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Becoming Anorexic: Learning to Starve on the Internet
Young women with anorexia are gathering on what
are called pro ana or pro anorexia websites. Girls who often
have nothing in common except the desire to be thin visit
sites that feature message boards where women can bond and
share tips on how to lose weight. These sites have become
a way for women to bond and encourage each other to keep losing
weight.
Perhaps the most disturbing messages on these
boards are ones by young girls new to anorexia who ask, "How
can I learn to hide my anorexia from my parents?" The sites
become virtual how-to manuals for girls who aspire to the
heights of anorexia, without taking into consideration the
depths into which they are doomed to fall if they stay on
the anorexic path.
The girls exchange advice, share stories, complain
about parents who want them to eat, and share every detail
of what they've eaten that day. To their credit, many girls
on the boards warn newcomers not to go down the eating disorder
path, but few heed the warnings.
The overriding message of these websites is
that anorexia is not a disease, but a lifestyle choice. This
gives girl the excuse to keep up their dangerous eating habits.
By calling it a "choice," it gives women a reason to keep
starving. It becomes a political issue rather than a health
issue.
Should these sites be banned or censored? I
don't feel they should. As harmful as they may be, they are
not the cause of anorexia. The cause lies much deeper in the
foundation of our society. All one has to do is look at the
"thinspiration" photos displayed on these sites to see that
it is our media that provides the "inspiration" to starve.
The pro ana sites are just a symptom of the overall disease
that plagues our society, the one that tells young women that
"emaciation is in."
Until society finds a way to teach girls at
a young age that protruding bones are not fashionable or desirable,
girls will be starving themselves. And as long as girls are
starving themselves in this high-tech age, they will be talking
about it online.
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About the Author:
Deborah Wilson is a freelance writer. She has written about
anorexia
for HealthDiaries.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Wilson
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