Pro Ana Websites & 'Thinspiration'
What Are The Dangers Of Pro Anorexia Websites?

Pro ana websites can contribute to the causes of anorexia because they provide thinspiration by striving to teach young women, teens and preteenagers how to be anorexic and "pro eating disorders".

Be very cautious if you hear, or see slang phrases such as:

• Thinspiration
• Thinspo
• Pro ana (pro anorexia)
• Pro mia (pro bulimia)- or just:
• "Ana", (the personified version of 'pro-anorexia')

The above terms refer to, in one way or another, the support and promotion of unhealthy and medically unsupervised methods of losing weight, as seen on many pro ana websites.

Some creators of these websites will sometimes insist that anorexia is not a medical illness, or a mental eating disorder.

They see it as a lifestyle choice, and they're just out to support and encourage those who choose to lose weight.

On the other hand, some authors of pro anorexia websites claim that they're a source of comfort and hope to those who are on the path to recovery from an eating disorder.

Pro Ana Websites - Thinspiration And Pro Anorexia Tips

If you consider the fact that thinspiration websites are a kind of "support group" to those who are seeking pro anorexia tips and other drastic weight loss measures, you may see any or all of the following information being shared in such discussion forums:

• Details about how many calories you can burn by doing certain types of exercise - exercise addiction


• Anorexia triggers - constantly chatting about height, weight and body measurements to track progress and gain approval from other members



• Organized days of fasting, which members do together and share their successes or difficulties with their "fat tummy"


• anorexic diet - recipes, weight loss strategies


• Tips on how to hide these behaviors from your friends, family

Not surprisingly, there's a huge amount of controversy out there regarding these kinds of sites.

Why Teens Want To Learn How To Be Anorexic From Pro Ana Websites

Teens are discovering pro ana websites and learning how to be anorexic at a time in their lives when they are extremely impressionable, vulnerable to peer pressure and longing to feel accepted.

I recently read where Yahoo removed some 110+ pro eating disorders websites from their servers, and I'm guessing (hoping!) that this number will continue to grow.

In France they attempted to pass a law that would make it illegal to "provoke a person to seek excessive thinness by encouraging prolonged restriction of nourishment". The law failed to go through.

The effort sounds encouraging, but authorities continue to run into issues in most areas with regards to "freedom of speech".

Perhaps there's a loophole under Child Internet Safety, or the Child Protection Act (?). Surely there's something that can be done to put and end to pro eating disorders and websites that convey such harmful messages.

Learn more about anorexia in teens.

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