Nombre de document(s) : 50 Date de création : 16 avril 2014 Créé par

Transcription

Nombre de document(s) : 50
Date de création : 16 avril 2014
Créé par : TELECOM-PARISTECH
Instagram follows Tumblr, Pinterest; bans self-harm posts
Blogs - Science and technology - CNET.com - 21 avril 2012............................................................................. 5
A tragic teen suicide can't be blamed on Tumblr
Blogs - News - The Daily Dot - 28 janvier 2014................................................................................................. 6
Tumblr's Thinspo Ban Could Actually, Horribly, Make Pro-Ana Sites More Accessible
[Weighty Matters]
Blogs - News - Jezebel - 7 juillet 2012................................................................................................................ 9
Even as Obesity Soars, Anorexia Remains a Huge Issue for Teen Girls
Blogs - Science and technology - Gear Diary - 11 janvier 2013........................................................................ 10
Ultra-thin
The Western Star (Corner Brook) - 18 avril 2008.............................................................................................. 12
France first to tackle fashion's love of 'thin'
The Fredericton Daily Gleaner - 16 avril 2008.................................................................................................. 14
France targets promotion of ultra-thinness; Anti-a
The Chronicle-Herald - 16 avril 2008................................................................................................................ 16
Pro-anorexia movement flourishes online for those looking for 'thinspiration'
The Whitehorse Star - 27 juillet 2004................................................................................................................ 17
Thinspiration and pro-ana sites perpetuate eating disorders
Blogs - Health - Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - 20 juillet 2010.................................................................... 19
Web Sites Celebrate a Deadly Thinness
The New York Times - 7 juin 2005................................................................................................................... 20
Tumblr Takes a Stand Against Self-Mutilation, Pro-Ana Sites by Banning Them
1
Blogs - Media - The Mary Sue - 23 février 2012............................................................................................... 22
Mince alors!
Le Devoir - 20 août 2001................................................................................................................................... 24
Before Spring Break, The Anorexic Challenge
The New York Times - 2 avril 2006.................................................................................................................. 26
Deadly advice
The Western Star (Corner Brook) - 21 juin 2010............................................................................................... 30
83% of pro-eating disorder sites have 'overt' tips on practising behaviour: study
The Canadian Press - 17 juin 2010..................................................................................................................... 32
Pro Ana Sites Under Attack by Media
Blogs - Finance - Business 2 Community.com - 10 juillet 2012....................................................................... 34
Pro-ana debate on My Crime Space
Blogs - Health - Breaking the Mirror - 17 décembre 2008................................................................................ 36
Web Sites Likely Contributing to High Anorexia Death Rate, According to Timberline
Knolls
PR Newswire US - 2 juillet 2010....................................................................................................................... 37
Despite social media bans of "pro-ana" websites, pages persist
Blogs - News - CBS News - 28 mars 2012........................................................................................................ 39
Is There a Silver Lining to Otherwise Awful Pro-Ana 'Thinspo' Blogs? [Weighty Matters]
Blogs - News - Jezebel - 20 août 2012............................................................................................................... 41
Struggling With Anorexia on the Web
The New York Times (blogs) - Well - 12 octobre 2012.................................................................................... 42
IU RESEARCHERS INTERVIEW PRO-ANOREXIC BLOGGERS FOR
GROUNDBREAKING NEW STUDY
States News Services - 20 août 2012.................................................................................................................. 44
Opening our eyes to pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites
Blogs - Health - Health Business Blog - 21 juin 2010....................................................................................... 47
Pinterest Bans Thinspiration And Pro-Ana Content...But That Doesn't Mean That It's
Going Away
Blogs - Health - Blisstree - 27 mars 2012.......................................................................................................... 49
[Stick figures or sick figures? Websites that advocate eating disorders worry health experts
Story by Alana Semuels Illustration by Daniel Marsula Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pictures of
sickly thin models and]
The Lethbridge Herald - 15 septembre 2005...................................................................................................... 51
'You can't save people from themselves'
Victoria Advocate (TX) - 15 décembre 2008..................................................................................................... 54
A Secret Society of the Starving
The New York Times - 8 septembre 2002......................................................................................................... 55
True Story: I've Been Using Pro-Ana Websites For Over A Decade
Blogs - Health - Blisstree - 2 mars 2012............................................................................................................ 61
2
'Have a skinny day': Buoyed by technology and the promise of anonymity, pro-anorexics
flock to Web sites to reach others
The Telegram (St. John's) - 9 août 2001............................................................................................................ 63
Eating disorder sites can have negative impact
Victoria Advocate (TX) - 15 décembre 2008..................................................................................................... 65
Biting back As pro-eating disorder Web sites emerge, so does the backlash
Albuquerque Journal (NM) - 9 mars 2009......................................................................................................... 67
Pro-Ana Sites Are Just The Tip Of Eating Disorders On The Internet
Blogs - Health - Blisstree - 1 mars 2012............................................................................................................ 70
Websites selling 'pro-ana' bracelets concern eating disorder specialists
CBC (blogs) - 31 mars 2014............................................................................................................................... 72
Pro-Anorexia Groups Spread to Facebook
Blogs - Health - Dare To Dream - 22 mai 2010................................................................................................. 74
[Chiffres L'anorexie mentale touche 1 % de la population adolescente en France avec 2 500
nouveaux cas par an.]
Paris-Normandie - 1 juillet 2008........................................................................................................................ 76
Anorexie : comment la loi a éclipsé la charte
CB News - 21 avril 2008.................................................................................................................................... 77
Quand la pub s'empare de l'anorexie
Les Echos - 8 octobre 2007................................................................................................................................ 79
GUERRE À L'ANOREXIE
Le Figaro - 27 janvier 2007................................................................................................................................ 81
Les députés entrent en guerre contre les défenseurs de l'anorexie
Sud Ouest - 16 avril 2008................................................................................................................................... 82
Est-ce qu'une loi suffira contre les sites «pro-ana» ?
Libération - 16 avril 2008................................................................................................................................... 83
«Chaque cas est différent»
Sud Ouest - 20 mai 2008.................................................................................................................................... 85
Punir les incitations à l'anorexie, une proposition de loi en débat à l'Assemblée
AFP - Journal Internet AFP (français) - 15 avril 2008....................................................................................... 87
Les auteurs des blogs « pro-ana » s'estiment victimes de censure
Le Monde - 22 avril 2008................................................................................................................................... 92
Les sites internet favorisent l'anorexie mais ne sont pas à l'origine de la maladie
AFP - Journal Internet AFP (français) - 16 avril 2008....................................................................................... 94
L'incitation à l'anorexie devient un délit
Le Figaro - 16 avril 2008.................................................................................................................................... 96
Comment les réseaux sociaux façonnent nos pratiques alimentaires ?
NewsPress (français) - 4 décembre 2012........................................................................................................... 97
Les fans de l'anorexie servent leur soupe sur le Web
Libération - 20 août 2001................................................................................................................................... 99
3
Les nouvelles anorexiques d'aujourd'hui, par trois élèves de 4e D
Ouest-France - 11 juin 2009............................................................................................................................. 101
«Je ne me sens pas malade»
Libération - 16 avril 2008................................................................................................................................. 102
Les "pro-ana" sur le Web, entre apologie de l'anorexie et soutien aux malades
Le Monde.fr - 15 avril 2008............................................................................................................................. 103
4
Blogs - Science and technology - CNET.com
Saturday, 21 April 2012
Instagram follows Tumblr, Pinterest; bans self-harm posts
Edward Moyer
Apr 21, 2012 - Instagram, the popular
online photo-sharing service that was
recently bought by Facebook for $1
billion, is banning images and
accounts that condone "self-harm"
behavior such as embracing eating
disorders,
cutting
oneself,
or
committing suicide.
Apr 21, 2012 - In a blog post Friday,
the company said the following:
Apr 21, 2012 - Going forward, we
won't allow accounts, images, or
hashtags dedicated to glorifying,
promoting, or encouraging self-harm.
Should users come across content of
that nature, we recommend flagging
the photo or flagging the user as a
"Terms of Service" violation for our
Support team to review.
It is important to note that this
guideline does not extend to accounts
created to constructively discuss, or
document personal experiences that
show any form of self-harm where the
intention is recovery or open
discussion.
While
we
strongly
encourage people to seek help for
themselves or loved ones who are
suffering,
we
understand
the
importance of communication as a
form of support, in order to create
awareness and to assist in recovery.
Related stories Tumblr tackles proanorexia and suicide blogs Facebook
throws potentially suicidal users a
Lifeline Should pro-anorexia sites be
banned?
In late February, blogging site Tumblr
banned self-harm blogs, saying "We
are deeply committed to supporting
and defending our users' freedom of
speech, but we do draw some limits."
It also said it will show public service
© 2012 Blogs - Science and technology ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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5
warnings when people search for tags
such
as
"anorexia,"
"bulimia,"
"thinspiration," and "purging."
In March, Pinterest followed suit with
its own ban.
Late last year, the National Eating
Disorders
Association
launched
Proud2Bme, a site designed to be a
positive
alternative
to
online
thinspiration and pro-anorexia/probulimia -- or "thinspo" and "proana"/"pro-mia" -- postings. And in
December, the National Suicide
Prevention LifeLine teamed with
Facebook on a service that lets users
of the social network click a link to
begin a live chat with a suicide
counselor or to report posts that might
indicate suicidal behavior.
Blogs - News - The Daily Dot
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
A tragic teen suicide can't be blamed on Tumblr
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw
Jan 28, 2014 - In October 2012, the
tragic death of British schoolgirl
Tallulah Wilson became the latest in a
string
of
social
media-related
suicides.
Jan 28, 2014 - Unable to find support
among her real-world peer group,
Wilson had turned to Tumblr to
express her feelings of self-loathing.
When her mother found photos she'd
posted of her self-harm scars, her
blog was shut down. One day later, on
Oct. 14, 2012, she took her own life
by stepping onto the train tracks at St.
Pancras Station in London.
Last week, an inquest into Wilson's
death brought the case to the attention
of the British media once again. At 15
years old, she was a talented ballet
dancer who struggled with depression
and eating disorders, eventually
becoming obsessed with blogging
about self-harm and suicide. In a
statement to the press on Wednesday,
her mother, Sarah Wilson, described
Tallulah as being "in the clutches of a
toxic digital world" and urged
advertisers to withdraw from any
website that included material that
appeared to promote suicide or selfharm.
Could Tumblr really have done more
to protect a vulnerable teen from
dangerous influences online? Or does
this sad instance illustrate the need to
better educate parents about the
places and interactions their kids
experience online?
In February 2012 , Tumblr announced
that it would be altering its content
policy to include rules that actively
combated
"the
promotion
or
glorification of self-harm." By the
beginning of March , the policy was
already in place. Pro-self-harm
content is forbidden on the site, and
when searching phrases such as
"suicide," "anorexia," "thinspiration"
or "self-harm," users are now
confronted with a pop-up message
with
links
to
counseling
and
prevention resources . Tumblr also
provides an anonymous chat services,
which younger users might feel more
comfortable with using. Users who
post inappropriate content face having
their blogs deleted and their IP
addresses blocked from using the site
again.
