Weak Arguments

I’ve been reading through interviews between the media and creators of pro-ana sites, and the reasoning behind using the sites is simply illogical. The two major arguments are 1- they are logging on to keep themselves thin, thus they are not hurting anyone else, and 2- the disclaimers often displayed at the homepage advise those attempting to recover and those without eating disorders to not continue on to the website.

Well, as discussed in the previous post, this first argument is just flat out false. Your efforts to stay thin are no longer only YOUR efforts. Once you employ the use of the Internet, you are opening the door for anyone and everyone to take part in and be influenced by what you post. There are over 400 pro-ana and pro-mia websites dedicated to collecting individuals who can add negative thoughts and emotions to the forums so that they can feel “less alone” and “more in control”.

In a Time article written by Jessica Reaves, called Anorexia Goes High Tech, Reaves further explains the issue with this initial argument. “Most of the minds visiting these sites are not exactly in peak psychological condition.” She goes on to point out how the majority of those using pro-ana sites are extremely vulnerable and looking for a place where others can relate to their feelings of depression and angst. Reaves notes, “Recent studies indicate that 85% of anorexics experience the first onset of the illness by age 20—researchers have noted a marked increase of cases in the 8-11-year-old range over the past five years.”

This research only emphasizes one of the major points I have been trying to make. These websites are reaching far more than the creators are making it seem. As Reaves also points out in her article, “kids in that [8-11] range are also spending more and more time in front of computers….a trend that leaves them especially susceptible to the proliferation of pro-anorexia sites.”

The second argument is actually quite ironic. I think the disclaimers add a nice touch to the pro-ana pages, in that rather than deterring hopeful anorexics away, it actually lures them in. The disclaimer on the homepage gives the websites a sick sort of legitimacy, as if to say, “do not come in here unless you are serious about losing weight.”

Reaves explains the legitimacy of these “warnings”:

“It [the disclaimers] sounds like good, responsible advice—until you consider the effects of a warning like that on the psychology of anorexia. People, especially young women, suffering from anorexia tend to be perfectionists dead set on gaining approval. They want to smooth down all the rough edges, make sure everyone (except themselves) is happy, be exactly the kind of person everyone expects them to be. It’s a very tough mindset to maintain, and you can only do it if you’re willing to suffer (which anorexics are only too happy to do) and if you can be strong in the face of adversity…. In other words, if you’re a young woman on the verge of anorexia, and you visit the site and read the warning, chances are you’re going to see it as a dare.”

There is no doubt in my mind that the creators of these sites are well aware of the vulnerability of an individual desperate to lose weight. I do not think the daring disclaimers or high popularity of the websites are any accident or coincidence. These individuals are purposely seeking out others who can make them feel better about the fact that they are making themselves sick. If you want to keep yourself sick, find, but don't do it in an arena where you are seducing susceptible people into a world of sickness and pain simply to make yourself feel better.