Abstract: The ever growing popularity of Pro-Ana websites significantly contributes to the uptake in eating disorders. What helps spread such a chronic condition as Anorexia Nervosa is its overt glamorization on social media, where it is promoted as a ‘thin lifestyle.’ Carefully crafted language leads to the ensnaring of vulnerable visitors on Pro-Ana websites, which laud pernicious aesthetic standards and exploit already existing perfectionist tendencies. Exposure to unrealistic yet idealistic body images on mass media can effectuate aesthetic obsessions, body dysmorphia, and warped thinking about beauty. Suggestions and guided tips of disordered eating also lead to the brutal reality of malnutrition, which is in stark contrast to the desirable lifestyles proposed by these problematic websites. Specifically, the purpose of this exposé is to reveal the exigency of taking preventative measures against website disseminating noxious Pro-Ana information, as content censorship is difficult to implement in the US due to interpretations of the First Amendment. I submit that effective intervention can only be accomplished via education; spreading awareness about both eating disorders and Pro-Ana websites will help mitigate the negative ramifications of exposure to their content.

Key words: Eating disorders, Anorexia Nervosa, Glamorization, Mental illness, Censorship, Lifestyle, Freedom of expression, First Amendment, Mass media, Social media, Body Dysmorphia, Prevention, Acquired behaviors, Body image, Pro-Ana, Idealistic, Disordered eating, Corporeal obsessions, Promote, Desirable, Exposure, Perfectionism, Health, Weight loss, Weight gain, Pernicious, Weight management methods, Celebrity

“Skip dinner, wake up thinner.”1

“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”2

“Hungry to bed, hungry to rise, makes a girl a smaller size.”3

In the deluge of websites promoting a thin lifestyle, “Ana” (short for Anorexia Nervosa4) epitomizes the eternal feminine5. Bloggers, already embroiled in eating disorders, anthropomorphize “Ana” into a diminutive Twiggy6, a blatant commoditization of glamor. For the purpose of reflecting the tone, diction, and general demeanor of such websites, this disorder will be referred to as the third person singular feminine, “she”. She cajoles you into thinking that every time you obdurately repudiate food, you are wielding control. She charms you down the controlled road to happiness and perfection, where “skinny” is the only exit to true felicity. She is your best friend during the times when fasting jolts your system into ephemeral euphoria, and yet, she is your worst enemy when your malnourished body shuts down and can no longer sustain you. Ultimately, she abandons you on the merciless precipice of solitude and isolation.

What is troubling about eating disorders is how quickly they can spread, especially now, since social media allows for easy dissemination and exorbitant amounts of influence. One innocent stumble onto a glamorized “Pro-Ana” website could effectuate a chronic illness. Myriads of guileless newcomers who may not have developed powers of discernment yet—specifically young visitors and lurkers—are bound to misperceive Ana as a desirable lifestyle, rather than what it actually is: a disorder that is insidiously contaminating the globe.

It is imperative to obstruct the proliferation of such eating-centric websites, however, the “how” is still an enigma. The presumed panacea, censorship, is nonetheless controversial as the First Amendment strictly states: “it guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely”7. To illustrate, recently, for instance, it has even been ruled that Donald Trump’s private decision of blocking users on his Twitter, a public forum, is a violation of this constitutional right. Thus, censoring content, albeit damaging in nature, proves to be impossible. What now?

Akin to an epidemic, the mere exposure to Pro-Ana websites is deleterious as it affects its unsuspecting visitors treacherously. One popular microblogging platform offering shelter to an influx of bloggers, eager to thematically promulgate their mindsets, is Tumblr. Thus, it could be extrapolated that Tumblr has some complicity and bears some degree of responsibility in the dissemination of these messages. Dangerous language is mimetic of a virus: its effectiveness relies on how quickly it spreads. Thus, censorship, a precarious subject usually, could perhaps have impact.

Here are some examples of messages posted on Tumblr:

@teenytinywrist posted: “I feel pretty when I starve.”8

@wnderfullyspindly gushed: “Gonna try to fast for 48hrs. I’m 5hrs in! Please send me motivation.”9 

The addictive Pro-Ana websites can be imputed to their communities’ transactionality. Through such aforementioned posts, the bloggers receive unctuous support and loyalty from their followers, who in return become privy to their meretricious practices. They learn from their role models that “starving works”, as starving ostensibly “works” in yielding results they can measure. Though insalubrious, starving is efficient, and most importantly, infallible.

