Pro-Ana in the Media

Most reports and discussions about pro-ana sites in the media are negative and focus solely on the dangers associated with Anorexia Nervosa, while demonizing the websites and website users.  Just yesterday, an article in the Elk Grove Citizen explored the pro-ana movement.  An excerpt from that article:

“Those Web sites are very destructive in the lives of people with eating disorders,” she said. “They promote and present them like they’re a way of normal living.”

She recalled learning about the pro-ana sites in 2002, but she never discussed them with her doctors.  

After 10 years of therapy and treatment from a team of doctors at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento, she said the disorder is in remission.

She continues to see her therapist, Dr. Robert Ruxin, chief of outpatient psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento.

Ruxin said he has not heard of the pro-ana sites from patients, and was shocked when he learned about them. 

“The whole idea that there could be support groups for people to stay this way, or become this way, or purge better- it’s very frightening,” he said. “It’s normalizing an illness”

Ruxin said these Web sites are harmful because they encourage people to stay anorexic by offering support and advice. This distorted way of viewing an illness can make the recovery process difficult.

The article also covered the issues of wannarexics, thinspiration, the recent Kate Moss pro-ana controversy, and more.  It is definitely a well written and informative article, although I cannot agree entirely with the opinions expressed in it.

I have seen some pro-ana and especially pro-mia sites that provide tips for better and easier purging, but most pro-ana communities actively try to discourage purging, from what I have seen.  I also do not agree that these sites “encourage young women with anorexia nervosa to keep starving and forgo treatment for the disorder,” as the caption on the graphic at the top of the article states.  I am always met with plenty of friendly encouragement to recover from my anorexia, and when I talk about trying to maintain or even gain weight, my pro-ana friends are there to cheer me on with every tiny progress I make.

In most cases, pro-ana is all about support, and when a pro-ana or pro-mia individual decides to seek recovery, they are always encouraged by the different communities I participate in.  One pro-ana site that I am a member of even states that recovery is the natural conclusion of pro-ana–and I can definitely see that as the general trend among the majority of members.

The misunderstandings about pro-ana communities, and all the negative attention the movement receives in the media have given rise to an anti-pro-ana movement and a post-pro-ana movement.  An example of the latter can be seen at the website We Bite Back, where a post-pro-ana discussion forum is incredibly active and full of recovery topics.  It is a great site, but I think treating the recovery of a pro-ana different than any other ED sufferer who seeks treatment is unnecessary and a little offensive.  The recovery website and community, Something Fishy, is much more useful and beneficial, in my opinion, because it offers a discussion forum and support for family members and loved ones of ED sufferers, as well as providing recovery support directly to the patients seeking treatment. 

I just don’t see any reason to create a special site just for people who used to frequent pro-ana sites, because we don’t have any special treatment needs that other eating disordered patients don’t.  This is just a way that some website owners have taken advantage of the pro-ana movement to gain attention for themselves, or perhaps the wannarexics want another way to feel special for having been part of the pro-ana scene.

Can Pro-Ana Make You Thin?

The question may sound silly because everyone knows that viewing specific websites and looking at thinspiration isn’t going to make you anorexic or magically result in weight loss, but recent studies show that if you associate with highly motivated and self-controlled people, you are more likely to develop and exhibit more self-control.  I read an article on MedicineNet.com which states,

“Spending time with people with less-than-ideal self-control will influence you negatively, the researchers found.”

The truth is that pro-ana internet communities can cause you to lose weight, but depending on the type of people who gather at the site you choose, you could lose weight in a healthier way and learn to be more loving toward yourself, or you could experience a worsening of your eating disorder symptoms.

I’m a member of several pro-ana sites on the web, and I found a simple way to determine what type of mood the community has.  Generally if the website’s colour scheme uses very dark colours, it’s a negative site that could make your self-hate, depression and ED symptoms a lot worse, while sites with light colours are often much more positive, encouraging, and beneficial.  I’m sure there are exceptions to this rule–in life there always are–but from my own experiences, this is the easiest way to judge the mood of the site you’re considering participating in.

