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Boycott Pro-Anorexia Websites
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Stanley Gemmell
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May 07, 2002 10:32 PDT
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Source URL: http://www.planetgrrl.com/
[Planetgrrl is a fantastic young feminist website from Britain. Their
focus on style and conscience makes for both enjoyable and powerfully
wise reading. Be enlightened and... enjoy! -Stn]
Wasting Away on the Web
http://www.btinternet.com/~virtuous/planetgrrlbabe/babearticles/wasting_away_on_the_web.htm
Shocking Internet sites are encouraging Anorexia as a "lifestyle"
By Natalie Barrett
It has been revealed that the number of pro-anorexia web sites is on the
increase. On Yahoo! alone there are a staggering eighty-seven
pro-anorexia sites for anyone to click on to. These sites have names
like Dying to be Thin, Skinny as a Rail, Stick Figures and Starving for
Perfection. The sites are mostly set up by groups of American teenagers
but they are encouraging girls in Britain and around the world to follow
suit.
They promote eating disorders as a lifestyle and not as a serious issue,
using the Internet as a platform to push young people's bodies to
dangerous limits. Girls as young as thirteen are swapping tips on
weight loss and taking part in live chartrooms using names such as
'Puking Pals' and 'Anorexic with Pride.'
One site disturbingly named 'Stick Figures' gives the impression that it
is providing mutual support for its visitors. This is not the case when
you browse through the pages and come across an almost aggressive
instruction to follow the 'Pro-Anorexia Ten Commandments.' These
include 1. If you aren't thin you aren't beautiful 2. Being thin is more
important than being healthy. 3. You must buy clothes, cut your hair,
take laxatives, starve yourself, and do anything to make yourself look
thinner. 4. Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty.
A 19-year-old student told about how she got hooked on the pro-anorexia
site
Anorexia Empress – www.geocities.com/empress_anorexianyc/page3.html
She said that she had stumbled across it when looking for help to get
over bulimia. "I read personal stories that included "tips" they had
discovered on the Internet, so I thought I'd have a look" This led to
her being sucked in to exchanging information on what foods are "safe"
and how to avoid having meals with parents.
When entering "pro-anorexia" into a search engine the results are
astounding: hundreds of sites come up on the screen. The home pages of
the majority follow the same agenda: each one states that it is not a
good idea for a person recovering from an eating disorder to enter.
They use this as a "Disclaimer" so no responsibility can be placed upon
them if someone dies. The message is also clear to non-anorexia/bulimia
sufferers that if they think that this is a sick site then they should
not look at it. They also urge people not to send in emails of disgust:
an obvious admission that this has already happened.
The American Government made an attempt to restrict these and other
dangerous sites in 1996. Their attempt was defeated after a campaign by
the American Civil Liberties Union; which brings up the "Freedom of
Speech" argument. In Britain there has been no attempt to address the
issue - the Government claims that its hands are tied as most of the
material on the sites is not illegal.
Some Internet companies have taken it upon themselves to block these
sites. Lycos, one of the biggest search engines, has blocked all
pro-anorexia material, although it is still accessible using other
search engines or links from other sites.
It seems that without backing from the Government little can be done
about these shocking web sites. The pictures of emaciated women and
tips on how to starve and get thinner without anyone noticing will still
be appearing on the Internet. All we can do is make people aware of
them and encourage parents to keep an eye on what their children are
clicking on to.
For more information on eating disorders, if you are yourself a sufferer
or are worried about someone who is, you can contact Eating Disorders
Association on 01603 621 414 (9am - 6:30pm weekdays
By Natalie Barrett
Jules note: Following this article being published we received some
emails from very angry pro-anna girls.
here are some:
I'm 15 yrs old and pro-ana. I read your article about pro-anorexia sites
and i would like to express my opinion to you. I completely understand
where you are coming from. Anorexia is very dangerous. And then when you
see people supporting anorexia I bet that you are very shocked and want
to help us and put an end to all the "madness" of pro-ana. But I'll let
you in on a little secret. We DON'T want help. If we wanted help we
would all be FAT.We CHOOSE to go to pro-ana sites because that's what we
want. And do you think that if all the pro-ana sites just vanished one
day that you would have cured anorexia? Ana sites help us get through
life. We meet people who actually understand us . Girls who go through
the same hell as we do and it actually helps to know that there are
others like you. Besides...this is a lifestyle.... what about all those
freaks who are obsessed with pornography and drinking and drugs.. why
don't you try to save THEM?? I just thought i'd let you know that no
matter what you all do you'll never get rid of ana. Even if the sites go
she's still around.
GO PRO!
THE PRO-ANA CLUBS AT YAHOO ARE NOT PROMOTING FOR PEOPLE TO BE
ANOREXIC!!! THEY AREN''T SENDING OUT FLIERS OR ADDS TO JOIN THESE
GROUPS, WHICH IS WHAT PROMOTING IS. THESE CLUBS ARE NOT *MAKING* OR
*FORCING* PEOPLE JOIN THEM IN BEING ANOREXIC. THE CLUBS ARE SIMPLY A
PLACE FOR PEOPLE WITH ANOREXIA TO TALK TO SOMEONE, WHETHER THEY WANT TO
GIVE UP ANOREXIA OR LIVE WITH IT. THEY AREN'T NEARLY AS BAD AS OTHER
WEBSITES THAT DO PROMOTE THINGS LIKE PORNOGRAPHY OR CULTS OR OTHER
THINGS OF THIS NATURE. THE BIBLE TELLS US FASTING IS A HOLY THING WHICH
WE SHOULD DO FOR CLEANSING. OVEREATERS HAVE AS BIG OF AN EATING DISORDER
IF NOT A WORSE DISORDER THAN ANOREXICS, SO TRY BOTHERING THEM FOR A
CHANGE!!! AND LEAVE US ALONE!!!
To whom ever it may concern I don't think that pro anorexic sites pose
any danger to anorexics, I say this because anorexia has been around
long before those sites even came along, and wreather we keep them on
the web or take them off it's still going to be there. cause it takes
more than just pictures to make a person want to starve themselves.
Tho we did get this email which is very encouraging
Hello ... I have struggled with anorexia and bulimia for more than half
of my life. Because of my struggle, I Have decided to start something
called "Young Esteem". I believe that in some weird way, society or the
media has told young people and adults that thin is good and perfect.
And its not the key to life.
http://unchick22.homestead.com/YoungEsteem.html ( website apparently no
longer active )
More on this subject: PlanetGrrl Babe -
Dying To Be Thin
http://www.btinternet.com/~virtuous/planetgrrlbabe/babearticles/dying_to_be_thin.htm
Copyright © 1998-2001 PlanetGrrl. All rights reserved. Revised: 08/02/00
Temple2 http://www.angelfire.com/il/surlsone
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