Pro-Ana Websites

In the previous article about pro ana web sites, we had discussed the emergence of the pro-ana movement and their subsequent presence and fade-out on the Internet. We discussed the different ways in which pro-ana websites operate, and also whether these sites were, in the final analysis, helpful or harmful. Besides these discussion points, we also discussed the different dangers that pro-ana websites posed for teenagers and children.

In this article, we will take a look at the psychological as well as cultural implications of the pro-ana movement. First, let us take a look at how anti-ana websites counter the impact of pro-ana tactics and jargon like thinspiration. At the end of this article, I will provide a list of common pro-ana terms and abbreviations, so the reader is familiar with the terms.

Thinspiration – Pro-Ana Versus Anti-Ana

We have already discussed what thinspiration is in the earlier article on pro-ana websites. To recap, thinspiration is a concept that encourages the idolization of anorexic people. It glorifies pictures and images of such people while ridiculing and mocking images of even healthy people. Fat people are the subject of extreme mockery, and images of such people are considered benchmarks for what pro-ana people should never turn out to be. This is highly ironic, given the fact that these people were never probably fat in the first place, and given their mindset, would never get fat ever.

To counter these moves by the pro-ana people, anti-ana groups have launched an initiative that urges avoiding any numerical representations while talking of weight, BMI, or other such related topics. Most of the anti-ana sites, i.e. sites that promote the acceptance of anorexia as a disorder by the patient, and provide support and other such related help to patients wanting to get into treatment and come out of being anorexics, have strictly enforced rules that prevent members and people posting at the sites from making any mention of calories lost, or BMI values, etc. In most cases, the offending text is just deleted. Sometimes violators are penalized, and repeat offenders can get barred from entering these sites.

The Impact of Pro-Ana Websites

At the very least, the pro-ana websites managed to create a stir, a buzz. They were something new. All along people were used to seeing websites denouncing anorexia and other related eating disorders, trying to tell the people how nasty things could turn out to be, if not handled firmly and properly. Now suddenly there were these websites that were telling them that it was okay to be anorexic. These sites were propagating the radical opposite of what they had been hearing so far. These sites were telling them that anorexia was more a lifestyle thing, than a health disorder.

This led to two radically opposite types of reactions. In some cases, it led to almost a heightened state of fear and paranoia. Parents were now bent on ensuring that their children did not visit these sites. The people became more wary of these sites, and toed the general line that these sites caused more damage than good.

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