My fight agaisnt pro ana&mia websites
Today I was browsing through the web for calorie information and low-gi diets, and came across soooooooooooooo many pro ana&mia websites, and it really made me sooo frustrated and sad....
Thankfully I found a website where I can report such pages, and have them removed from the internet. I did report them, and hopefully they'll take it away asap. I gave them my info and where I found it and all that stuff and they said they'd be communicating with me soon via email to discuss further information on the websites I reported, and thank me for my help.
Im going to keep doing this because I dont want anyone to have to go thru this..and these girls who are pro ana&mia say that their eating disorder doesnt make them sick people..they say its a way of life.... its an outrage...I hate it so much...
I really urge anyone who finds such websites to report them as I have...even if another website is put up just a minute after...its a small contribution to helping stop this demon from ruining more girl's lifes...
thank you
(edited post)
Wouldn't this depend on the policies of the individual site's server host?
Can you even legally remove a site from the internet, other than if it's in TOS violation of whatever it's host's policy is? (e.g. Angelfire has policies against porn and I think they might have it against hate speech as well. But even if Angelfire shuts down a site on their server, what's to stop the site's creator from just putting it on 1&1 or something like that?)
I support your goal to discourage the promotion of eating disorders.
I am not sure that reporting websites is the way to do it. As coffincritter said the internet is a free space of public discourse across national and international boundaries. There may be some servers that have policies against hosting certain types of sites (porn, hate, racism etc...), but there are many others which do not. Governments have been largely ineffective at regulating their own citizen's use of the internet, and I'm not sure that censorship is the answer.
Consider this, even if we managed to have every world wide web site shut down that promotes eating disorders, it will only drive it underground. Facebook, Twitter, IRC channels, chat rooms etc... are still enabled as part of the wider internet. This is one of the reasons it is so hard to combat child pornography and the trafficking of women as these things happen on the internet but not via websites.
Winning the hearts and minds of young girls will not be done by censorship it will be done by awareness.
Instead of trying spending negative energy on shutting down websites spend positive energy on promoting websites that deal with body image and eating disorders in a positive and healing way.
If you have children or friends struggling with an eating disorder get information for yourself, but there to support, but not to enable.
Work with local politicians and educators to bring in more programs that reinforce the self esteem and valuation of girls as whole individuals instead of as body images.
Good luck in your journey.
their lifestyle choice is theirs to make, and honestly, taking away their online support system could do more damage than good. they cannot 'turn people anorexic/bulimic' if you believe it is a mental disorder that expresses itself through food.
perhaps it would be more effective to promote healthy body image sites and programs, instead of trying to inconvenience a very tiny minority of people who would just take their browsing to one of the privately hosted ana sites out there.
Anorexia and Bulimia are not lifestyle choices, that's like saying that alcoholism or schizophrenia are life style choices.
Still I agree that combating the websites would not necessarily help reduces instances of the disease.
Healthy body images, and programs that support healthy living are the way to go.
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
their lifestyle choice is theirs to make, and honestly, taking away their online support system could do more damage than good. they cannot 'turn people anorexic/bulimic' if you believe it is a mental disorder that expresses itself through food.
perhaps it would be more effective to promote healthy body image sites and programs, instead of trying to inconvenience a very tiny minority of people who would just take their browsing to one of the privately hosted ana sites out there.
Oh yeah, some "support" that is. Support of what? Eating less than 500 calories a day? Reaching your goal of 85 lbs? There was a girl on the livejournal proana community who wants to get to 75 lbs... It's support of unhealthy behavior, and of an unhealthy lifestyle. Surely it'd be crazy to have a "support community" of pro-smokers, pro-bingers, etc. This is no different.
If you think they can't turn people anorexic, well, sure, they can't do that directly, but about a year ago I was one of the people browsing those sites, thinking it was okay to eat 400-500 cals a day because they were all doing it and "supporting" each other. I lost a lot of weight, looked great, but I was miserable and lost my period. When I started eating normally again, I gained 2/3 of what I lost... so I'm back at my starting point, really, except with no period... and it's a horrible condition to be in.
Original Post by stronger_:
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
their lifestyle choice is theirs to make, and honestly, taking away their online support system could do more damage than good. they cannot 'turn people anorexic/bulimic' if you believe it is a mental disorder that expresses itself through food.
perhaps it would be more effective to promote healthy body image sites and programs, instead of trying to inconvenience a very tiny minority of people who would just take their browsing to one of the privately hosted ana sites out there.