What specifically adds to their harm is the fact that they provide actual “tips” and “how-to”s ad nauseam, such as how to hide the mental illness from loved ones (e.g. hiding a puke bag under the bed). Ana’s golden rule—calorie counting—and its derivative diets (with alluring names such as the “Farewell Fat Diet”10) are also dominant. The spokeswomen for Beat11 concurs with the virulence of the current diet mania, claiming that the “messages and methods of losing weight promoted by the diet industry…may exacerbate the problem or be a contributing factor for someone who is vulnerable to developing [an eating disorder] or is already ill.” Plainly put, the content on these websites can act as both an instigator and a recovery hindrance, thus igniting a vicious cycle of dysfunction. 

Moreover, Ana bloggers co-opt the practice of calorie counting to the extreme, appealing to the endemic competitive nature of the suggestible. Though the goal might start out high enough to ensure basic sustenance, hence physical survival, i.e.: 1200 calories, this quotidian battle becomes a twisted game. A number of blogs even encourage the adoption of a rewards system, where one can earn, for instance, “6 points for everyday under 100 calories”12. Dr. Rebecka Peebles, Co-director of the Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, opines: “I can tell you anecdotally that some of my patients felt very triggered by these point challenges. That level of competition is just very hard to resist.” In these cases, the vulnerable often feel compelled to succumb.

Yet, there is a clear method behind their madness, and that is what makes these websites so seductive. Imitative of real businesses, their modus operandi of starvation—the equations of calories per pound—as well as the results (i.e. before and after photos, starting weights and current weights) are meticulously inspected, tracked, and measured. The stringent criteria for beauty are also pedantically adumbrated: collarbones, ribs, and thigh gaps. As for the vulnerable, exposure to such content consequently triggers warped thinking and body dysmorphia: the traumatizing drudgeries of eating and the deformed leviathan reflections characteristic of eating disorders.

This distorted thinking is the reason why the memory of my best friend’s fading body, brittle hair and lifeless eyes while lying in a desolate hospital bed, still haunts me to this day. Her trepidation was visible at the thought of being force fed. Yet, even after brutal months long inpatient therapy, she was still left with a shattered life, all courtesy of Ana. With eating disorders, physical deterioration becomes just as noxious as one’s accrescent mental entropy: infertility, brain damage, heart and other organ failures, kidney stones, and osteoporosis. These symptoms are long term; seizures, reduced bone density, and higher chances of miscarriage will chronically plague one even after, and if, they recover.

A well documented example of a popular figure who battled Anorexia Nervosa was the popular US singer Karen Carpenter. After seeing a certain photo of herself, along with other possible triggers, aesthetic vexation corrupted every aspect of her life. She began devouring laxatives, sometimes even up to 90 tablets a night. This, in tandem with her abuse of thyroid medication in order to “boost” her metabolism, led to her ultimate demise and untimely death from irregular heartbeat. Karen Carpenter was only 32 years old when she died from heart failure due to complications from her long battle with chronic anorexia13.

As the aforementioned examples show, mental illnesses are complex and align themselves with the biopsychosocial model. One ubiquity, however, is that there usually tends to be a trigger (words or images), which ties in precisely with the workings of Pro-Ana websites. Surreptitious messaging knows no bounds; it insidiously attacks anyone and is no respecter of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality. For instance, recent studies contend that there is a Westernization of beauty standards among minorities, disabusing the notion of Caucasian women being the archetype of eating disorders. There is also no association between intelligence, gender, orientation, and vulnerability—as such reputable public figures as Jane Fonda, Luther Vandross and Elton John14 fell prey to pernicious messaging. In actuality, an alarming circa 10% of the US population or a little over 30 million people (or to put into context: roughly the entire population of Canada) in the United States suffer from an eating disorder.

However, it is difficult to censure these platforms that are abused by Pro-Ana blogs, as they also offer the comfort of transparency. Movements against body shaming such as #MeToo and #Timesup, for instance, have only been successful because of social media’s ability to help spread awareness. Recently, others have even shared the roles Pro-Ana blogs played in their personal experiences with eating disorders. With consequent opprobrium from medical specialists as well, a few measures have been taken. For instance, Tumblr has also flagged some thinspo posts as “sensitive media”, yet a quick manipulation of the settings expedites easy access. This brings up a pressing question: why hasn’t more regulation been implemented?

