Ana embodies nervous anorexia and is the protagonist of many blogs advocating ana – pro-ana.
The authors of such on-line secret diaries talk about Ana as if she was a dear friend, they defend her when she is attacked by outsiders and look up at her as a symbol of perfect beauty.
In reality, Ana is a serious illness that can lead to death and such blogs are extremely dangerous because they list detailed instructions on how to become anorexic with their authors supporting each other in the effort of achieving their ultimate goal: lose weight.
They teach how to vomit, give advice on which laxatives and diuretics to use, praise and admire those of them who are able to reject food and bad-mouth anybody who tries to make them aware that Ana is actually an illness and that they should look for help. The problem is that these blogs are easily accessible to everybody, especially those confused teenage girls in search for a solution to their complex adolescence related problems.
Rebecka Peebles, professor of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimora surveyed 180 blogs pro-anorexia (pro-ana) and is now launching a warning to the international community.
The survey published on the American Journal of Public Healthdescribes pro-ana diaries as being extremely worrying and dangerous especially because the information they contain is easily available and accessible to everybody with an internet connection: 80% of pro-ana web-sites have interactive applications – to count calories, for instance; 85% of them publishes pictures of extremely skinny and emaciated women to serve as a source of inspiration – called thinspiration; 83% suggests ways to loose weight quickly and gain complete control over the body until reaching the final goal of weighting 45 kilos or even less.
Lastly, 24% of such sites have been stamped as extremely dangerous for its readers.
It should be noted, however, that such web-sites are calls for help: “For many patients, internet becomes a tool to express their feelings rather than doing so through the most traditional healing methods, such as psychotherapy” explain the authors of the survey.
It is of paramount importance to explain teenage girls that being skinny does not equal being perfect and to promote beauty standards which start from and are all about being healthy.
the CITIZENS of FASHION 
If there’s an anti, there is always a pro. But I can’t believe that pro-anorexia sites that can possibly pollute the minds of the children, young women and even adults. More power on eradicating them~
Pingback: Dünn, dünner, Laufsteg?? | sunflower22a
Thank you for leading the way in this effort to expose the destructive results of marketing distorted messages of body image to our young people.
Yes, we can’t hear this message enough. Keep up the good work. I was exercise bulimic until I was in my mid-thirties. Still struggle…and I know younger women do. Your work can’t help but benefit all of us!
Are there really pro-anorexia sites???!!!
My deepest respects to you for this post and taking a stand …I hope this message spreads wide and far…good for you 🙂
Spot on! Beauty comes in different sizes, shapes, forms and colors and above all, comes from within and knowing who we are.
Thanks for posting this! Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia do terrible things to people everywhere. This mental health disorders shouldn’t be glorified or the image of glamour in any way. It’s a destruction to the mind and the body. The important thing is loving who you are and your body.
Much respect!
Recruiters outside Anorexia clinic in Stockholm, but they disappeared :-)))
A pity that eating disorders exist at all. Food is wonderful. Food is sharing. Food is nourishment. Food is health. Food is culture. I’m a fitness trainer, and I think my relationships with my friends who struggled with eating disorders pushed me in the direction of health and wellness in the first place.
Excelente trabajo e idea
Loving oneself is the source of true happiness….and TRUE love never involves the superficial, outer skin. It is found on the inside; written on the mind, heart, and soul. Well done on this entry CoF 🙂
The rain That, finding an increasing?Anything If If, has high PageRank.Thought Nature protects, ICAO is to.The tub afterwards September 2, an auction like tan for longer.The board and, fashioned wax paper.,
Thank you for this page.
And, thank you for following bigstoryguide.wordpress.com
As someone who has an unspecified eating disorder I find this page extremely hopeful. the difference between myself and most girls who go through it is that, though I’ve always had body image issues and a love hate relationship with food, most of my eating disorder has come on in my mid-late 20’s. I recognise that it is a mental health issue that I struggle with and it’s nice to see pages like this that are trying to show others that it is a problem, not a virtue.
Thanks for liking my blog.
Its such a sad reality check when you hear of people starving their bodies to look skinny for superficial reasons… It doesn’t make sense when theres so many countries starving to death wishing they weren’t so skinny
Growing up I was recognized with an eating disorder. I don’t know who is to blame, but the media certainly doesn’t help. In the constitution it states, ‘freedom of expression’, but what about the power of responsibility. When media loads images that can be harmful, from poor choices in editing to rape and gun-violence, where is the responsibility? We need to make better choices, how do we help our children do so when there is so much publicity to make wrong ones? Great blog, love to see more.
Wow! I had no idea that there were pro-anorexic sites that gloryfied being thin and causing young girls to do irreprehensible things to their bodies. I belive that anyone posting up any kind of material on the internet that advoctes the destruction and eventually the death of one of thier viwers should be held responsible! I’m glad that you posted up this information and for being apart of the crusade againt anorexia and the negative effects if has on young girls. For this site to be a fashion blog, this is revolutionary. Keep up the good work and many more people in the industry will follow! 🙂
wow, I can’t believe that websites like that actually exist.
Thank you for sharing – wow this is so dangerous and as a mother of a 13 year old daughter it is so concerning …the best thing we can do is educate our daughters and keep a close watch on their internet searches.
Absolutely indited articles , Really enjoyed examining .
Thank you very much for the information provided! I was researching for this data for a long time, but I wasn’t able to find a dependable source.