Oh yeah, some "support" that is. Support of what? Eating less than 500 calories a day? Reaching your goal of 85 lbs? There was a girl on the livejournal proana community who wants to get to 75 lbs... It's support of unhealthy behavior, and of an unhealthy lifestyle. Surely it'd be crazy to have a "support community" of pro-smokers, pro-bingers, etc. This is no different.
If you think they can't turn people anorexic, well, sure, they can't do that directly, but about a year ago I was one of the people browsing those sites, thinking it was okay to eat 400-500 cals a day because they were all doing it and "supporting" each other. I lost a lot of weight, looked great, but I was miserable and lost my period. When I started eating normally again, I gained 2/3 of what I lost... so I'm back at my starting point, really, except with no period... and it's a horrible condition to be in.
I think what she's trying to say is that they'll still continue doing this even, and maybe especially, if you remove their community.
That being said, there's no way to banish the websites. Those people are just killing themselves, I'd rather not lose any sleep over their lives. (Self-serving world view, but since any form of anguish on one's part is not going to change anything anyway, why not?)
i think that, if you turn to something as a coping mechanism, the way anorectics can do with anorexia, then taking away their contact with other anorectics could be unwise. i mean, its not something that you can broadcast and have it be accepted, except if you are looking to enter recovery. but if you arent, then you have the internet. so, from their point of view, they have at least one stable thing in their life- their ED- and the only people they know who will listen to them about it, without judging, are the other people on proana sites. and then there are these other people who want to take that away because they personally view the sites as wrong or damaging.
i think the debate over whether or not proana sites "turn" people to anorexia is closely tied with the debate over whether anorexia is a lifestyle choice or a mental disorder. if it is a mental disorder, then why can some people aquire it? i think that, more likely, many people have the mental proclivity to become anorectics, but only a small percentage of people have triggers in their lives to set it off. if it is a lifestyle choice, then yes, people would be able to "become" anorectics- analogous to becoming a vegan, say- and that would be their choice.
at the end of the day, i think that ignoring the sites and promoting positive self-image programs is a better course of action than campaigning to shut down every publicly hosted proana site. as i said in my first post, the best case scenario is that 15-year old anorectic Kim has to take her web browsing to a privatly hosted pro ana site, and the worst case scenario is that 15-year old anorectic Kim feels that she is absolutely alone in the world, and does something far more damaging to herself.
then of course, there is the whole free speech issue; i dont like the fact that there are white supremicist sites out there, but they do have every right to be there, no matter what i think about it.
i realize, though, that my views are somewhat unorthodox.
I dont thnink its wise to leave these sites out there either. Where I live, there's a huge campaing coing on where they are baning sites like these, AND putting up websites that support positive body image views, etc. No one should think that letting an anorexic cope with people on this sites for "comfort" is a good thing. It also triggers this disease and makes it worst. They get more info on how to self damage themselves...other girls conflicted with their body images, also come across this sites and think its a good idea. Pictures, videos, anything that they put up becomes a trigger to lose weight unhealthfuly. Anyone, trust me, can turn into an anorexic...yes there is a pattern which most of these girls have...they are perfectionists, and have had conflicts in their pasts...but someone who is desperate, who finds herself to be seriously affected with their weight can easily turn to the "easy way out" and undereat until they get to extreme lows...this is where u no longer have control over what you want to do...you just do it because u want to get to a lower weight...thats all u care about...and thats all these girls care about, and they are promoting this around, and that really causes a difference in how many girls turn into the ED for comfort and happiness....and now a days sadly, the media shows these girls that being skinny is what makes you important and beautiful. Celebrities, Models...you name it....its wrong, and yes its impossible to stop all of these sites, or media from publishing bad info for girls around the world...but at least its something. I still report those sites, because I was once in there...I was once an anorexic, and I know how it feels..and having people who support you on that makes it TEN times harder to recover....because u feel like you're not alone in this and you can make it thru and get to 87lbs easily....thats bad...
I dunno I think its a very debateable topic...and I still think that reporting these sites can help at least reduce the amount of stuff that is published out there for anorexics and bulimics alike. This with putting up good websites would be a great contribution.
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
i think that, if you turn to something as a coping mechanism, the way anorectics can do with anorexia, then taking away their contact with other anorectics could be unwise. i mean, its not something that you can broadcast and have it be accepted, except if you are looking to enter recovery. but if you arent, then you have the internet. so, from their point of view, they have at least one stable thing in their life- their ED- and the only people they know who will listen to them about it, without judging, are the other people on proana sites. and then there are these other people who want to take that away because they personally view the sites as wrong or damaging.
honestly....I think this is wrong. how can u say that letting an anorexic find comfort in her ED is a good thing? ED is never a stable thing in their lifes...if you were once in there, you would know what Im talking about. Even if you do feel powerful and you do feel like you have life under control, it turns agaisnt you...you feel deprived, you feel like you cant be normal..and that is more damaging thanw hat most people can even start to imagine. People who listen to them DONT have to be people found on pro ana&mia sites...at all...they can be people who have recovered who honestly, would give them a bunch of wayyyy better advice than what any pro ana girl can give them...they can understand them and console them, and Ive been there done that, and trust me it can be done...even if takes a lot...us girls once in there can make a change.