What is “pro-ana”?

Wikipedia defines pro-ana this way,

Pro-ana refers to the promotion of anorexia nervosa as a lifestyle choice rather than an eating disorder. It is often referred to simply as “ana” and is sometimes affectionately personified by anorexics as a girl named Ana.  The lesser-used term pro-mia refers likewise to bulimia nervosa and is sometimes used interchangeably with pro-ana.
Pro-ana organizations differ widely in their stances. Most claim that they exist mainly as a non-judgmental environment for anorexics a place to turn to discuss their illness, and support those who choose to enter recovery. Others deny anorexia nervosa is a mental illness and claim instead that it is a “lifestyle choice” that should be respected by doctors and family.

I never even heard of the pro-ana movement until late in the year 2006.  I have been living with anorexia nervosa since the 80’s, long before the concepts of pro-ana, thinspiration, and wannarexics were ever around.  I grew up in a time when no matter what, eating disorders were seen as a bad thing that a person must recover from as soon as possible.  It never even occurred to me that I could have a choice about my eating disorder!  Before I heard about the pro-ana movement and got involved in various pro-ana websites, I always thought it was my responsibility to get better and make everyone around me feel better about my eating and body weight.

The pro-ana movement allowed me to stop fighting myself day in and day out.  It allowed me to accept myself, eating disorder and all, and slowly I learned to love myself more and take better care of myself.  Finally I was able to be at peace with my anorexia and enjoy a low body weight while still thinking about and being mindful of nutrition, healthy diet choices, and regular exercise to keep myself feeling as good as possible. 

I don’t want to recover from my eating disorder.  That’s a personal choice that I made for myself and I don’t make any suggestions or recommendations about what other people should do.  This is just what’s right for me, not what’s right for everybody.  I am very happy that I made this choice though, and the past three years of my life have been the best I’ve had so far, mostly because of the inner peace I get from being part of the pro-ana movement online.

Wannarexics?

Have you heard of wannarexics?  These are people who say they want to have an eating disorder like anorexia.  They idolize people who struggle with real life eating disorders every day of their lives, and they spend countless hours looking at thinspiration and talking about anorexia like some kind of glorified spiritual movement on pro-ana discussion forums and their livejournal entries.  These are the kinds of people who like to think you can choose to develop a real eating disorder, and they ignore or overlook the fact that these are very serious mental illnesses.

Most often, wannarexics are young girls, typically still in high school, and they are often ridiculed on eating disorder discussion forums, including pro-ana boards.  Many people who are dealing with real eating disorders do not want to be disordered and would choose to be free of their illness if they could, so they find wannarexics offensive.

I have personally seen posts about the subject of wannarexics where some people write things like, “No one in their right mind would actually choose to have this disorder,” and “living with anorexia is hell and I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.”

I do have to agree that is absurd to want to develop an eating disorder, or to decide to live an “anorexic lifestyle” because you think it’s somehow trendy or the cool thing to do.  I also find it terribly sad that anorexia and other eating disorders have become trendy.

However, wannarexics are not entirely different from the pro-ana crowd, when you look at what the two groups have in common instead of the issue of mental disorder vs lifestyle choice.  Both groups tend to appreciate thinspiration, both groups restrict calories and might be tempted to purge, exercise excessively, or engage in other harmful behaviours and addictions, wannarexics and pro-anas are both resistant to treatment and therapy, and they’re both trying to maintain the lowest possible body weight they can manage.  At the end of the day, how much does it really matter if a person uses these behaviours and techniques to lose weight because they’re driven by a mental disorder they cannot control, or because they made a decision to do it for a weird sense of being cool?

My position regarding the issue of wannarexics is that they have a right to make the choices they wish to make, and to live however they choose to live.  I honestly don’t mind including them in an online conversation about eating disorders, weight loss, or anything else.  I think we can all learn from one another, and we can all benefit from being there for another human being.  I see raising public awareness of eating disorders as a positive thing that could lead to transforming the current attitudes, services, and support systems available to those who live with these conditions, and if wannarexics can help in that process, I will not complain.