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The Harmful Emergence of Pro-Bulimia Attitudes
Though bulimia is classified as an eating disorder,
not everyone with bulimia feels like they have a disorder.
Some view bulimia and anorexia as lifestyles—chosen lifestyles.
People with bulimia and anorexia are terrified
or shamed by the thought of getting fat or even eating. They
have an unhealthy body image and feel that, no matter how
they actually look, they are overweight. People with bulimia
may binge on food, but then they either vomit after meals,
abuse laxatives, or exercise excessively. People with anorexia
starve themselves. Ninety percent of eating disorders are
in women, many in their teens.
Pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia groups reside on
the Internet. Web sites and message boards run by mostly teenage
girls are devoted to “Ana,” short for “anorexia,” and “Mia,”
short for “bulimia.” Many of these Web sites use nutritional
information to plan diets like, for example, how to eat the
needed requirements of vitamins and minerals in the fewest
of calories. Other sections teach the reader how to eat the
fewest calories in a day, how to hide anorexia or bulimia
from other people, and other information to, essentially,
make having an eating disorder more efficient.
To the people who are pro-bulimia and pro-anorexia,
eating disorders are a choice. Many Web sites include pages
dedicated to “thinsperation,” quotes, art, and pictures of
skinny or obese people to encourage readers to lose weight.
The Web sites are support groups to the people who use them.
Many people, however, find the pro-bulimia and
pro-anorexia pages disturbing. Eating disorder treatment professionals
have debated how to best handle the people who view their
eating disorder as a lifestyle. Some have argued that these
Web sites should be shut down, but others say this will not
fix the problem, and that women have been talking about weight
with each other for ages.
The best solution to these Web sites, many professionals
say, is to try to change the culture that creates women who
feel too fat. Young women—and men—should be praised for their
accomplishments, not their appearance. Healthy appetites and
body images should be encouraged, and teenagers should receive
love and support from the adults close to them.
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About the Author:
Thomas Morva
Bulimia
Info provides detailed information about the causes, symptoms,
and effects of bulimia; bulimia treatment and recovery; the
relationship between anorexia and bulimia; and information
about the “pro bulimia” viewpoint. Bulimia Info is affiliated
with Original
Content.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva
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