Oh and also, girls who turn to an ED most dont even know that they are...its the few that know what they're getting themselves into that prolly will be harder to help, but those girls who had no idea about how damaging it can be (that was me when I started) could benefit greatly from instead of finding a site supporting this and making a troubled mind find comfort at last in all the wrong places, find a website that can help them cope with it the right way. This is hard to control but at least we can try to make these sites hard to find, and not have such easy access...
Original Post by bananee:and I still think that reporting these sites can help at least reduce the amount of stuff that is published out there for anorexics and bulimics alike. This with putting up good websites would be a great contribution.
Reporting these sites to who? There's no internet police and no country owns the internet.
Besides, there's always this thing about freedom of speech and you shouldn't screw around with that. Much of the media you read enjoy much freedom of speech so don't take it forgranted. It's better. Really.
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
i think the debate over whether or not proana sites "turn" people to anorexia is closely tied with the debate over whether anorexia is a lifestyle choice or a mental disorder. if it is a mental disorder, then why can some people aquire it? i think that, more likely, many people have the mental proclivity to become anorectics, but only a small percentage of people have triggers in their lives to set it off. if it is a lifestyle choice, then yes, people would be able to "become" anorectics- analogous to becoming a vegan, say- and that would be their choice.
Let's be really clear here there is no debate, anorexia is a disease. There are no scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, doctors, psychologists or psychiatrists that are the least bit confused about anorexia nervosa being a disease. Like physiological diseases there are genetic diseases (cancer, MS, parkinsons) that you have genetic markers for and will not be triggered unless the genetic marker is triggered and there are communicable diseases (flu, cold, chicken pox) that are spread from person to person. These diseases also exist in psychological disorders. If you do enough damage to a person psychologically they will get a psychological disorder read: disease. Anorexia, Bulimia, OCD, Clinical Depression, Manic Depression, Agoraphobia, among others are mental diseases that people can acquire with and with and without genetic pre-dispositions.
The ONLY place you will find people trying to pass anorexia off as a lifestyle choice are people who are sick, who are ill, who need help. You don't tell the paranoid schizophrenic that it's their lifestyle choice to go off their medication and believe they are doing the world a service by killing their neighbour who they believe is trying to end the world. You get a doctor, get them back on their medication and into therapy.
Being mentally ill is not a choice, but the kicker with mental illnesses is that most people who are mentally ill have significant trouble recognizing it and legitimate help when they want it.
The question is not if anorexia is a lifestyle choice that should be left to it's free speech rights, it's if it's wasted energy to go after pro-ana sites instead of focusing on developing healthier body images, roll models and real support programs to help girls (and boys) who are anorexic.
"Let's be really clear here there is no debate, anorexia is a disease. There are no scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, doctors, psychologists or psychiatrists that are the least bit confused about anorexia nervosa being a disease."
then, why are there some people in the anti-ana movement who feel that "anyone can become" anorectics? can anyone become bipolar or schizophrenic?
personally, i feel that anorexia is an addiction to the emotions associated with losing weight and not eating.
"The question is not if anorexia is a lifestyle choice that should be left to it's free speech rights, it's if it's wasted energy to go after pro-ana sites instead of focusing on developing healthier body images, roll models and real support programs to help girls (and boys) who are anorexic."
i absolutely agree. taking down these websites would be an infringment of
freedom of speech, and probably useless, since you cannot help anyone
who does not want to be helped.
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
"Let's be really clear here there is no debate, anorexia is a disease. There are no scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, doctors, psychologists or psychiatrists that are the least bit confused about anorexia nervosa being a disease."
then, why are there some people in the anti-ana movement who feel that "anyone can become" anorectics? can anyone become bipolar or schizophrenic?
personally, i feel that anorexia is an addiction to the emotions associated with losing weight and not eating.
First of all we should stop talking in terms of pro-ana and anti-ana, that's like saying I'm pro-flu, anti-cancer. Accepting terms like pro-ana and anti-ana is accepting that anorexia is a lifestyle choice, which it is not, it is a disease.