Tumblr made its intentions clear in a
followup post addressing users'
concerns:
"While we won't allow blogs
dedicated to triggering self-harm, we
will not act against blogs engaged in
discussion, support, encouragement,
and documenting the experiences of
those dealing with difficult conditions
like anorexia, bulimia, and other
forms of self-injury. We absolutely
want Tumblr to be a place where
people
struggling
with
these
behaviors can find solace, community,
dialog, understanding, and hope."
Screencap via Tumblr
In response to the Tallulah Wilson
inquest last week, a spokeswoman
6
from Tumblr said that Wilson and her
family were "in the thoughts of
Tumblr and its employees." She went
on
to
highlight
Tumblr's
understanding of the issue of selfharm and suicide-related content.
"Issues of depression and self-harm
are
extremely
challenging,
particularly in online environments
that
encourage
self-expression.
Tumblr has policies to address the
most harmful of this content, and we
have systems in place to direct users
to appropriate resources for getting
whatever help they may need. We are
committed to continually improving
our ability to act on self-harm
content, and also to keeping Tumblr a
positive, supportive environment for
those individuals dealing with issues
of depression and self-harm."
In the British press, coverage of the
Tallulah Wilson inquest was often
accompanied by headlines mentioning
" suicide blogs ," " online
nightmares ," and Tumblr. But as in
with most cases of teen suicide, there
was no simple answer to the question
of why such a talented and promising
young girl would decide to take her
own life.
Photo
solotudavantiagliocchi- /Tumblr
via
Four months before the death of
Tallulah Wilson, the British media
was focusing on a very similar case of
teen suicide, that of Rosie Whitaker, a
15-year-old girl who walked onto the
train tracks near her home in SouthEast London.
Like Wilson, Whitaker was a talented
amateur ballet dancer who struggled
with self-harm and body image issues,
which led to her visiting "pro-ana"
(pro-anorexia) sites where people
would share advice on extreme weight
loss techniques. Both girls attended
the same dance school, the Place, and
while they are not thought to have
known each other, Sarah Wilson
described her daughter as being
"obsessed" with media coverage of
Whitaker's suicide.
Whitaker's
family
blamed
the
influence of pro-ana websites and
planned to launch a campaign to
spread awareness of the issue, with
her mother saying , "It appears
[Rosie] was, unfortunately, heavily
influenced by websites and online
communities promoting self-harm and
suicide. We hope her tragic death
serves as a warning to other
impressionable youngsters and their
parents that such sites pose grave
risks."
Photo via feelinlitfeelinfine /Tumblr
As with many high-profile cases of
social media-related suicide, the lines
between cause and symptom were
blurred. Whitaker had already been
treated for an eating disorder and had
been struggling with mental illness
for several months, often blogging
about her thoughts of suicide and selfloathing. Similarly, Tallulah Wilson
was assessed to be "severely
depressed" when she met with a
psychiatrist in May 2012.
The day before Tallulah took her own
life, her mother discovered details of
her activity on Tumblr, including
photographs of her daughter self-
harming. Tallulah had created a
cocaine-using fantasy online persona
as a kind of escapism, gaining
thousands of followers, including
some who her mother suspected were
comparing their self-harm scars.
"She said she had 18,000 people who
loved her for who she was online,"
said Sarah Wilson. "She told me she
was finally happy, she didn't think she
could have friends in the real world."
Horrified by what her daughter had
been posting, she shut down the
Tumblr account, hoping to protect her
daughter from the self-harm images
she had seen online. The next day,
Tallulah was driven to a dance class
but did not attend and was later found
to have jumped in front of a train at
London's St. Pancras station.
On Jan. 22, 2014, the inquest into
Tallulah Wilson's death was closed,
inspiring a new burst of media
attention as tabloids began to post
portraits of her posing with her guitar,
coupled with headlines about the
dangers of the Internet. Her mother's
heartbreaking press statements told
the story of someone who was
helpless in the face of a relative's
mental illness, trying and failing to
get effective professional help as her
daughter slipped away into "a world
where the lines between fantasy and
reality became blurred."
Photo
via
friends /Tumblr
go-tell-all-your-
Sadly, it all feels very familiar: the
media narrative of a teenager with
their whole life ahead of them, driven
to suicide by online influences. In
2013, social media site Ask.fm
became
notorious
after
seven
teenagers
committed
suicide
following reports of cyberbullying on
7
the site. But while stories of
cyberbullying and harassment usually
have a clear villain on which to attach
the blame, situations such as Tallulah
Wilson's highlight a more complex
issue. In short, many teens feel that
sites like Tumblr are the only place
they
can
safely
discuss
their
problems.
In the case of Tallulah Wilson and
Rosie Whitaker, the media coverage
seemed to focus on three things: their
creative talent and promise as
dancers, the obvious inaccuracy of
their belief that they were fat or ugly,
and their habit of frequenting selfharm blogs. In the rush to discuss the
dangers of teen-friendly blogging
services like Tumblr, the fact that
both girls had recently been treated
for serious mental illnesses was
mentioned almost as an afterthought.
The problem is, the decision to ban
vulnerable teens from social media
puts parents between a rock and a
hard place. While the dangers of proana blogs and self-harm communities
are clear, sometimes the lines are
blurred between harmful content and
real support groups that might
actually help with a person's recovery.
After all, many teenagers turn to sites
like Tumblr to find friends and
emotional support because they feel
isolated at school or at home.
There are thriving Tumblr support
communities for transgender teens ,
those struggling with mental illness ,
and just about everything else you can
imagine. Cutting teens off from their
online life and such support circles
might actually do more harm than
good.
Tumblr blogger piratemoggy , who
often writes about teen culture and
mental illness, wrote a lengthy
response to the media coverage
surrounding the Tallulah Wilson
inquest. In it, she speaks of her own
issues with depression and eating
disorders as a teenager and how being
cut off from her blog would not have
been the right solution.
"When I was younger, I was fairly
heavily into doing a lot of ballet and
not eating food... When I was at
university, I discovered 'thinspo'
communities on Livejournal- groups
of
people
exacerbating
their
conditions by staring longingly at
emaciated bodies. It's warped. It's
sick. It's not the website's fault. ...
"What I needed, more than anything,
was to get better. I didn't need my
livejournal shutting down, I definitely
didn't need cutting off from the only
places where I talked about the
condition, I needed access to services
that would help me get better. I
needed my mental illness to be taken
seriously, even though I was a teenage
girl."
Tumblr understands the complexity of
the issue. "We're not under the
illusion that it will be easy to draw
the line between blogs that are
intended to trigger self-harm and
those that support sufferers and build
community," the company wrote in
February 2012.
Indeed, the jury at the Tallulah
Wilson inquest seemed to reinforce
that thought, emphasizing the need to
better understand an online culture
that is often only accessed by teens.
"This case has highlighted the
importance of online life for young
people," they said. "We all have a
responsibility
to
gain
better
© 2014 Blogs - News ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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8
understanding of this. This is a
particular challenge for healthcare
professionals and educators."
Instead of buying into the idea that
every social media service is a hive of
cyberbullying,
harassment,
and
inappropriate content, parents and
teenagers need to educate each other
about how to stay safe online-and how
to seek reputable help for mental
illness. Sometimes online activity can
help, and sometimes it can hurt. But
demonizing social media is not going
to solve the problem.
Illustration by Jason Reed
Related stories from The Daily Dot
This tiny Tumblr tweak may finally
let users have a conversation After 7
teen suicides, Ask.fm finally wants to
rein in bullies Tumblr's mental health
community is empathetic, hilarious,
and thriving
Blogs - News - Jezebel
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Tumblr's Thinspo Ban Could Actually, Horribly, Make Pro-Ana Sites More Accessible [Weighty
Matters]
Anna Breslaw
Jul 07, 2012 - Although back in
March blog and image hosting
services Tumblr and Pinterest did
their best to dump Raid on the
insidious
pro-ana,
pro-mia
"thinspiration" community, individual
domains like Skinny Gossip-run by an
anonymous woman who "has done
some modeling" and "now works in
the
fashion
and
entertainment
industries"-remain intact for former
Tumblr/Pinterest
pro-ana
reader
migration. Posts and categories (to
which I am not linking for a number
of reasons, among them the insanely
high read they provoke on my
discomfort/sadness scale) include
"Fat Pride Burns My Hide," a
takedown of a body-image awareness
spread featuring plus-size models,
and "Starving Tip Of the Day."
Jul 07, 2012 - An item on the
website's FAQ reads, "Is this a proana site?" The response:
Jul 07, 2012 - No. This is a proskinny site. People who have illnesses
of any kind shouldn't be here - they
should be seeking professional help
and working to get well.
Yup. Logic.
Judging by its content, sites like these
(and, unfortunately, this isn't the only
one
of
its
kind)
are
less
"thinspirational" as, say, a Pinterest
board would have been pre-ban; while
those were heavy on no-name highfashion images, these are more like
versions of a mainstream gossip-snark
site, with about 80% of its content
focused on slamming celebrity women
for perceived weight gain or poor diet
choices rather than highlighting
women of a "acceptable" weight to be
praised.
So what does this mean, aside from
the threat that the users with nowhere
to go post-ban will transition to
domain sites instead? Link-bait. A
simple Google search of "kate upton"
or "lindsay lohan" could open
Pandora's box for someone who just
news·20120707·NBNE·GAWK-101003-13416942509872857800 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
9
wanted to look at Lohan's Marilyn
Monroe-inspired photo shoot or
Upton's Carl's Jr. ads from a few
months ago (both of which are
featured on the site with precisely the
commentary you'd expect, if not more
vicious.)
Upton, who has been referred to as
"the most Googled woman in the
world" and appears on the list of top
Trends each time she has posed for a
magazine cover in the last six months
(and sometimes just when she dances
awkwardly for Terry Richardson) is
called "thick and vulgar" and "a
cannibal" by the site for consuming a
burger in the photo shoot.
'She looks thick and vulgar': Proanorexia website brands Kate Upton a
'cannibal' following Carl's Jr. burger
commercial' [Daily Mail]
Image via Fatseyeva/Shutterstock
Blogs - Science and technology - Gear Diary
Friday, 11 January 2013
Even as Obesity Soars, Anorexia Remains a Huge Issue for Teen Girls
Michael Anderson
Jan 11, 2013 - I didn't think myself
naive when I started my first real
engineering job nearly a quarter
century ago, yet I was quickly
introduced to several new terms by a
fellow engineer a couple years older
than me. I learned the term 'MILF',
and also the expression 'mind the gap'
which referred to the space between a
woman's upper thighs indicating she
was thin and had proportionally wide
hips.
Neither
or
these
were
particularly respectful terms nor
anything I would ever find myself
using, but sadly they were two of the
kindest expressions that I recall
hearing
from
this
engineer
(misogynist and sexist don't begin to
cover it). Anyway, that was my
context for 'mind the gap' ...
