Comments on: Pro Anorexia: History and Statistics

By: Alexa

Alexa — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:05:49 +0000

Thanks for linking back to the Pro Ana Privacy blogs — I forgot how you infiltrated what was once a safe community, disguised yourself as one of the members, and stole all these photos from — yes, attention seeking — but vulnerable girls.
It’s true that nothing is safe on the internet, but it’s also true that you are most likely the only one to go through such lengths to obtain these pictures. And for what? To provide other girls with more “thinspiration”?
I’m so glad you decided to do an espionage story, sneaking into the forums of unsuspecting girls who ALREADY have self-esteem issues, and exposing their most intimate secret to people who read your board so they can taunt them and tell them it would be better if they just “died from anorexia already”.
Ever think that Pro Ana gets the most view traffic because these girls are being used for thinspo by others like them?
I know it would be difficult to sacrifice the pages that get the most traffic, but maybe it’s time to stop triggering the folks in recovery, to stop mortifying the women whose pictures live in infamy because of you, and to stop feeding the pro-ana community with more pictures of their “real girl” ideal.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:40:27 +0000

Maybe someday little pro-ana girls will read this.

You want pro-ana? Here you go.
1. Stand in front of the mirror for HOURS (like 5-6 a day) And tell yoruself how much you hate how you look and how much you wish you would look this way or that way.
2. STARVE. No, don’t fast one day then eat guilt free. You have to feel bad about everything all the time.
3. Lose all friends. You can’t have friends, a love life, a sex life, or anything. You have to shun your family. You can’t risk anyone seeing you so vulnerable.
4. Go nuts. You can’t have an ED and still be sane. You have to obsess over EVERYTHING.
5. Fall apart. Lose sight of everything you want, stop working towards goals, etc.
6. Go to the hospital. Get dehydrated, have multiple IVs. Get a potassium drip (it hurts SO bad).
7. Go to treatment. Refuse to eat, have your parents make them give you a feeding tube. It hurts, and it’s gross. Plus people get all weird around you. Not pleasant.
8. Go through all the stress of re-feading. It hurts, your emotions get fucked up, and you start to look like shit.

Any other questions? Feel free to email me.

By: maria

maria — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:33:52 +0000

I find it sad that we live in a society that equates “beauty” with being skinny; I find it even more disheartening that this same society scoffs at those with eating disorders. The sad truth is that so many people with eating disorders feel that they have nowhere else to turn besides pro-ana websites (whether these feelings have a basis in reality is entirely dependent on the person and their individual situation, though I wholeheartedly believe that there is a stigma against having an eating disorder(s) in our society). However, in my experience, I have found that the only thing pro-ana websites are good for is fostering an unhealthy sense of competition (i.e. who can be the skinniest, etc.) among visitors to the websites.

As a recovered anorexic and current college senior majoring in dietetics, I can tell you with certainty that pro-ana websites offer not benefit whatsoever. I commend you, mamaV, for telling it like it is! An ED is not some froufrou illness. I would never wish what I went through on anybody. If just one person stumbles upon your site while searching for pro-ana sites and hears your message, then that makes all the difference in the world.