Anorexia Nervosa:
Anorexia Nervosa' is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder characterized by lowbody weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Individuals with anorexia are known to commonly control body weight through the means of voluntary starvation,purging, vomiting, excessive exercise, or other weight control measures, such as diet pills or diureticdrugs. It primarily affects adolescent females, however approximately 10% of people with the diagnosis are male. Anorexia nervosa is a complex condition, involving neurobiological,psychological, and sociological components.[1]
Source: ^ a b c d Lask B, and Bryant-Waugh, R (eds) (2000) Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN 0-86377-804-6.
As I said above it is common knowledge that with physiological diseases there are diseases that are genetic (cancer, MS, parkinsons) and diseases that are communicable (flu, cold, chicken pox).
With mental diseases there are certain disorders that you are more likely to get if you have a genetic marker for them (like schizophrenia), however, many mental disorders can be triggered through social, environmental and emotional factors as well as chemistry.
'Anyone' can become anorexic, just like 'anyone' can become depressed, manic-depressive, agoraphobic, or addicted. This doesn't mean that 'anyone' will become anorexic as some people will be more pre-disposed to it than others. People with family histories of depression, obsessive compulsive, or who feel they are in an environment with a lack of control are most susceptable.
People who argue that a single website (or many of them) are going to 'turn' girls anorexic are as uninformed as people who argue that anorexia is a 'lifestyle' choice. A number of factors need to come together for a person to become anorexic and there is no one path to anorexia.
It does however remain a disease, pure and simple.
Original Post by fivefreehugs:
"The question is not if anorexia is a lifestyle choice that should be left to it's free speech rights, it's if it's wasted energy to go after pro-ana sites instead of focusing on developing healthier body images, roll models and real support programs to help girls (and boys) who are anorexic."
i absolutely agree. taking down these websites would be an infringment of freedom of speech, and probably useless, since you cannot help anyone who does not want to be helped.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the freedom of speech issue. I'm from Canada, and I tend to side with the Canadian view of public responsibility measured with individual freedom. For instance here in Canada we do have hate laws on the books that do make it illegal for any person or group of persons to print and distribute materials that incite hate, discrimination and harm against another group of individuals. So I am not waving the flag for these websites from a freedom of speech point of veiw.
Instead, I think it is the lack of ability of even large organizations to police the internet content that is the first reason not to bother with the websites.
The second reason I would not bother is that the websites are only a symptom of a growing illness in the population. Like there is a growing movement to get people to pay attention to their health and fitness to combat the obesity epidemic we should address root causes of anorexia and why young girls feel their body image is the most important thing for them to control. And, if they are going to try then present more healthy and realistic models of healthy body images for them to emulate.
Original Post by toasttoasttoast:
Original Post by bananee:and I still think that reporting these sites can help at least reduce the amount of stuff that is published out there for anorexics and bulimics alike. This with putting up good websites would be a great contribution.
Reporting these sites to who? There's no internet police and no country owns the internet.
Besides, there's always this thing about freedom of speech and you shouldn't screw around with that. Much of the media you read enjoy much freedom of speech so don't take it forgranted. It's better. Really.
This is not about freedom of speech. Im not here to argue with anyone about what I believe is right or wrong. I was anorexic, and I know how it is to live with the condition. I know what it is to be unhappy with a body image and seek for the fastest way out. Its a horrible thing, and its something that I do wish I could stop, though I know this is impossible, to me it helps, thus why I also pay close attention to girls who post here with problems. I like to be a change and to help.
I understand that you cant take down all the sites and that there will be other more private places for them to regroup and support their illnesses...but I still do it and I feel proud of it. Anorexia is not a freedom of speech...nor is it something that only a selected few can have, and even less a lifestyle, just like supersized said. And yes there are other websites who are willing to report these so called pro ana and mia sites, and they do take them down, whether you believe it or not. At least here in Spain there is a huge campaign to take these websites down, and also avoiding models on the runway to be underweight. Whether you believe it or not, its the truth. Also, I wouldnt make up the whole reporting the site and them communicating with me for no reason...because it did happen and I did do it, its real and thats it.
Either way, you do what you wish. Everyone knows that those sites are really wrong, some dont waste energy to report them because there will be thousands more that will go up in exchange, but I care, and I report them. Whether anyone thinks its a waste of energy or a "violation of freedom of speech", its their own thing I respect that, but I dont think about it the same way...which btw I think that to say that its a violation of freedom of speech is kind of crazy :S but thats just me. (no offense, really, Im not looking for arguments with anyone)
I agree with supersized in mostly everything she says.
and thats that...I wont say more in the matter cos as I said before...this is a very debateable topic, and right now everybody can have their own opinion about things and respect it.