Jan 11, 2013 - Over the holiday break
I encountered an article talking about
difficulties at image sharing sites
such as Pinterest dealing with eating
disorder relating groups. As someone
who lost nearly 100 pounds in the last
year the term 'thinspiration' sounded
great to me ... until I saw the images
associated with it! The terms 'Pro
Ana' (for anorexia) were terribly
shocking ... but nothing in writing
prepares you for the ghastly pictures
of these young women (because it IS a
predominantly female problem) who
have starved themselves beyond
recognition. Apparently 'mind the
gap'
now
involves
becoming
underweight
to
the
point
of
maximizing the gap between your
thighs regardless of your hips of body
type.
"stupid body", "fat cow", "starve bitch
starve" and the list goes on and on.
It isn't just Pinterest, they were just
the last to adopt new content rules
prohibiting Pro Ana groups. Other
sites such as Tumblr already have
such rules in place, or like Instagram
have warnings in place for when you
search certain tags.
One photo was just of a handwritten
note that said "Don't eat. You're fat"
over and over again on it; friends
commenting things like, "We can do it
together!"
In the last couple of days the topic
has come up again at HelloGiggles
and more disturbingly at BuzzFeed.
Each points to the rampant increase in
the content in spite of the rules from
the sites, with HelloGiggles noting:
Instagram, the popular social media
photo-sharing app, has recently
brought a very serious issue to light.
It seems that some people (mostly
teenaged females) have been using the
photo service to share ideas and
images that are pro anorexia. Using
hashtags like #Ana and #Thinspo,
Instagram has started posting a
warning message when you search for
one of those tags which basically says
that you are about to see graphic
content and lists a website for eating
disorder support. Once you click "see
images", a sea of images bombards
you. Over 306,000 and counting for
#Ana alone.
I decided to take a look at what
exactly was happening. What I found
made me feel viscerally ill. There are
girls motivating one another not to
eat.
Posting
photographs
of
themselves with protruding hipbones
and rib cages saying things like
10
Over at BuzzFeed they look at how
weight loss programs and sellers are
specifically TARGETING these ProAna keywords on social sites in order
to push their goods. Here is some of
what they have to say:
A
company
selling
weight-loss
products on the internet has begun to
directly target teenagers with eating
disorders using Tumblr, pushing its
"system" on girls participating in the
online "pro-ana" subculture that
encourages anorexia and bulimia.
Tumblr (and Pinterest) have grappled
with how to handle its pro-ana
community, and both ban the content,
deleting it when it's brought to their
attention.
But ads for FatLossFactor.com, a site
that sells a weight loss program,
continue to be posted by stock
accounts against targeted keywords
(tags)
associated
with
pro-ana
content, like "thinspo" and "starve,"
so they appear beside images of
extremely thin young women.
The ads are targeted by someone with
an intimate knowledge of how the
pro-ana Tumblr community works,
exploiting the types of tags popular
among young women encouraging one
another in eating disorders, and
targeting the ultra-thin images they
find most appealing. In many
instances, the ads are reblogged by
others in the community, amplifying
the ad's message further. Some of the
ads are also tagged with keywords
like "scars," targeting at self-harming
teens as well.
Looking
at
the
program
(FatLossFactor), BuzzFeed finds that
it really doesn't stand out in too many
ways from the other myriad weight
loss schemes - they push their service
through a variety of advertising
methods, bombard social media, and
even (like the infamous MyPadMedia)
associate positive reviews with web
searches for 'FatLossFactor scam'.
The site uses affiliate marketing
methods who are incented to drive
traffic regardless of the methods.
The other truly disturbing thing is the
association of 'cutting' with the ProAna groups. It is (unfortunately) not
surprising, as both of these things are
more related to control than anything
else ... but it is tremendously sad to
think of beautiful young women doing
such damage to themselves. Both of
my high school aged boys know girls
who either had eating disorders or
who have engaged in cutting or other
self-distructive behavior. It is horrible
for them to have watched these
friends in such terrible states, and I
© 2013 Blogs - Science and technology ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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11
can only imagine the impact on the
girls and their families.
These groups have been around longer
than the internet, and those looking
for them will eventually find them.
But with social media and visual
social media in particular, the ability
for these ideas and images to
propagate quickly is easier than ever.
And ... more dangerous. If you have
kids, even in elementary school, it
isn't too early to start talking to them
about body image and reinforcing that
beauty comes from within, not
according
to
a
scale
or
(Photoshopped)
magazine
image.
Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes.
The Western Star (Corner Brook)
Health, Friday, 18 April 2008, p. 21
Ultra-thin
New French bill takes aim at those who glamorize the condition
Devorah Lauter
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS - In image-conscious France,
it may soon be a crime to glamorize
the ultra-thin.
PARIS - A new French bill cracks
down on websites that advise
anorexics on how to starve - and
could be used to hit fashion industry
heavyweights, too.
PARIS - The groundbreaking bill,
adopted Tuesday by parliament's
lower house, recommends fines of up
to $71,000 and three-year prison
sentences
for
offenders
who
encourage "extreme thinness."
It goes to the Senate in the coming
weeks.
Critics said the bill is too vague about
whom it is targeting and doesn't even
clearly define "extreme thinness."
If passed, the law would be the
strongest of its kind anywhere,
fashion industry experts said.
It is the latest measure proposed after
the 2006 anorexia-linked death of
Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston
prompted efforts throughout the
fashion industry to address the health
repercussions of ultra-thin models.
Doctors and psychologists treating
patients with anorexia nervosa - a
disorder characterized by an extreme
fear of becoming overweight welcomed the French effort, but said
anorexia's link with media images
remains hazy.
For the bill's backers, the message
behind the measure is important
enough.
The
bill's
author,
conservative
legislator Valery Boyer, said she
wanted to encourage discussion about
women's health and body image.
Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot
said websites that encourage young
girls to starve should not be protected
by freedom of expression.
So-called "pro-ana" - for pro-anorexia
- sites and blogs have flourished in
the United States and beyond, often
hosted by adolescents sharing stories
of how they deprive their bodies of
nourishment.
French
politicians
and
fashion
industry
members
signed
a
nonbinding charter last week on
promoting healthier body images.
In 2007, Spain banned from catwalks
models whose body mass-to-height
ratio is below 18.
Bill author Boyer said such measures
did not go far enough.
Her bill has focused attention on proanorexia websites that give advice on
how to eat an apple a day - and
nothing else.
12
The sites claim to provide emotional
support for people who want to
become anorexic.
Photos of waif-like celebrities are
given as "Thinspirations" on one blog,
along with a list of advice on "how to
skip meals."
The site's host writes that she is not
yet 15.
Boyer said in a telephone interview
that her proposed legislation would
enable a judge to sanction those
responsible for a magazine photo of a
model whose "thinness altered her
health."
"That is the objective of this text,"
she said, without specifying who in
particular might be prosecuted.
"The
socio-cultural
and
media
environment seems to favour the
emergence of troubled nutritional
behaviour, and that is why I think it
necessary to act," she said.
Boyer insisted she wasn't out to
punish
models
or
anorexics
themselves. The bill would make it
illegal to "provoke a person to seek
excessive weight loss by encouraging
prolonged nutritional deprivation that
would have the effect of exposing
them to risk of death or directly
compromise health."
It calls for prison terms of up to two
years and fines of up to $47,000 for
offenders, with punishment increasing
to three years in prison and a $71,000
fine in cases where a victim dies of an
eating disorder.
Socialist Catherine Coutelle said the
bill was introduced too quickly - less
than two weeks ago, on April 3 - to
allow for thorough discussion before
Tuesday's vote.
Legislator Jean-Marie Le Guen argued
against legislating "social norms" and
said there was no proof that anorexia
comes from imitation. "What is
extreme thinness?" he asked.
Boxe(s):
key points
Key points of a bill, "aimed at
fighting
incitement
to
extreme
thinness or anorexia," passed Tuesday
by the French lower house of
parliament:
Up to $47,000 in fines and two years
in prison for anyone found guilty of
advertising products, objects or
methods that could lead to "excessive
thinness" and compromise users'
health.
The same punishment inciting people
to seek such extreme thinness by
encouraging
prolonged
dietary
restrictions that could expose them to
the risk of death.
Up to $71,000 in fines and three years
in prison in case such actions lead to
death.
Revising existing legislation against
inciting a person to commit suicide to
include encouraging a person to
"excessive thinness."
Source: The Associated Press
Figure:
Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston, 21, an anorexic who weighed only 88 pounds, died Tuesday Nov. 14, 2006, of
generalized infection. - The Associated Press
© 2008 The Western Star (Corner Brook) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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The Fredericton Daily Gleaner
News, Wednesday, 16 April 2008, p. A10
France first to tackle fashion's love of 'thin'
DEVORAH LAUTER The Canadian Press
In image-conscious France, it may
soon be a crime to glamorize the
ultra-thin.
A new French bill cracks down on
websites that advise anorexics on how
to starve - and could be used to hit
fashion industry heavyweights, too.
The groundbreaking bill, adopted
Tuesday by parliament's lower house,
recommends fines of up to $71,000
and three-year prison sentences for
offenders who encourage "extreme
thinness." It goes to the Senate in the
coming weeks.
fashion industry experts said. It's the
latest measure proposed after the 2006
anorexia- linked death of Brazilian
model Ana Carolina Reston prompted
efforts
throughout
the
fashion
industry to address the health
remains hazy.
enough.
The
bill's
author,
conservative
So-called "pro-ana-" for pro-anorexia
nourishment.
French
politicians
and
fashion
industry
members
signed
a
nonbinding charter last week on
promoting healthier body images. In
2007, Spain banned from catwalks
ratio is below 18.
14
nothing else.
become anorexic.
Photos of waif-like celebrities are
given as "Thinspirations" on one blog,
along with a list of advice on "how to
skip meals." The site's host writes that
she is not yet 15.
Boyer said in a telephone interview
that her proposed legislation would
enable a judge to sanction those
responsible for a magazine photo of a
model whose "thinness altered her
health."
"That is the objective of this text,"
she said, without specifying who in
particular might be prosecuted.
"The
socio-cultural
and
media
environment seems to favour the
emergence of troubled nutritional
behaviour, and that is why I think it
necessary to act," she said.
© 2008 The Daily Gleaner - Fredericton ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20080416·FG·0064 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
15
The Chronicle-Herald
World, Wednesday, 16 April 2008, p. A10
France targets promotion of ultra-thinness; Anti-a
Devorah Lauter
The Associated Press
PARIS - In image-conscious France,
it may soon be a crime to glamorize
the ultra-thin. A new French bill
cracks down on websites that advise
anorexics on how to starve - and
could be used to hit fashion industry
heavyweights, too.
The groundbreaking bill, adopted
Tuesday by parliament's lower house,
recommends fines of up to $71,000
and three-year prison sentences for
offenders who encourage "extreme
thinness." It goes to the Senate in the
coming weeks.
fashion industry experts said. It is the
latest measure proposed after the 2006
anorexia-linked death of Brazilian
model Ana Carolina Reston prompted
efforts
throughout
the
fashion
industry to address the health
remains hazy.
enough.
