Word: anorexia
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...Obsession with ThinNess >Kris' Pro-anorexia Web Site >The Bloody Brick Road >Yahoo club: Anorexia for Beginners >Yahoo club: Purging Anorexia...
...anorexics. For eating disorder educators, the very language of the sites can provide invaluable hints into a troubled psyche. "I think some of these sites are worded in a way that indicates the hosts do want help," says Vivian Meehan, president and founder of the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, or ANAD. "They?re putting themselves out there. But then they also put up a defense against it. Don?t come on the site if you?re only interested in putting us down...
...That psychology plays out almost to the letter on one of the most visible pro-anorexia sites (or "pro-ana," as devotees call them), known as "My Goddess Ana." Accused in the press of perpetuating a deadly disease, the site?s 20-year-old creator offers this reply. "The opening page of the site clearly stipulates that the content of the site is Pro-Anorexic and should not be viewed by those who are in recovery or are thinking about recovery, or who, indeed, do not suffer from an ED. If you are reading this as an objector...
...Please," the warning continues, "if you do not already have an eating disorder, turn back now. If you are in recovery, turn back now. Anorexia is a deadly disease. It is not to be taken lightly." It 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...
...other words, if you?re a young woman on the verge of anorexia, and you visit this site and read the warning, chances are you?re going to see it as a dare. Think of anorexia as the negative marathon of eating disorders: If it were easy, everyone would do it, and then what kind of cachet would it have...