Pro-ana
Pro-ana is a largely Internet-based movement which views the eating disorder anorexia nervosa as a lifestyle choice rather than a medical condition. There are a growing number of pro-ana websites and discussion groups where self-identified anorectics come together to discuss their condition, which some claim creates a reinforcing feedback loop. The movement is controversial because it contradicts current prevailing psychological and medical views.
Overview
Pro-ana websites were first developed to counter the many support websites which encourage recovery from anorexia. Many anorectics believed that the desire to achieve an extremely slim figure was not a mental illness, but an alternative lifestyle, or see anorexia as a disease, but choose not to recover. Doctors who treat anorexia see pro-ana as a life-threatening danger to current and potential anorectics.
A common assumption is that these sites are actively trying to recruit new anorectics, but this is almost never the case. Some pro-ana websites are fairly exclusive; others always welcome new members into the fold, whether they wish for support in recovery or illness; yet others do not accept anorectics who are recovering or wish to recover. These sites often include tips on how to stay anorexic or be a "better" anorectic, but rare is the site that directly encourages healthy people to become anorexic.
Recently pro-ana has acquired a political dimension, especially in the United States, where participants present themselves as a walking protest against consumer culture.
Pro-anorexia websites can offer genuine advice, such as admonishing readers to avoid the use of syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting. They can also be a place for the anorectic to talk to people like him or herself, and possibly improve self-esteem over the choice to remain anorexic. Less-friendly pro-ana sites vigorously castigate and mock those who decide to seek treatment for anorexia; however, most are not anti-recovery, and an anorectic who wishes to recover can find support for his or her choice through this network.
Some of these websites are what are called ED-acceptance sites. They provide an environment of support, regardless which choice the person makes about recovery.
Criticism and controversy
Pro-ana sites often encourage potentially dangerous behaviour. Anorectics can post pictures of themselves or others they find worthy of idolization. This is called "thinspiration." Critics claim that this may trigger unhealthy behaviour in visitors. Photos of extremely thin people are seen as something to aspire to, and extremely obese people as what they never want to be (of course many anorectics were never obese). Though less common, pro-anas sometimes misrepresent their lifestyle, touting it as healthy or superior.
To counter this, many anti-ana (pro-recovery) sites have banned the use of "numbers" (weights, BMIs, calories, etc.) and pictures. Others post excessive pictures of extremely thin and unhealthy people, claiming that the pictures are intended to point to anorexia as a bad choice. Although these sites are well-meaning, their helpfulness is debated. Visitors might not read the text, looking only at the photographs out of context.
Pro-ana has spawned a media response, if not a moral panic. Some parents who read articles about pro-ana in magazines or see segments about it on television (notably the Oprah Winfrey Show) become convinced that pro-ana is the new way to "extreme diet" for young girls. Pro-ana has also become a highly vulnerable online community, since pro-ana websites are frequently taken down by ISPs, (such as Yahoo! in 2001) raising issues of freedom of speech. However, perhaps because the pro-ana community consists largely of minors, the freedom of speech issue has not been debated to the extent that it has been in the cases of filesharing and pornography.
In 2006, there is increasing pressure in the United Kingdom for the government to ban pro-ana websites [citation needed].
The anorexic underground
In some circles of the pro-ana movement, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are personified as women named Ana (for anorexia; hence the pro-ana movement) and Bella or Mia (for bulimia). Members use this to illustrate the anorectic's loneliness: "Ana" is the anorectic's only reliable friend whom he or she can rely on when everything else feels out of control. Pro-ana sites involve anorectics coming together to talk about their experiences with their shared "best friend".
Many anorectics consider the pro-ana or anorexic "community" to be a type of secret society called the "anorexic underground", whose members are able to identify each other at first glance. This has led to people who identify as pro-ana wearing colour-coded bracelets to signify their disease. The colours for each disorder vary, but they are generally considered to be:
- red (less commonly blue): anorexia nervosa
- purple: bulimia nervosa
- green: binge-eating
- black: self-harm or depression
- yellow: strength and hope
- orange: recovery
The most popular maker of these bracelets is BlueDragonfly. Some anorectis make their own bracelets or buy normal bracelets that happen to be in those colours.
Pro-ana and LiveJournal
The movement has expanded to include many communities on LiveJournal and other sites. The communities are becoming increasingly common and can include thinspiration, support, dieting tips, and occasionally, trolling. The community names often contain words like "beauty", "perfection", or "thinnest". These communities sometimes include support for self-harm and other such behaviours.
Although decreasing in popularity, some of these communities are rating communities. These communities allow new applicants to post pictures and information about themselves, enabling the current members to determine whether they are "good anorectics". They may quantify or "rate" anorexia from one to ten or qualify it as being "anorexic enough" or not.
Pro-ana has also naturally spawned several opposition communities, such as the Anti-Ana community, and many satirical communities, such as Pro-Smallpox and Pro-Scurvy.
The communities have also gained a response among "anti-pro-ana" LJ members who have started communities such as Ed_ucate, a play on the common shorthand for eating disorder, ED. The purpose of these communities is to inform pro-anas about eating disordered criteria and the health effects of disordered behaviors so that they can make informed decisions and not spread misinformation. They also encourage accurate self-diagnosis using the DSM-IV criteria. One of the effects of this response has been an increase in awareness about ED-NOS because many pro-anas are told that they do not meet the criteria for anorexia. Some communities also encourage pro-anas to go into recovery.
Popularity decline
At the height of its popularity (2000-2003), the pro-ana community hosted hundreds of websites. As of 2005, the movement is less visible. This may be because there are fewer sites, or as some people theorize, that many of these sites have gone underground and moved out the mainstream due to censorship and the mass deletions of various sites.
See also
External links
- Anti Ana "against the rise of pro-ED"
- ED_ucate self-diagnosis & self-education
- New York Observer article
- Pro-Reality a middle ground
- Time Online 2001 article on pro-ana web sites
- WebMD article on pro-ana web sites