The
bill's
author,
conservative
So-called "pro-ana" - for pro-anorexia
nourishment.
French
politicians
and
fashion
industry members signed a nonbinding charter last week on
promoting healthier body images. In
2007, Spain banned from catwalks
© 2008 The Chronicle-Herald - Halifax ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20080416·HH·0Apr16new_txt0094 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
16
ratio is below 18.
nothing else.
become anorexic. Photos of waif-like
celebrities
are
given
as
"Thinspirations" on one blog, along
with a list of advice on "how to skip
meals." The site's host writes that she
is not yet 15.
Didier Grumbach, president of the
French
Federation
of
Couture,
rejected legislating body weight.
"Never will we accept in our
profession that a judge decides if a
young girl is skinny or not skinny," he
said. "That doesn't exist in the world,
and it will certainly not exist in
France."
The Whitehorse Star
Living, Tuesday, 27 July 2004, p. 13
Pro-anorexia movement flourishes online for those looking for 'thinspiration'
Mick, Hayley
CP
Vancouver - Type ''pro-ana'' into any
Internet search engine and you'll get
a disturbing glimpse into a deadly
obsession with thin.
Vancouver - There are websites with
''thinspiration'' photo galleries of
waif-thin
models
and
famous
celebrities with eating disorders like
Mary-Kate
Olsen
and
Karen
Carpenter.
And discussion groups where appleonly diets are earnestly promoted and
members sign off with tags that
include their body weight. The groups
have their own lingo, like ''laxies'' for
laxatives, ''mia'' for bulimia and ''ana''
for anorexic.
''I feel like a big fat whore, my stupid
boyfriend drives me nuts with his
encouraging me to eat. I keep
bouncing back from over and under
90 (pounds), I just want to get to 80
already!!'' writes a message board
member.
This is the online world of ''pro-ED''
(for pro-eating disorders) - hundreds
of websites and discussion groups
created and used by people who say
they have the disorders.
And according to health professionals
and educators, it's a subculture so
pervasive and under the radar that it's
hijacking prevention and recovery
efforts, and helping eating disorders
to spread.
''They're looking for tricks of the
trade and how to maintain the lowest
weight possible without dying,'' says
Lauren Goldhammer, a therapist at
Bellwood Health Services in Toronto,
which has a residential treatment
program for people with eating
disorders.
''They're starving. And how do they
keep going? They need some more
encouragement, and I think those
websites help them in that sense.''
But the online world means more than
that, according to those who frequent
it.
Nancy Tewfik spent four months
monitoring
pro-eating
disorder
message boards as a psychology
student at the University of Toronto.
She also interviewed 12 young women
about why they spent time on them.
Some said the sites helped them
combat loneliness and feelings of
isolation. Others claimed they weren't
doing anything wrong and their eating
disorder was a ''lifestyle choice.''
Ultimately, she says, what they got
from the groups was a circle of
friends.
''It's people that understand them. It's
people that accept them as they are,''
she says.
But many professionals worry that the
Internet is making it easier than ever
17
for people to swap techniques on how
to starve themselves - and keep it
hidden.
The websites range in tone from selfloathing to defiance - but there are
many similarities: tips on how to lose
weight, tricks for inducing vomiting,
what foods purge the easiest, how to
avoid
detection,
''thinspiration''
photos and quotes and message
boards.
At one site, there's a flurry of
enthusiastic responses to the thin and
thinner
before-and-after
pictures
posted by a young woman calling
herself AnorexicBeauty:
''You're my thinspiration! How did
you do it?'' writes one.
''Your collar bones are beautiful - nice
job,'' says another.
''It's an expression by people that are
ill who are trying to find support and
justification for their thinking and
behaviour,''
says
Merryl
Bear,
executive director of the National
Eating Disorder Information Centre in
Toronto.
What's more, she says, it allows other
vulnerable people to be sucked in.
''It's pervasive, so kids actually don't
have to go searching for negative
stimuli or negative encouragement to
engage in unhealthy food and weight
behaviours,'' Bear says.
As prevalent as the websites and
message boards are, Goldhammer says
the Internet almost never comes up in
her group therapy sessions with
recovering anorexics.
''They don't want to bring it out into
the light of day,'' she says, adding
discussion on Internet issues is also a
rarity in academic literature about
eating disorders.
The Internet's shroud of anonymity is
one reason the pro-ana and pro-mia
movements have flourished. Eating
disorders are secretive and isolating
by nature, so the Internet provides
instant access to information and
people beyond all geographic borders.
The slippery nature of the web also
makes the pro-ED world almost
impossible to control. After major
media outlets publicized the issue in
2001, Internet giants like Yahoo
began shutting many websites down.
But they crop up elsewhere - and even
today if you type ''pro-ana'' into a
Figure:
Mary-Kate Olsen
© 2004 Whitehorse Daily Star ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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18
Yahoo group search you'll get dozens
of hits.
So, as for child pornography and
digital music piracy, the solutions for
cracking down on the online proeating disorder world are elusive.
''For me, it doesn't make a big
difference to close down one site
because it will pop up somewhere
else,'' says Bear. ''What we need to do
is to challenge the source of the
issue.''
Blogs - Health - Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Thinspiration and pro-ana sites perpetuate eating disorders
Kevin
Jul. 20, 2010 (Kevin, M.D. - Medical
Weblog delivered by Newstex) -by Kristina Fiore
Websites that encourage teens to
continue in their eating disorders tend
to do so via "thinspiration" - a
combination of images and prose that
drive the viewer toward continued
weight loss, researchers say.
About 85% of these sites provide
thinspirational photos (or "thinspo")
of ultrathin women and oaths to
"Ana" or "Mia" - nicknames for
anorexia and bulemia - according to
Dina L.G. Borzekowski, EdD, of
Johns Hopkins, and colleagues.
(...)
© 2010 Blogs - Health ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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19
Read the rest of Thinspiration and
pro-ana
sites
perpetuate
eating
disorders
No comment | Tags: Patient
Category: Health in the media
Newstex ID: KEV-0001-47120859
|
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
Health & Fitness, Tuesday, 7 June 2005, p. F 6
Web Sites Celebrate a Deadly Thinness
By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Before the Web site's pages begin to
load, a box pops up the screen.
"Caution," it reads. "This site
contains pro-eating disorder images
and information. If you do not have
an eating disorder or are in recovery,
do not enter this site."
Click O.K., and a new box appears.
"Seriously. You enter this site of your
own volition, and I am not responsible
for the decisions you make based on
the information you see here."
Click. A third box.
"So don't send me hate mail. It's your
fault if you don't like what you see."
However sincerely intended, the
warnings, posted on one of a growing
number of Web sites that promote
eating disorders like anorexia and
bulimia, may serve more as a lure,
especially for curious teenagers. And
a recent study by researchers from the
Stanford School of Medicine has
found that the Web sites are
commonly visited by adolescents who
have eating disorders.
Such sites are the public face of a
movement that goes beyond the denial
that often accompanies addictive
behaviors
like
alcoholism
and
gambling, into something more like
defiance.
Many of the sites dispute that
anorexia and bulimia are diseases,
portraying
them
instead
as
philosophies of life. They offer tips
on how to lose weight -- by purging,
among other methods -- and how to
hide eating disorders from family
members or friends.
In the new study, presented at a
meeting of the Pediatric Academic
Societies, the researchers said it was
unclear whether the Web sites played
a role in drawing people into eating
disorders or in making recovery more
difficult, in part because the study
sample was fairly small. A larger
study is planned.
But the researchers found that
adolescents who reported visiting socalled pro-ana, for anorexia nervosa,
or pro-mia, for bulimia nervosa, Web
sites spent more time in hospitals and
less time on school work than those
who said they did not visit the sites.
For reasons that are unclear, the study
also found that even when adolescents
visited pro-eating-disorder and prorecovery sites, they still fared worse
than those who visited neither kind of
site.
Pro-eating-disorder Web sites can be
very attractive, experts say. Many are
well designed and well written, and
they appeal to an adolescent sense of
rebellion.
"The belief that centers the pro-ana
movement is the belief that eating
disorders are a lifestyle choice and
20
not a disease," said one of the study's
authors, Dr. Rebecka Peebles, a
specialist in adolescent medicine at
Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's
Hospital.
Consider the page that greets visitors
when they finally get past the warning
boxes. "Quod me nutrit, me destruit,"
it declares. What nourishes me
destroys me.
The site goes on to give tips on how
to conceal an eating disorder,
including wearing baggy clothes,
pretending to eat and hiding the
health problems the disorders can
bring on.
The author of the site, in a
"disclaimer,"
says
she
is
not
promoting eating disorders.
"These sites," she writes "do not exist
to say: 'I'm anorexic! Aren't I cool?
Don't you want to be like me?"' The
goal, she says, is to offer support:
"This is a place where people can
come to say, 'This is part of who I am.
These are people who understand."'
Jenny Wilson, a Stanford medical
student and the author of the study, is
skeptical of efforts to attach a
philosophy to eating disorders.
Instead, she sees the Web sites as
efforts by people with eating
disorders to convince themselves that
they have control over their lives. "I
think it's an expression of the disease
more than anything," Ms. Wilson said.
Many of the Web sites show a kind of
ambivalence, the researchers said.
They defend people's right to be
anorexic or bulimic, but they spend a
lot of time talking about the
difficulties of having eating disorders.
Dr. Peebles of Stanford said that for
some people, the sites might serve as
no more than a support community,
and not as a source of encouragement
to continue destructive behavior.
"They can express their innermost
eating-disordered thoughts in a sortof
anonymous way where they won't be
judged," she said.
Still, when the researchers spoke to
adolescents who had visited the sites,
more than 60 percent reported trying
weight-loss techniques they had
learned there. (About a quarter of the
adolescents who visited Web sites
intended to help people with eating
disorders recover also said they had
found tips on ways to keep their
weight down.)
For the study, the researchers sent
surveys to the parents of 678 people,
ages 10 to 22, who had been treated
for eating disorders at Stanford. They
also asked the parents to give separate
surveys to their children.
In all, 64 patients and 92 parents
responded.
And while the forms were anonymous,
the researchers were able to link the
responses of the patients with those of
their families, to compare answers.
Some large Web servers like Yahoo,
responding to complaints, have
removed sites that promote eating
disorders.
The study found that 39 percent of the
patients had visited pro-eatingdisorder Web sites, 38 percent prorecovery sites and 27 percent both
types of sites.
But the sites remain easy to find. And
some experts wonder whether they are
doing a better job of getting their
message out than do the sites intended
to promote recovery from eating
problems.
Despite the differences in reported
hospital stays, the researchers found
that those who spent time on the proeating-disorder
sites
provided
basically the same information when
asked about health changes as those
who did not. Their weight was not
much different from their ideal body
weight, the researchers said, and they
were no more likely to have changes
in their menstrual cycles or to have
symptoms of osteoporosis.
When the researchers tried to see how
familiar parents were with the Web
sites, they found that the parents
whose children visited the sites were
more likely to know about them and
to be concerned about what their
children were learning on the Web.