I was anorexic too and I feel pretty bad about everything that happened and I know that anorexia is wrong etcetera etcetera. But the question I'm trying to put across is, what should we be doing to stop these sites? Who do we "report" them to?
Original Post by toasttoasttoast:
I was anorexic too and I feel pretty bad about everything that happened and I know that anorexia is wrong etcetera etcetera. But the question I'm trying to put across is, what should we be doing to stop these sites? Who do we "report" them to?
There is no real way to stop sick girls from putting up sites for other troubled girls to find. It is really an impossibility since not even their parents can control what they do on the web. What we can do is just act according to our conscience. As cheesy as it may sound, its the truth. If you feel like trying to be a change or at least try and feel better with your actions by contributing to put down one of these sites, or just ignoring it and instead creating a website of your own to spread the word on positive body images and of real ways of life then do so. Thats what CAN be done. As small as coming to CC and letting girls know that you are there for them to help out is an enough contribution in my opinion. Who do we report them to? Well I am not sure if in your country they have the websites that we have here in Europe. They take care of websites that are publishing things such as inappropiate content of all kinds and also pro ana&mia sites. I just searched the web on Google by entering something like "report pro anorexia website" and I came up with a website that I actually remember being announced on TV just a few months back.
You dont HAVE to report them, like I said its whatever your conscience dictates you. For me, I do both. I try to put down sites promoting these pro ana&mia ideals and put up other more valuable stuff on the web, like loving your body etc. (or like promoting the "love your body campaing" of 2008.)
Love your Body Day website :) the love your body campaing.
take a look.
any one can restrict calories... this in itself is not anorexia; this is crash-dieting, a 'quick fix', or the result of a hectic schedual, or perhaps a result of an addiction to drugs...
people seeing these sites and hearing 'eat less then 500cal' could possibly make them believe that they are anorexic if they have done this before.. but that is not the case.
anorexia IS a MENTAL DISORDER... it's not about how much you eat, it's how you behave, think and feel about food, weight, worthyness and life in general.
anoreixa in my mind is more closely linked to depression, then it is to diets... anyone could crash diet, but that does not mean that they are anoretic unless this low food intake is paired with the destructive mental thoughts associated with the disease.
I do believe that these sites should be destroyed, but I don't know how possible that will be...
if anything these sites are more triggering then supportive.. seems anorexics get very competitive/triggered by others thinner then themselves... they might respond "wow, you weigh 82lbs, thats my goal weight good for you" but really now their thinking, "well if she can weigh that then so can I, but now I think I need to weigh less then that to be better"... am i right? I think so, after all I was there... even on this site seeing 'recoveries' weighing 73lbs bothers and triggers me, no matter how terrible they look in their pictures, it makes me feel pathetic.. and thus the cycle of depression and unworthyness continues...
its an internal mental struggle, not necessarily about wieght.. all weight does is help prove the dedication and 'will power' these people have to reach their unhealthy goals and feed the obsession... ultimately its about control, distorted thoughts and getting attention.
I think a lot of factors influence the development of the disease.. yes you can't just become anorexic... but pair skinny celebrity photos with a damaged childhood, low self esteem, need for control/attention, bad relationships, depression, etc.. and you are well on your way to creating a sick, suffering human being.
there is no one cause... these sites may "support", but they are not the main reason.
thing is anorexia can develop out of a crash diet. This is the main reason why most girls turn into anorexia. They don't know it, they just pull themselves in. Its like a vicious cycle that wont end. First they crash diet, then they become obsess with how "good" they look, lose their periods, panic and then realize....wow I got myself into an ED....It all happens very quickly, and sometimes the obsession to lose weight of even the most normal of people can help give birth to an eating disorder that after a while, if not taken lightly, will spiral out of control.
This happened to me. This has happened to many girls who suffer from eating disorders.
Anorexia does tag along depression, anxiety, etc etc...but the main source of its power is having full control of food and diets. Whether that be for emotional reasons or not, it is about the food.. food and restrictive eating is what creates the problem and makes it endure for extended periods of time, enough to tag along the "extras"...emotional eating, guilt, comparing to other girls, triggering thoughts, etc etc.
Before I started my "crash diet" I was like any other girl. Yes i worried about how I looked, yes I worried about what others think of me, and always tried to look my best and also took care of myself. But one small thing, like personal problems, creates the whole low self-esteem, then you start thinking you're not good enough and in comes the diet, and then welcome anorexia.
(edited post)
Why do I have yellow hands and feet?
An excessive intake of carotenoids, found in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash, spinach, kale, broccoli, and dark green and orange produce... Read more