I got off with a verbal warning.
vOVlwxkg Valium
Wow , thank you nice post about shemales , I adore them and I hope you can quickly wrote some additional! Yet again thank you !
Pingback: Beauty is a Beach :6 of the world’s most unusual beaches ( Pressed from http://thecitizensoffashion.com) | Chista Note
Thank you for your stand on anorexia. And thank you for following my poetry blog.
Your stance on Anorexia in fashion is really admirable and my recent post about the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar commended Emma Woolf’s views on anorexia too. It’s a terrible disease and it’s great to have people on the internet willing to make a stand against what some people do in the name of ‘fashion, beauty and happiness’. Thanks for advocating your position and for following my blog. Love kate xxx
Thank you so much for bringing this to attention. I am a teenage girl and the “skinny equals perfect” attitude is rife at my school- girls compare themselves to their peers all the time and constantly talk about their weight and looks. I think it’s really important that this is brought to people’s attention- thank you for your stance! ❤
This is very true, teenage girls should strive for self confidence and self acceptance, not thinking being deathly thin is what will make them happy, nothing wrong with wanting to be slim and healthy, but there are ways to achieve that and feel strong and be fit, eating healthy unprocessed food, fruits and vegetables, fiber, whole grains, you can eat and be slim and feel healthy and strong, and have muscles instead of protruding bones, Girls need to learn there is different body types, and we dont have to all look the same to be thin and fit, I wont ramble on and on, as a woman we all go through not liking our bodies so if we can educate girls on the dangers of that,
Hi thanks for dropping by my blog and for the follow…I like your message. 🙂
Hear, hear! Thank you for this valuable message. It’s so sad that people should think of starving oneself to brink of illness as a means to achieve beauty. I wish you the best of luck in spreading the word! p.s.: thanks so much for following my blog – I will definitely be following yours!
I starved myself as a teenager, took laxative and diuretics, obsessively exercised for hours everyday……it was horrible and I was so unhealthy! I wish that I had had access to information such as this back then. Bravo to you for bringing this subject to the light of day!
Thank you for sharing this important message. I have a daughter who turned 13, so this hits pretty close to home. Also, thank you for visiting and following my blog awhile ago. Peace, love and light.
Those are some scary stats. I’ve struggled with weight my entire life and spent a small period anorexic/bulimic (thank goodness it didn’t last). My eight year old, who is lithe and without even an ounce of fat, recently expressed a concern about getting fat and I’ve watched her reduce the size of her lunch, or bring home more than half, claim to be not hungry, eat like a bird…WTF?? She’s EIGHT! Thank you for being a CoF and for fighting this terrible trend. I think I’ll join you. 🙂
It angers me to think that there are sites like this out there as if us as a society Male and Female do not have enough to deal with, unfortunately Anorexia is a part of life that people have to deal with, to promote it though is a mind boggling thought. Great article
Penso que esses tipos de sites deveriam ser banidos da WEB. Pois o público que eles atingem são exatamente os jovens que estão passando por fase de auto conhecimento, sem ainda saber o que realmente vale a pena.
Speaking from personal experience, a lot of those people are just unhappy and controlling what they eat is a manifestation of self loath. Food is not the enemy, it is fuel and keeps us healthy and strong. I hear all too often women berating themselves, using the F-word (fat) and comparing themselves to others. Everyone is different, everyone’s bodies are different shapes and sizes. As a culture, we need to embrace beauty and stop hating ourselves for not meeting an “ideal” yet unattainable standard.
Despite being in treatment off and on for many years, my beautiful niece is slowly dying from an eating disorder. Even though she now wants to live, her body is so ravaged, the health professionals offer little hope.
Thank you for following my main blog! And thank you for your stand against Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia! We have a teenager living with us now, as we help her through both of these issues. It’s a daily challenge, but worth it to see her muscle structure returning, her ability to enjoy cooking with me, and eating with us at the table. It was a cry for help, and we’re doing everything we can; with God’s help and wisdom (without it we’d be a bit lost as we’ve never dealt with something like this before ourselves…), we’re beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Her smile and sparkle in the eyes is back; that makes every challenge worth it.
Contrary to popular belief there is spirit behind this behavior. Turning to God in prayer and walking in his Spirit is the solution. Otherwise you give up one addiction for another one.
Thank you for taking a clear stance on this issue and stating that you “promote beauty standards that start from and are all about being healthy.” I couldn’t agree with you more. There’s no beauty in starving to death.
I love that you are raising awareness on this issue. I love that you are promoting health over beauty. I agree with you on every single point you made. Great job!
I’ve always disconsidered bloggers that promote de 45-47 kg! Usually the fashion bloggers tend to became extremely thin to fit well and “cool” in loose clothes! I think there’s nothing fashion in this! I’m definitely anti- anorexia!
I am sorry, but I just found out that you are following my blog. I read this page and I can’t believe that I’ve missed it for so long. I support your cause and I am willing to spread this word. How can I help you?
Pro Ana sites should be taken down by the website hosts. They are written by people who are ill. They are destructive and they can be triggering for people who are recovering from Ana …..and recovery can take many many years. Having a child with an ED is really tough….if your child (regardless of age) is promoting Ana it is just plain wrong. They are dangerous particularly to the young. Keep up the good work.
Pingback: Vogue Japan Gioiello January 2015 : Brand New Day | #shyamis