But 39 percent of those parents said
they did not know whether their
children visited pro-eating-disorder
sites. And 15 percent wrongly
reported that their children did not
use them.
© 2005 The New York Times ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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Dr.
Richard
Kreipe,
chief
of
adolescent medicine at the University
of Rochester Medical Center, said he
was struck by how attractive the proeating-disorder sites tended to be.
Still, he said, it is hard to prove
whether the sites actually make the
problem worse.
The issue, Dr. Kreipe said, is
probably not whether the sites can
draw the average teenager into an
eating disorder but whether they may
influence someone with an inherited
predisposition to develop the disease
-- especially an adolescent who is
feeling isolated.
"The kid who's probably most
vulnerable to this is the kid who's
least connected to other people," he
said.
Blogs - Media - The Mary Sue
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Tumblr Takes a Stand Against Self-Mutilation, Pro-Ana Sites by Banning Them
Jamie Frevele
Feb 23, 2012 - Tumblr users: Imagine
how much time you spend on the site,
scrolling through a variety of
pictures, quotes, gifs, text, etc.
usually for your own daily enjoyment.
Now, imagine you're a teenager, or
maybe just feeling insecure, and
maybe some nasty person called you
"fat." Or "gross." Or even say you
should "kill yourself." And you go
home to find your refuge, Tumblr,
with its cat pictures, movie stills ...
and some blogs espousing the perks of
being anorexic or cutting yourself.
Sites like that are all over the
internet, but soon, they'll be gone
from Tumblr. Because they will be
banned, sparing some of its more
vulnerable users to material that
could drive them to hurt themselves.
One of the most terrifying things
happening on the internet that affects
an upsetting amount of girls is the
"pro-ana/mia" community - online
discussion groups that promote
anorexia and bulimia, personifying
both eating disorders with female
names: Ana and Mia. Girls enter these
groups, usually online forums, and
talk about how much weight they
lose, how many calories they take in a
day, and how they aspire to look like
skeletal, sick women like this
(possible TRIGGER WARNING for
those recovering from/living with
eating disorders). They say things like
"I need a visit from Ana!" or "I wish
Mia would come for me," and give
advice and tips for "thinspiration."
While some people who struggle with
these eating disorders are male, the
vast majority are women, and lots of
them are very young.
And that's just eating disorders. There
are also sites that promote other selfharm activities like cutting and
mutilation. About 20 percent of
teenagers say they've cut themselves
on purpose. Once again, some people
who take part in this are male, but the
majority of teenager "cutters" are
female. Some sites even go as far as
promoting suicide and providing tips.
By now, you are probably preparing
to run away to the mountains and
raise your children far, far away from
any hint of an internet connection.
But at least one site is taking a stand
against these sites. Tumblr has
announced new content policies
banning sites that promote self-harm,
be it mutilation, eating disorders, and
the like. From their site:
One of the great things about Tumblr
is that people use it for just about
every conceivable kind of expression.
People being people, though, that
means that Tumblr sometimes gets
used for things that are just wrong.
We
are
deeply
committed
to
supporting and defending our users'
freedom of speech, but we do draw
some limits. As a company, we've
decided that some specific kinds of
content aren't welcome on Tumblr. ...
Our Content Policy has not, until
now, prohibited blogs that actively
promote self-harm. These typically
22
take the form of blogs that glorify or
promote anorexia, bulimia, and other
eating disorders; self-mutilation; or
suicide. These are messages and
points of view that we strongly
oppose, and don't want to be hosting.
There was an idea to keep allowing
the sites while attaching additional
information on how someone seeking
out self-harm tips can find real help
and avoid engaging in destructive
behavior. But instead, they have
decided
to
prohibit
the
sites
completely. They will also post
"public service announcements" when
users search for the pro-self-harm
terms on the site. For example, when
someone searches for "proana," they
will come up with something like this:
Eating disorders can cause serious
health problems, and at their most
severe can even be life-threatening.
Please
contact
the
[resource
organization] at [helpline number] or
[website].
Some might call this a threat to
freedom of speech on the internet.
And while you'd be hard-pressed to
find someone in their right mind
supporting these pro-self-harm sites,
some might feel like they have every
right to an open discussion about this
subject, and Tumblr has stated that it
will hear any and all concerns at
[email protected]. But Tumblr is a
private company. It can make its own
rules. And if they don't want to
provide a place for these discussions,
then they don't have to. And they just
made the internet a slightly safer
place by excluding these sites.
Let us all return to our silly gifs now,
and make sure Tumblr stays silly or
serious - but safe.
© 2012 Blogs - Media ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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(via The Next Web)
Le Devoir
Planète, lundi, 20 août 2001, p. B2
Mince alors!
Sur Internet, les sites qui glorifient l'anorexie se comptent par centaines
Pessel, Nathalie
Libération
"L'anorexie est un art de vivre, pas
une maladie." Des photos de côtes
saillantes, décharnées, teintées de
couleur flashy. C'est la page d'accueil
d'Anorexic Nation, l'un des 400 sites
Web (surtout américains) qui font
l'apologie
de
ce
trouble
du
comportement alimentaire (TCA). The
Perfect Body, Fading Into Obscurity
(Se fondre dans l'obscurité) ou Dying
To Be Thin (Mourir d'envie d'être
mince)
Ces
sites
rivalisent
d'originalité, parfois enthousiastes,
parfois morbides: "J'aime sentir mes
os saillir. J'aime me sentir vide.
J'aime me dire que j'ai tenu toute une
journée sans manger. J'aime perdre
du poids." Échanges de photographies
mais aussi conseils pour maigrir et
maigrir encore. "Quand vous mangez
avec vos parents, faites semblant de
tousser et mettez la nourriture dans
votre poing; dès qu'ils ont le dos
tourné, jetez tout dans la poubelle ou
le pot de fleurs", "Buvez un verre
d'eau tous les quarts d'heure pour
tromper votre faim" Le tout illustré
par
des
images
de
stars
hollywoodiennes filiformes. Parfois
trafiquées
pour
les
amaigrir
davantage.
Fermetures
Selon les statistiques, 5 % à 13 % des
adolescents souffrent d'anorexie. Un
chiffre qui augmente chaque année.
Neuf sur dix sont des filles. Des
associations sont montées au créneau
pour dénoncer ces sites proanorexiques, "pro-ana" pour les
initiés.
Le
26
juin,
l'ANAD
(association
américaine
contre
l'anorexie et la boulimie) a demandé
à Yahoo de retirer 115 sites "proana" de ses serveurs. Quatre jours
plus tard, le portail en retirait 21, "en
raison, non pas de la requête de
l'ANAD, mais de l'engagement de
Yahoo pour le bien-être des enfants et
adolescents", selon son porte-parole.
Les clubs de discussion ont été
également fermés. Mais pas tous:
Anorexia Fame est toujours en
service, avec un ton vengeur: "Ce
club a été créé pour montrer au
monde que l'on ne peut pas nous
ignorer ou nous faire taire." Certains
membres vont jusqu'à affirmer que la
fermeture des sites les a plongés dans
la détresse.
Des contre-sites se sont montés. Sur
Google US, le premier site indiqué
pour une recherche "pro-anorexia" est
un site de prévention et d'aide aux
malades, Scared (Soutien, conseils et
renseignements sur les troubles du
comportement
alimentaire),
qui
s'oppose aux "pro-ana". "Ils peuvent
être utiles et rassurants, car personne
n'est plus isolé qu'un anorexique",
souligne Michèle Battista, psychiatre
à l'hôpital de La Timone à Marseille.
Scared se demande ce qui pousse
quelqu'un à créer un site "pro-ana"?
24
Certains
considèrent
l'anorexie
comme une amie dont ils ne veulent
pas se séparer, mais ne fournissent
aucune
explication
claire.
Les
webmestres contactés par Libération
n'ont d'ailleurs pas souhaité répondre.
Narcissisme
"Rien
d'étonnant",
explique Christine Foulon, psychiatre
dans l'unité TCA de l'hôpital SainteAnne de Paris. "Les anorexiques
refusent de reconnaître leur trouble et
ses risques. 15 % à 20 % meurent de
cette maladie." Pour se dédouaner, les
créateurs
de
sites
mettent
fréquemment un mot d'avertissement
sur leur page d'accueil. Insuffisant.
"Si ces sites ne plongent pas des gens
dans la maladie, ils entretiennent
ceux qui sont déjà anorexiques, les
confortent dans leurs attitudes",
poursuit le docteur Foulon.
"Ces sites considèrent l'anorexie
comme une super-victoire, renchérit
Michèle Battista. Ils poussent à aller
le plus loin possible dans le
narcissisme. La médecine a pu faire
des erreurs dans le traitement de ces
pathologies, mais aujourd'hui les
aspects psychiatriques aussi bien que
somatiques sont pris en charge. Cette
maladie représente pour nous un
problème déontologique: soigner des
gens qui ne le veulent pas. C'est long,
on stagne, mais on ne les laisse pas
tomber. Ce serait de la non-assistance
à personne en danger." "Les créateurs
de ces sites sont sûrement des
électrons libres, conclut Christine
Foulon. Des personnes en souffrance
qui refusent les soins."
Illustration(s) :
Reuter
Un mannequin professionnel. L'anorexie, maladie grave ou art de vivre valorisé?
© 2001 Le Devoir ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20010820·LE·0034 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
25
The New York Times
Style, Sunday, 2 April 2006, p. 9 1
Before Spring Break, The Anorexic Challenge
By ALEX WILLIAMS
"I REALLY gotta start losing weight
before spring break," a 15-year-old
from Long Island wrote in her blog on
Xanga.com, a social networking site.
"Basically today I went 24 hours
without food and then I ate green
beans and a little baked ziti. Frankly
I'm proud of myself, not to mention
the 100 situps on the yoga ball and
the 100 I'll do before sleep Yey for
me."
A Californian, 18, wrote: "I'm at 108
right now. Spring break is in about 3
weeks and I want to be down to at
least 99-100. That can easily be
done."
From a writer identifying herself as
Workhardgetskinny: "I only did 100
crunches but I'm trying to do 200
more before bed. 2 full days till
spring break!"
The discussion took place in one of
Xanga's blog rings, a string of Web
logs connected by a common theme,
in this case a spring break challenge,
in which young women pledged to
shed a lot of weight before their trips
to the beaches of Florida and Mexico.
Their home pages were decorated
with images of gaunt supermodels and
pipe-cleaner-thin
celebrities
like
Nicole Richie. Declarations like
"Food Is Poison" and "Diet Coke Is
Love"
blared
like
banner
advertisements
across
screens.
Participants also shared their daily
indulgences. One writer confessed to
eating "one cracker, one strawberry
and a little bit of soup" in a 24-hour
period. Another recounted a lunch
that consisted of a slice of mango and
a stick of gum.
For most students spring break
represents the promise of a beersoaked respite from Northern cold and
midterm stress, a time to let go and
revive. But for a subculture of
students with eating disorders, this
annual
weeklong
bacchanalia,
unfolding across Florida, Mexico and
the Caribbean during March and
April, represents the summit of
deprivation and self-denial.
