Anorexia Nervosa & Pro Ana

-Sonja Cerviani

Definition of an Eating Disorder

1) The refusal to maintain body weight over a minimal weight for age and height

2) Having an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though under weight

Defined by the American Psychiatric Association

..Definition of an Eating Disorder

3) A disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight, size, or shape is experienced

4) In females, the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles

• All of these characteristics are factors that can lead to severe damage of ones health. If an eating disorder is left untreated for long periods of time, serious complications and even death can occur.

What is Pro Ana/Mia?• A term many acknledge to mean the encouragement of anorexia nervosa as a way to live your life rather than an eating disorder.

• Pro Ana (anorexia) and Pro Mia (bulimia) websites are targeted towards people who believe that Anorexia is the only way to live and that anorexia/bulimia is the right lifestyle for them.

Pro AnaPro-Ana has become almost a social movement among some girls. Some of these websites show images that depict skinny celebrities as “thinspirations,” images in which people can set a goal too.

Some websites try to normalize anorexia try to normalize anorexia for people. Their website says “our website is to help those who are wanting to become anorexic, and for those who are feeling weak”. Where “weak” means caving into hunger and eating.

This image, taken off a pro ana website, shows what a lot of girls are actually going though. Pro ana websites have blogs and forums where girls can post comments. From my research I found that many people treat anorexia like it is their best friend because no one else understands them.

However, they often are just exchanging tips and tricks on how to curve hunger.

Cult like Feel?Pro-Ana websites have sections about religion. These sections contain “prayers to Ana” and they actually turn anorexia into a religion.

Followers of “Ana” (anorexia) who girls often turn into a goddess is worshiped.

“People pray to Ana to make them skinny,”

-Sara (msnbc.com)Girls wear red beaded bracelets to show their support for Ana.

Just for Females?

• Dr. Peeples specializes in eating disorders at Stanford University.

• She has also found that most visitors were female but there are also many sites that are geared towards males.

• Her studies have shown that 96% of people who have visited these sites have learned new weight loss/purging techniques.

• There are tons of rehabilitation clinics that specialize just in dealing with eating disorders.

• Left untreated, the emotional, psychological and physical consequences of an eating disorder can be devastating, even fatal.

There is Help

What is the Future of Pro Ana?

• Pro Ana evolves with the culture of young teens

• Over the years Pro-Ana has gone from just websites to becoming more focused on sites such

as YouTube and Facebook. • The use of Pro-Ana/Mia influences this illness

and troubled behavior by providing its viewers with “helpful” tricks.

• Eating disorders are not only deadly illnesses but they are also immense psychological disorders. They affect your body, your mind, your behavior, and also affect others around you.

Warning…

Graphic Pictures!

In the Fashion World

Popular Celebriti

es

In Real Life.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Anorexia+pro+ana&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#q=Anorexia+pro+ana&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f&start=10

Channel 3 News Report

Dying To Be Thin.