When threatened by controversy, Ana bloggers persistently cling onto their blogs. To the critics, they vociferously proclaim that providing a “support system” aids them in avoiding the otherwise unbearable abyss of isolation. A deviant subculture, they are bounded by a commonality of belief about their corporeal obsessions which the outside world is incapable of understanding. Moreover, they quickly resort to the freedom of expression, as it is their inalienable right provided by the US Constitutions’ First Amendment.

Therefore, it would be more viable to raise awareness about the manner in which Pro-Ana websites instigate warped thinking, ensnaring the vulnerable to pernicious and injurious behaviors. A plausible treatment for this condition may very well be education. After all, education about HIV helped offset the spread of the virus and AIDs. If the First Amendment lets Pro-Ana bloggers publish their content, we can help by exposing the harm it generates. Open communication and education, for instance, can help parents steer their children away from such websites and provide the right resources for recovery. Knowledge, in this case, truly is power; it can deter the effects of these websites and may help occlude the current elevation of psychosomatic eating disorders.

                                                          References

Abrahamson, Rachel. “Jane Fonda: My Father Henry Fonda Made Me Bulimic.” US Magazine, 11 April 2016. 

“Anorexia Symptoms and Effects.” Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center.

Casa Palmera Staff. “Why Are Online Pro-Ana/Pro-Mia and Thinspo Communities Dangerous?” Casa Palmera, 17 June 2014. 

Crystal. “Long Term Effects of Anorexia Nervosa.” Eating Disorder Hope, 22 August 2016. 

“Dangers of Pro-Ana Communities.” Futures Palm Beach. 

Downey, Andrea. “Worrying new trend as anorexic women are taking sleeping pills to snooze for up to 20 hours a day to avoid eating.” The Sun, 14 June 2017. 

Evans, P.C., &McConnell, A.R. (2003). Do Racial Minorities Respond in the Same Way

to Mainstream Beauty Standards? Social Comparison Processes in Asian, Black, and White Women. Self and Identity, vol. 2 no. 2, 2003, pp. 153-167.

Gambrel, Angela. “The Glamorization of Eating Disorders in the Media.” Healthy Place, 20 February 2012. 

Goldthwaite, M.A. 2017. Food, Feminisms, Rhetorics.

GoodTherapy.org Staff. “Thinspiration: The Dangers of a Pro-Ana/Pro-Mia Lifestyle.” GoodTherapy.org, 15 April 2016. 

Herrman, John and Charlie Savage. “Trump’s Blocking of Twitter Users Is Constitutional, Judge Says.” The New York Times, 23 May 2018. 

Hess, Amanda. “Let Them Blog: The panic over pro-anorexia websites and social media isn’t healthy.” Slate, 14 July 2015.

Hill, Amelia. “Girls in danger as anorexics give weight-loss tips on web.” The Guardian, 12 August 2001. 

James, Eleanor. “Pro-Anorexia websites: advice for parents.” The Telegraph, 24 February 2014. 

Karges, Crystal. “More Ethnic Minorities Are Suffering From Eating Disorders.” Eating Disorder Hope, 23 June 2017. 

Langone, Alix. “#MeToo and Time’s Up Founders Explain the Difference Between the 2 Movements – And How They’re Alike.” Time, 22 March 2018. 

Rainey, Sarah. “Secretly Starving: inside the world of anorexia blogging.” The Telegraph. 

Schmidt, Randy. “Karen Carpenter’s tragic story.” The Guardian, 24 October 2010. 

Tanenbaum, Sharon. “Jane Fonda Opens Up About Her Decades-Long Battle with Bulimia.” Everyday Health, 9 August 2011. 

“The real reason Karen Carpenter was driven to anorexia.” Independent.IE, 29 November 2010. 

Tyson, Maggie. “The Modern Glamorization of Eating Disorders.” Healthy Way, 21 May 2015. 

Vandever, Leslie. “Bulimia Isn’t Beautiful: Celebrities with Eating Disorders.” Eating Disorder Hope, 12 February 2018. 

Williams, Alex. “Before Spring Break, the Anorexic Challenge.” The New York Times, 2 April 2006. Wooldrige, Tom. The Enigma of Ana: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Pro-Anorexia Internet Forums. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy, vol. 13 no. 3, 2014.