Though not widely discussed -sufferers of eating disorders often
spend years in denial about their
condition, and therapists treating them
can rarely isolate any single reason
for these complex psychological
syndromes -- those who treat eating
disorders say spring break is one of
the most dangerous times of the year
for young women struggling with
their weight and eating.
"This is a trigger time for youth to
start to obsess about weight and body
image," said Margo Maine, a clinical
psychologist in West Hartford, Conn.,
who specializes in eating disorders.
She said she observes a spike in
weight anxiety every year among her
younger patients before spring break.
"By the beginning of February people
26
are starting to talk about their bodies
and getting ready for spring break.
Even girls who are simply around that
talk can't get away from it."
The fantasy of achieving a "bikiniready" body on a deadline is an
intoxicating incentive, according to
those who have experienced and
observed the behavior. And in a
school setting, in which tightly knit
groups of young women are all
vacationing together, diets easily
become competitive or, as Dr. Maine
put it, contagious.
For Ashley Filipp, a recent college
graduate and recovering anorexic and
bulimic, the warmup to spring break
when she was a student in Colorado
represented, she said, "the big time of
the year." She added, "You start
realizing that you have been packing
on the winter pounds, the insulation,
and now it's time to lose them."
Starting in her senior year of high
school, Ms. Filipp, 24, recalled
preparing for her annual spring break
trip to Mexico at least 100 days
beforehand. "As soon as we would
make our plans, my best friend and I
would start counting 'How many days
to Cancun?' " recalled Ms. Filipp,
who now works as a crisis help-line
counselor
for
the
National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders in Highland
Park, Ill.
By the time Ms. Filipp entered
college, she said, there was no
shortage of students eager to join her
in what became a pre-spring-break
ritual. In January and February, she
said, the scene inside her sorority
house at times resembled an Olympics
of extreme weight loss. Some students
would subsist on little more than
lettuce flavored with calorie-free
spray butter flavoring. Others would
purge by vomiting or swallowing
laxatives. Obsessive exercise was
common.
The group dieting that is relatively ad
hoc among friends and sorority sisters
takes a more organized form on the
Internet, where spring break has
become a popular topic on Web sites
and message boards maintained by
devotees
of
a
controversial
underground movement known as
"pro-ana," or pro-anorexia, who
sometimes identify themselves in
public by wearing red bracelets. There
are hundreds of pro-ana Web sites
promoting
and
supporting
the
"anorexic
lifestyle,"
despite
aggressive efforts to shut them down
by
eating-disorder
activists.
In
addition the pro-anas are also present
on
social
network
sites
like
MySpace.com,
Xanga
and
Livejournal.com, where blog rings
topics range as widely as emo music
and parasailing.
On Xanga groups of pro-ana members
who link their blogs by a common
interest in extreme weight loss
sometimes participate in a perverse
distortion of Weight Watchers.
Instead of accumulating points for
food eaten, points are granted for
restraint: a point for every day
survived under 500 calories; 6 points
for every day under 100 calories; 2
points for each diet pill taken; a point
for every photo of a skinny celebrity
on a home page, known as
"thinspiration" or "thinspo." The
points are gained during group
challenges aimed at losing weight
before spring break. Other challenges
have focused on prom season, the
holidays and summer.
Not all those discussing weight loss
on the site fit the criteria of anorexics
or identify themselves with the ana
underground. Xanga is one of many
meeting places on the Web for
weight-related discussion rings. John
Hiler, its chief executive, said in an email message: "We have zero desire
to host any 'pro-ana' groups. If users
report them to us, we delete them
from our system."
Still, some therapists suggest that proana Web pages can have some value,
serving as support groups for young
anorexics, who feel they have no
place else to turn. Experts who treat
eating disorders worry that healthy
girls and young women who use
spring break as an excuse to dabble in
dangerous dieting techniques can tip
over into self-destructive behavior.
"You take that typical 15-year-old,
who is taking her anxiety into spring
break, if there are other issues in her
life or her family, she's a prime
candidate for anorexia or bulimia,"
said Doug Bunnell, the director of
treatment for the Renfrew Center
eating disorders program in Wilton,
Conn. "Their first diet can blossom
into a real nightmare."
The online pro-ana networks can be
especially dangerous, experts say,
because
participants
can
offer
irresponsible advice behind a mask of
anonymity. Several eating-disorder
therapists interviewed said they
considered all the pro-ana material on
27
the
Web
highly
dangerous,
particularly when spiced with the
spirit of a contest.
"There's been no good research to
date on how these sites actually
impact teenagers," said Dr. Rebecka
Peebles,
a
pediatrician
who
specializes in the treatment of
adolescent eating disorders at Lucile
Packard Children's Hospital in Palo
Alto, Calif., and who is conducting a
study of pro-ana and "pro-mia"
(bulimia) Web sites. "But I can tell
you anecdotally that some of my
patients felt very triggered by these
point challenges. That level of
competition is just very hard to
resist."
On Xanga, a 20-year-old sophomore
at an undisclosed college who
included photographs of herself
looking
attractive,
shapely
and
healthy, wrote, "Spring break is
comin' up mid march and I wanna
look super hot." She explained that
she wanted to plummet from 133
pounds to 110 by the time she and her
friends took off for Mexico, in part by
reducing her daily food intake to 500
calories, about a third of what is
recommended for a young woman, as
well as exercising. But, she added, "I
always get sick when I run and don't
eat enough. Does that happen to you
guys?"
"Yes," one respondent wrote, "if I eat
under 300 calories and work out for
several days, I start to feel sick. I hate
that, but I end up eating a little bit
because I don't want to faint. Luv &
support."
Though it is not possible to estimate
the number of young women
participating in extreme spring break
weight-loss contests, or to assess how
the popularity of such contests has
grown, eating disorder experts say
that the rise of spring break as a
cultural phenomenon might play a
role.
"Every year spring break seems to get
bigger and bigger," Dr. Maine said,
adding that body-image pressure also
rises. She said the expectation that
you have to "party like a rock star and
be over the top" also "includes
looking like a rock star," that is,
fashionably,
even
dangerously,
skinny.
It's also an opportunity to show a
little skin, and parade in front of the
opposite sex.
"It's showoff time," said Eileen
Adams, a psychologist and treatment
specialist at Remuda Ranch, a Biblebased eating disorder center in
Wickenburg, Ariz. "That puts a lot of
pressure on young people."
And most young women are already
feeling pressure, at least when it
comes to body-image anxieties.
Eating disorder associations say that
about 86 percent of the approximately
10 million American girls and women
-- and one million boys and men -who suffer from an eating disorder
reported the onset of their condition
by 20.
The pressure has only become worse
over the years, therapists said, as
spring break has become more
sexualized at beaches like South
Padre Island, Tex., or Cancun or on
MTV. String bikini and wet T-shirt
contests make a simple weeklong
break from teachers and exams look
more like a Mardi Gras for the 18to-21 set.
Some therapists said the letting go
ethic of spring break in general can
also serve as a dangerous excuse for
students to push the frontiers of good
sense and self-preservation. Bulimics
in particular are at risk, Dr. Bunnell
of the Renfrew Center said, since they
tend to be drawn to extremes, as
exemplified by their binge and purge
cycles. Anorexics, by contrast, are
generally motivated by issues of
control; they are often reserved,
socially anxious perfectionists, who
attempt to master their food intake
because they feel they cannot control
other aspects of their lives. For them,
he said, "anything that intensifies
body image anxiety will encourage
them to be symptomatic."
The difficulty for parents and
educators is to distinguish between
routine pre-spring break dieting and
something worse. "If a child is just
going on a spring diet to lose a few
pounds, she'll be in a fine mood," said
Maria Rago, a clinical psychologist
and the director of the eating
disorders program at Linden Oaks
Hospital at Edward Hospital, a mental
health center in Naperville, Ill. By
contrast
dieters
slipping
into
dangerous territory "will become
irritable, preoccupied," she said.
"They'll skip meals, and stop eating
with the family. It's an entire change
of mood and mind-set."
Sometimes that change of mood can
happen right after spring break, as
opposed to before.
On a Xanga blog ring called the
Bikini Coming Soon Challenge, one
19-year-old related the anxieties she
was experiencing only days after
returning from a week on the beach
with friends: "Tonight I was looking
on Facebook at people's albums from
spring break. I saw the guy's album
that I kind of was starting to like
before spring break. In his album
were pictures of all these pretty girls
-- tan, skinny, looked perfect in their
bikinis -- and all these guys were
commenting on the pics: 'She is so
hot!' or 'wooowww!!' Stuff like that.
Seriously, that's what I want.
"This just makes me want to lose so
much weight and then have those guys
see me."
She concluded: "I hate boys, I hate
my body. Goodnight."
Figure:
Photo: THINSPIRATION -- Two home pages of the weight obsessed on Xanga.com. Right, Ashley Filipp, a recovering
anorexic and bulimic, who now counsels others with eating disorders. (Photo by Peter Thompson for The New York
Times)(pg. 6)
Drawing (Illustration by Steve Williams; photograph of woman, David Waldorf/Getty Images)(pg. 1)
28
29
The Western Star (Corner Brook)
Lifestyles, Monday, 21 June 2010, p. 13
Deadly advice
Pro-eating disorder sites have tips on practising behaviour
Lauren La Rose
The Canadian Press
The vast majority of websites that
appear to support or endorse eating
disorders provide "overt suggestions"
on engaging in eating-disordered
behaviours, according to a new study.
U.S. researchers conducted an indepth examination of 180 websites
and the messages that users may be
exposed to online.
They initially found the sites using
Yahoo or Google search engines
through keying in various terms
including Proana, Promia, ProBulimia and Pro-Eating disorder.
Researchers included sites, forums,
journals and blogs characterized by a
main focus on or promotion of eating
disorders. Medical reference pages,
medical journals, news articles and
professional or medical organization
sites focusing on eating disorders
were excluded.
According to the findings published
Thursday in the online edition of the
American Journal of Public Health,
researchers found that 40 per cent of
the sites had a section "overtly
labelled" as containing tips for
practising eating disorder behaviours.
An additional 43 per cent offered such
tips throughout the site without
designating a particular area.
Tips ranged from simple suggestions
like sitting up straight to burn more
calories, to more potentially lifethreatening ones, such as a how-to on
purging.
Facebook as opposed to having to see
someone and deal with the social
anxiety, she said.
Lead author Dina Borzekowski of
Johns
Hopkins
University's
Bloomberg School of Public Health,
said many of these sites are support
networks for people suffering from
eating disorders.
Bittner said it is often the goal of
some of the women she works with in
recovery to learn how to disengage
from public material that might pull
them back into negative habits, like
pro-Ana sites or magazines.
"Now, whether or not the person
really realizes that they're suffering or
they have this disorder is still
unknown, but they are supporting
these behaviours and thoughts," said
Borzekowksi, who co-authored the
study with master's graduate Summer
Schenk and Dr. Rebecka Peebles of
Stanford University.
