're filled with "tips and tricks" to help one lose weight, "thinspiration"- photos of dangerously thin models and other people, and basically tout Anorexia and Bulimia as a life-style; rather than a disorder. I was shocked when I input a recent "Google" search, and came upon several of these sites by accident- simply inputting the search phrase "diet tips for teens".
These websites should be banned from all servers and made illegal. I know that those who make them have a disease and aren't "In their right mind(s)", but something must be done to stop these websites... Our children's health, well-being; their very lives, are at stake!
Ten years later, I am no longer dangerously underweight, and I have regained control of my eating disorder- it no longer controls me. But for a few years, I stayed about forty pounds under my ideal weight for my height and frame. Through years of therapy and medication for depression, and regaining my sense of self and learning to develop a positive body image- I am slowly undoing the damage that was done by my eating disorders.
I did damage that will never be reversed... My kidneys are damaged and function at about fifty percent of what they should, my teeth are extremely damaged and I require almost constant dental work to fill cavities that occur quickly- due to calcium being leached from my bones. I am anemic- I'm always cold and my iron levels rarely get to where they need to be. It's not a fun way to live, and I'm still glad the damage wasn't worse.
I no longer obsess about the foods I eat, calories, my weight or anything else. I am finally at peace with my body and how I look. I no longer seek out those websites trying to find ways to make myself thinner, ways to hurt my body, and I pray to God every day that none of my children ever stumble across these websites when they are older.
I was one of the lucky ones. I lived to tell of my experiences and have lived to get past my disorders. Some aren't so lucky.
THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF ARTICLES I AM WRITING ABOUT MY EATING DISORDERS AND EXPERIENCES WITH THEM. IF I CAN HELP ONE PERSON, THEN I'VE DONE MY JOB.
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Comments: 10
When she moved to college, she was aneroxic- I don't know if it was something she might have had in high school and just hidden it better, or what, but in college, she got scary thin. She was a tall girl, around 5'8", and during her sophmore year, her roommates got scared because she was rail thin. Her parents intervened, and she had to be hospitalized. She weighed 89 pounds when she was hospitalized.
Unfortunatly, Kaelyn never made it back to school. She suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 20, and weighed only 79 pounds when she died.
You can google her name and find stories about her. Kaelyn Carson.
At my lowest weight I was about 80lbs, and I am 5"3" (was then too!), I began having chest pains and other major issues. My hair would fall out by the hand-full, and my periods stopped. I would NEVER go back to that for ANYTHING.
That was my point of the whole article though... I was one of the lucky ones. I survived and am pretty healthy now, and have a pretty positive body image too. The idea of either of my daughters ending up with one of these devastating disorders TERRIFIES me.
It's good to educate people about the problem- it's far more prevelant than it appears to be, and most of the time, the parents don't even notice- especially if they have an active child who is out with friends or doing clubs and activities all the time.
Thank-you Thomas!
I know, I think it's an indicator of how far I have come over the years that I tend to feel the same way, ie, "Just eat, damn it!"... But, I know it's not that simple. I wish it were!