Microsoft recently shut down four pro-anorexia websites in Spain after receiving complaints from the Catalan government about the potentially harmful effects on teenagers. While I’m extremely supportive of freedom of expression, I have to say, “Good for them both.”
In the United States, where more than 66 percent of the population is overweight or obese, it’s easy to forget that there are still people who suffer from eating disorders at the other end of the spectrum.
The fact that websites glorifying anorexia and bulimia even exist both shocks and saddens me. While websites like Geocities have already taken measures to remove personal websites in the U.S. that promote the “pro-ana” and “pro-mia” movements, others such as MySpace and LiveJournal have chosen not to address the issue.
On these sites, group members with names like “live to starve” and “idontfeelhungry” post comments listing their current “stats” and unhealthy goal weights. They discuss dieting techniques and exercise plans and hold fasting contests to see who can eat the fewest calories in the most amount of time.
On good days, they boast their successful consumption of only 150 liquid calories. On bad days, they shamelessly tear themselves down in a flurry of words that scream self-hatred for eating that extra piece of bread. To further motivate their starvation, they post pictures and videos of anorexic celebrities as “thinspiration.” Mary-Kate Olsen and Nicole Richie are, by far, the most revered.
Eating disorders, they claim, are lifestyle choices, not diets or psychological illnesses. They say they have the right to choose not to eat, or to binge and purge, as if it were the same thing as choosing not to wear a coat on a chilly day. Unfortunately, they are sorely mistaken.
No matter how strong they may think their minds are, their bodies will not allow the restriction of sustenance forever.
Biologically, the human body needs food to function. The brain requires glucose, the muscles use protein, and the bones build on calcium. Without adequate nutrition, bones become brittle, the damaged heart beats slower, hair falls out, weakness sets in and eventually the body gives up.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, anorexia and bulimia are mental illnesses. Furthermore, studies have shown chemical imbalances in the centers of the brain that control hunger and satiety in individuals who suffer from eating disorders.
An eating disorder is a serious, life-threatening problem that requires immediate professional attention. It should not be glorified in personal blogs and community webpages where impressionable, young teenagers lacking self-esteem attempt to gain confidence through starvation.
I can’t help but wonder if our culture is partially to blame for fueling this tragic disorder. Everywhere you turn, images of stick-skinny models advocate unrealistic, yet ideal, bodies that define perfection as thinness.
Diet fads constantly have us counting calories and popping magic pills in hopes of losing those last five pounds. And we are taught to exercise for the purpose of seeing a smaller number on the scale, rather than just to feel good and be healthy.
Perhaps those with eating disorders find comfort in knowing there are others like them. Unfortunately, the support they receive from the pro-ana and pro-mia communities is fueling their problems, rather than helping them recover.
Shutting down pro-ana and pro-mia online communities may not make much of a difference, especially with thousands of other websites that list calorie contents, offer dieting advice, promote “fat-burning” fitness programs and provide height and weight calculators.
Any step to prevent the spread of such harmful information, however, could result in a life saved from years of pain and suffering.
Victoria Moss is a junior psychology major and a contributing writer for the Daily Forty-Niner.