"A lot of women in recovery that I've
met, that's a big struggle," she said.
"When they're feeling really down
about their bodies and negative, that's
where they go to, and it just fuels the
self-criticism."
"One of the interesting things is that
people who suffer from eating
disorders are often isolated, so it's not
too surprising that they're going
online to find a network of people
who are like-minded and engaging in
the same types of behaviours."
Valarie Bittner, clinical director of
the
Westwind
Eating
Disorder
Recovery Centre in Brandon, Man.,
said many individuals with eating
disorders tend to socially isolate
themselves.
Many of the clients she deals with
find it much easier to engage socially
through
networking
sites
like
30
"Thinspiration" material - images or
prose intended to inspire weight loss appeared in 85 per cent of the sites
reviewed.
One of the findings researchers
describe as "somewhat surprising"
was that nearly one-third of the sites
had a recovery-oriented focus. They
wrote this could reflect a "duality of
purpose" for pro-eating disorder site
visitors who may feel pulled
simultaneously towards both eating
disorder behaviours and recovery.
Merryl Bear, director of the National
Eating Disorder Information Centre,
said she feels pro-eating disorder sites
deepen behaviours and attitudes that
are harmful for people who already
have food and weight preoccupations
and can encourage those not yet
committed
to
eating
disorder
behaviours to engage in them.
That said, she believes it's important
not just to try to shut the sites down
but to get at the root of what's driving
individuals to both create and view
them.
"I think it's really important to
understand the motivation of the
individuals who both create and use
these sites, to better understand the
needs, the fears and the compulsions
of individuals who engage in them so
that as health providers we can better
understand
the
experience
of
individuals who are at risk of an
eating disorder or who are engaged in
eating disorder behaviours."
Borzekowski said her research team
has studies currently under review
looking at people who use these
websites, which involved interviewing
young people in treatment for eating
disorders.
As for the current study, she said the
take-home message for caregivers and
educators is the need to be aware of
the
content
available
to
and
potentially reaching vulnerable youth.
"There are websites that promote
equally unhealthy behaviours such as
self-injury and suicide. So as a parent,
as an educator, as a health provider,
knowing that these websites are out
there and supporting very dangerous
behaviours is critical."
Boxe(s):
Prevalence of eating disorders
According to a 2002 survey, 1.5 per
cent of Canadian women aged 15-24
years had an eating disorder.
- Government of Canada. (2006). The
Human Face of Mental Health and
Mental Illness in Canada 2006.
Lifetime prevalence rates for anorexia
nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa
(BN), and Binge Eating Disorder
(BED) tend to be higher among
women than in men.
Lifetime prevalence of AN: 0.9 per
cent in women and 0.3 per cent in
men
Lifetime prevalence of BN: 1.5 per
cent in women and 0.5 per cent in
men
© 2010 The Western Star (Corner Brook) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20100621·WB·0056 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
31
Lifetime prevalence of BED found to
be 3.5 per cent in women and 2.0 per
cent in men
The average lifetime duration of BN
is found to be approximately 8.3
years.
- Hudson, J. I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H. G.
& Kessler, R. C. (2007). The
Prevalence and Correlates of Eating
Disorders in the National Comorbidity
Survey
Replication.
Biological
Psychiatry, 61(3), 348-358.
AN has the highest mortality rate of
any psychiatric illness - it is
estimated that 10 per cent of
individuals with AN will die within
10 years of the onset of the disorder.
- Sullivan, P. (2002). Course and
outcome of anorexia nervosa and
bulimia nervosa. In Fairburn, C. G. &
Brownell, K. D. (Eds.). Eating
Disorders and Obesity (pp. 226-232).
New York, New York: Guilford.
Source: National Eating Disorder
Information Centre, nedic.ca
The Canadian Press
Lifestyles, Thursday, 17 June 2010 - 17:47ET
83% of pro-eating disorder sites have 'overt' tips on practising behaviour: study
Lauren La Rose
The Canadian Press
TORONTO - The vast majority of
websites that appear to support or
endorse eating disorders provide
"overt suggestions" on engaging in
eating-disordered
behaviours,
according to a new study.
U.S. researchers conducted an indepth examination of 180 websites
and the messages that users may be
exposed to online.
They initially found the sites using
Yahoo or Google search engines
through keying in various terms
including Proana, Promia, ProBulimia and Pro-Eating disorder.
Researchers included sites, forums,
journals and blogs characterized by a
main focus on or promotion of eating
disorders. Medical reference pages,
medical journals, news articles and
professional or medical organization
sites focusing on eating disorders
were excluded.
According to the findings published
Thursday in the online edition of the
American Journal of Public Health,
researchers found that 40 per cent of
the sites had a section "overtly
labelled" as containing tips for
practising eating disorder behaviours.
An additional 43 per cent offered such
tips throughout the site without
designating a particular area.
Tips ranged from simple suggestions
like sitting up straight to burn more
calories, to more potentially life-
threatening ones, such as a how-to on
purging.
Lead author Dina Borzekowski of
Johns
Hopkins
University's
Bloomberg School of Public Health,
said many of these sites are support
networks for people suffering from
eating disorders.
"Now, whether or not the person
really realizes that they're suffering or
they have this disorder is still
unknown, but they are supporting
these behaviours and thoughts," said
Borzekowksi, who co-authored the
study with master's graduate Summer
Schenk and Dr. Rebecka Peebles of
Stanford University.
"One of the interesting things is that
people who suffer from eating
disorders are often isolated, so it's not
too surprising that they're going
online to find a network of people
who are like-minded and engaging in
the same types of behaviours."
Valarie Bittner, clinical director of
the
Westwind
Eating
Disorder
Recovery Centre in Brandon, Man.,
said many individuals with eating
disorders tend to socially isolate
themselves.
Many of the clients she deals with
find it much easier to engage socially
through
networking
sites
like
Facebook as opposed to having to see
someone and deal with the social
anxiety, she said.
32
Bittner said it is often the goal of
some of the women she works with in
recovery to learn how to disengage
from public material that might pull
them back into negative habits, like
pro-Ana sites or magazines.
"A lot of women in recovery that I've
met, that's a big struggle," she said.
"When they're feeling really down
about their bodies and negative, that's
where they go to, and it just fuels the
self-criticism."
"Thinspiration" material - images or
prose intended to inspire weight loss appeared in 85 per cent of the sites
reviewed.
One of the findings researchers
describe as "somewhat surprising"
was that nearly one-third of the sites
had a recovery-oriented focus. They
wrote this could reflect a "duality of
purpose" for pro-eating disorder site
visitors who may feel pulled
simultaneously towards both eating
disorder behaviours and recovery.
Merryl Bear, director of the National
Eating Disorder Information Centre,
said she feels pro-eating disorder sites
deepen behaviours and attitudes that
are harmful for people who already
have food and weight preoccupations
and can encourage those not yet
committed
to
eating
disorder
behaviours to engage in them.
That said, she believes it's important
not just to try to shut the sites down
but to get at the root of what's driving
individuals to both create and view
them.
individuals who are at risk of an
eating disorder or who are engaged in
eating disorder behaviours."
educators is the need to be aware of
the
content
available
to
and
potentially reaching vulnerable youth.
"I think it's really important to
understand the motivation of the
individuals who both create and use
these sites, to better understand the
needs, the fears and the compulsions
of individuals who engage in them so
that as health providers we can better
understand
the
experience
of
Borzekowski said her research team
has studies currently under review
looking at people who use these
websites, which involved interviewing
young people in treatment for eating
disorders.
"There are websites that promote
equally unhealthy behaviours such as
self-injury and suicide. So as a parent,
as an educator, as a health provider,
knowing that these websites are out
there and supporting very dangerous
behaviours is critical."
As for the current study, she said the
take-home message for caregivers and
© 2010 The Canadian Press ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20100617·CP·0CP×2L5557 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
33
Blogs - Finance - Business 2 Community.com
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Pro Ana Sites Under Attack by Media
Pete Johnston
Jul 10, 2012 - Recently there has been
quite a wave of news against Pro Ana
and
Thinspiration
websites
by
mainstream media and bloggers alike.
On the surface this may seem fair
considering Pro Ana is associated
with "Pro Anorexia" behavior and
mentality but sometimes things are
not always as they seem.
techniques as well as encouraging
readers to have an active fitness
lifestyle.
Jul 10, 2012 - The recent news that
Pinterest was going to ban any
Thinspiration or "Thinspo" images
made
media
outlets
like
the
Huffington Post and others stand up
and take notice. The feedback was
predominantly positive regarding the
ban, but did everyone do their
homework?
Anorexic behavior has been around
for
decades,
well
before
the
introduction of the internet, those
with eating disorders and other issues
will always find their way to
discovering tips for destructive
behavior, whether they are online or
not. For those that are desperate
enough to consider an anorexic
lifestyle, why not "prop up" and
publicize sites that provide a safe and
healthy environment for such people
instead of showing confused women
(and men) the sites that promote
negativity?
The Other Side of the Coin
Censorship-is that the answer?
While there does seem to be a
proliferation of sites promoting
unhealthy habits such as starvation,
purging, shame tactics and other
behavior typical of anorexics, if
someone were paying attention they
would notice that there are other sites
trying to communicate a healthy,
positive self image using the same
terminology.
Another
consideration
that
has
seemed to escape many that are
celebrating the ban on these types of
sites is the topic of censorship. On the
surface it may seem like a good idea
to consider a ban of these sites and
topics, but when does it stop?
For instance, we visited a site called
Proana.info and saw that this site is
promoting sensible eating habits and
tips, pictures of women that are fit but
not
sickly,
positive
motivation
We can certainly sit down and in short
order create a list of several items that
may be dangerous or unhealthy, do we
crusade against those types of sites
too? High school rodeo is one of the
most dangerous sports for youth,
football has proven to lead to long
term concussion damage, obesity has
34
a myriad of health risks associated
with it, people with guns kill other
people, bungee jumping accidents
have cost young people their lives and
the list goes on and on.
By setting this type of standard you
force groups to go underground where
they will find the information (good
or bad) that they are looking for
regardless of the steps other sites
have taken to prevent information
from getting out.
What's the Answer?
Just like with any controversial topic
the best course of action is to provide
resources
and
education.
Also
informational type sites that promote
a healthy and positive message should
be put in the spotlight instead of
sensationalizing and drawing attention
to sites that promote negativity.
Anorexia is a serious disorder that has
to do more with control than actual
weight loss. A person struggling with
this is unlikely to be dissuaded simply
because a blogger or a news site says
so. The answer then is not to fight
negativity with negativity but instead
promote and spotlight Positive Pro
Ana sites so that readers who are
struggling with anorexia can be
exposed to habits that will equip them
with habits that encourage long term
health and fitness!
© 2012 Blogs - Finance ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20120710·NBFI·BIZC-115198-13419376546147727400 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
35
Blogs - Health - Breaking the Mirror
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Pro-ana debate on My Crime Space
angelique
Dec. 17, 2008 (b5media delivered by
Newstex) -Fellow b5 blogger Trench Reynolds
has an excellent article on the proana/pro-mia debate at this My Crime
Space link.
It's the old "free speech" question
again. How far should sites that
promote anorexia and bulimia as
lifestyle choices (and not just mental
health problems) be allowed to go?
I still haven't decided. As I've said
before, I would have most definitely
been pro-ana if the Internet had
existed in the 1980s, and that really
worries me. In fact, I would have been
the first to start posting pics of my
bones in the bathroom mirror. And I
have the feeling that if I had gone that
route and been supported in my eating
disorder, I might not be recovered (or
in recovery) today.
news·20081217·NBHE·0BFME-0240-30572629 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
36
What do you think?
Tags:
Ana,
Anorexia,
Bulimia,
censorship, eating disorder, free
speech, Mia, pictures of bones, pro
ana websites, pro-Ana, pro-mia
Share This
Newstex ID: BFME-0240-30572629
PR Newswire US
Friday, 2 July 2010
Web Sites Likely Contributing to High Anorexia Death Rate, According to Timberline Knolls
Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center
Jul. 2, 2010 (PR Newswire delivered
by Newstex) -CHICAGO,July 2/PRNewswire/ -- For
women with low self-esteem, poor
body image and a certain genetic
predisposition towards an eating
disorder, the messages promoted on
pro-eating disorder web sites can be
similar to someone considering
suicide finding a loaded gun on her
pillow.
Recent efforts to raise awareness of
pro anorexia and bulimia web sites
often pay little attention to deaths that
may result from the actions of the web
site
operators,
according
to
Dr.Kimberly
Dennis,
M.D.,
a
psychiatrist
specializing
ineating
disorder treatment. Dr. Dennis,
Medical Director at Timberline Knolls
Residential Treatment Center and a
leader
intreatment
for
anorexiaandbulimia, has particular
concern about "pro ana" web sites.
"It disturbs me how aggressively
some of these web sites promote
anorexia as a lifestyle choice, and
how intricately they scheme to
subvert the efforts of families and
treatment providers trying to save the
lives of those with anorexia," Dr.
Dennis said. "Press coverage of these
sites often completely ignores the
reality that anorexia nervosa has the
highest mortality rate of any mental
illness - up to 20%. This is a life and
death matter that families and
individuals facing eating disorders
must recognize."
A
new
study
published
by
theAmerican
Journal
of
Public
Healthlooked at 180 of these pro-ana
and pro-mia (sites promoting bulimia
nervosa) web sites and found 83
percent of them offered advice on
both how to start an eating disorder
and/or
how
to
continue
the
progression of anorexia, bulimia, or
other eating and exercise disorders.
Dr. Dennis shares the frustration of
many in the eating disorder treatment
community who wish more could be
done to stop these harmful messages
from reaching vulnerable girls, boys,
women and men. She noted, "While
the lack of available data has made it
impractical to quantify the direct
impact of pro-ana and pro-mia web
sites on the rates of mortality among
their users, it's clear from clinical
experience that these sites feed these
deadly diseases instead of supporting
recovery."
Pro eating disorder web sites take a
variety of tactics to sell anorexic or
bulimic behaviors as desirable. Many
times
"thinspiration"
is
used,
commonly in the form of images or
videos of slim women that promote
the mindset that thinness equals
happiness and success. "We've seen it
a lot at Timberline Knolls. Many of
our residents with anorexia and
bulimia, including young girls,
college students and even some
women in their 50's and 60's, have
been involved in pro-ana web sites,"
said Dr. Dennis.
37
Pro ana and pro mia web sites also
provide advice on how to hidesigns of
eating disordersfrom loved ones and
healthcare
providers.
This
can
encourage women to continue eating
disorders that might otherwise have
been successfully treated. "Some
anorexic and bulimic residents have
told us how they previously created
their own blogs about how to be more
effective in their eating disorders, and
others use Facebook accounts to
document their diseases with both
words and pictures," said Dr. Dennis.
Timberline
Knolls
Residential
Treatment Centerworks to strengthen
women and girls from within so they
can live empowered lives and abstain
from the pro ana and pro mia
communities, which may lure them
back into the grips of a deadly
disease. "Leaders on these web sites
cultivate a close community that can
be very compelling to a woman
struggling to feel connected to others
around her," said Dr. Dennis. "The
Timberline Knolls treatment program,
with
its
strong
emphasis
onspirituality,
12-step
recovery
anddialectical behavioral therapy,
intervenes on this front. We support
each resident in making the choice to
connect with others in the service of
her recovery rather than to feed her
disease."
About Timberline Knolls Residential
Treatment Center
Timberline Knolls is a leading
privateresidential treatment centerfor
eating disorders, alcoholism, drug
addiction and mood disorders, with or
withouttrauma, adual diagnosisor acooccurring disorder. Expert treatment
staff offers a nurturing environment
of recovery for women and girls (ages
12 and older) on a wooded 43-acre
campus in suburbanChicago. Women
and
families
seekingChristian
treatmenthave the option of working
with a dedicated Christian therapist.
For more information onTimberline
Knolls Residential Treatment Center,
call us at 877.257.9611.
SOURCE
Timberline
Residential Treatment Center
Knolls
Newstex ID: PRN-0005-46659360
© 2010 PR Newswire US ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20100702·RW·PRN-0005-46659360 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
38
Note(s):
Danielle
Bickelmann,
[email protected], or Susie
Lomelino,
[email protected],
both of Michael Burns & Associates,
+1-214-521-8596,
for
Timberline
Knolls Residential Treatment Center
Blogs - News - CBS News
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Despite social media bans of "pro-ana" websites, pages persist
Michelle Castillo
Mar 28, 2012 - (CBS News) Even
though social media sites are taking a
strong stance against websites that
promote eating disorders, the pages
don't seem to be going anywhere.
Mar 28, 2012 - On one blog covered
with pro-ana tags found on a popular
site, a woman gives a play-by-play of
a three day fast she's partaking in.
During one of the days, the blogger
wrote she consumed only tea,
vitamins, and a gallon of water.
Eating disorders: 9 mistakes parents
make
Anorexia sufferers five times more
likely to die sooner
"I'm super psyched to weigh in," the
blogger wrote. "If I can make it til
noon Friday I may extend it through
the weekend!" Other followers offered
support and said they'd join in the
weight loss attempt.
While the activity of fasting alone
isn't a major cause for alarm, the fact
that her messages are posted in
conjunction of images of frail women
(known as "thinspiration"), positive
mantras promoting weight loss and
other self-loathing notes about being
"pathetic" and having no friends, the
blog quickly becomes an online
snapshot of a person dealing with an
eating disorder.
Welcome on the world of "pro-ana"
(pro-anorexia) or "pro-mia" (probulimia) sites, where one person's
mental disorder suddenly becomes a
community
supported
activity.
According to Dr. Andrea Vazzana,
clinical assistant professor of child
and
adolescent
psychiatry
and
psychiatry at New York University,
while evidence shows that even
looking once at these sites can raise
an individual's body dissatisfaction,
pro-ana pages aren't likely to cause an
eating disorder. But for those who
have an eating disorder to begin with,
these websites can be deadly.
"A lot of times people with eating
disorders use these sites as a means of
seeking support," Vazzana tells
HeathPop.
While the idea of online websites
promoting pro-ana, pro-mia and
thinspiration is not a new, the
popularity of online blogging sites
like Tumblr and Pinterest has made it
easier for those with the ED to
organize online. Simply tag your post
with one of the hashtags on Tumblr,
and you automatically get linked to
other men and women who feel the
same way. Create a board on Pinterest
of weight loss tips and images of
skinny models, and you have a onestop site to share with others with
your same issues.
In February, Tumblr wrote on their
blog that they were adopting a no
"self-harm" policy, meaning they
would shut down sites that promoted
eating disorders. Pinterest soon
followed suit on March 27 by
updating its terms of services to
include banning material that "creates
a risk of harm, emotional distress,
39
death disability, disfigurement or
physical or mental illness to any
person." But a quick online search for
these terms shows that these sites
exist, either because they were
created recently and have yet to be
taken down or because the banned
user created a different account that
has yet to be found by the authorities.
"They are still finding a way with all
these regulations," Vazzana says.
"Even with all the regulations, Tumblr
and Pinterest may try, but they'll get
the sites back running under a
different ISP."
According to the National Association
of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
Disorders Inc., it is estimated that 24
million Americans have an eating
disorder, but only one out of 10 will
receive treatment. Currently, eating
disorders have the highest mortality
rate of any mental disorder. One in
200 U.S. women suffers from
anorexia, and two to three out of 100
women will have bulimia, the South
Carolina Department of Mental Health
reported.
Pro-ana and pro-mia sites are
especially
damaging
for
young
children, Vazzana says. Studies reveal
that children as young as 12 are
accessing these sites. "They are
particularly prone to buying into these
websites and their bodies are
changing at this time when they are
trying to develop a better sense of
identity and sense of sell-social
comparison."
Vazzana points out that not all
"thinspiration" sites are a bad thing.
For those who may need some
motivation to lose weight, these web
communities can help them reach that
goal. Websites like Jenny Craig and
Weight Watchers often post weight
loss pictures and dieting tips. The
problem occurs when these sites
promote images of women who are
too thin or share "unhealthy" tips on
how to lose weight, such as using
laxatives or eating way below the
recommended
amount
of
daily
calories. "They take it to an extreme,"
she says.
Most of the time in the pro-ana or
pro-mia movements don't believe the
have a disorder, but instead are
choosing to live this lifestyle by
making a choice to not eat
indulgently. Vazzana says oftentimes
the person develops an eating disorder
because they are trying to control
their life, but unfortunately it begins
to control them. About 50 percent of
people with an eating disorder also
meet the criteria for depression,
according to the association. Finding
an online support group helps these
people feel like they are not alone and
doing the right thing.
"Eating disorders are actually very
isolating. There's a cult status, but
society tends to frown about it,"
Vazzana explains.
news·20120328·NBNE·CBSI-108479-13329720381292550200 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
40
As tempting as it may be, Vazzana
says that those with an eating disorder
must try to avoid these sites. Parents
can set up filters to block them from
their children, and she suggests
putting the computer in a public area
so activity can be monitored.
The National Institute of Mental
Health has more on eating disorders.
Eating disorders: 9 mistakes parents
make 1-2 of 10 Scroll Left Scroll
Right
Copyright
©
1995-2010
CBS
Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.
Used by permission.
Blogs - News - Jezebel
Monday, 20 August 2012
Is There a Silver Lining to Otherwise Awful Pro-Ana 'Thinspo' Blogs? [Weighty Matters]
Katie J.M. Baker
Aug 20, 2012 - Pro-ana blogs might
actually help anorexics deal with
their eating disorder and eventually
seek recovery, according to a new
study. After interviewing 33 people
from seven countries involved in the
online thinspo community, Indiana
University researchers determined
that the 24-hour support the blogs
offer somewhat balances out all of the
horrifying "I'm not starving myself;
I'm perfecting my emptiness"-type
memes.
Aug 20, 2012 - "These communities
are
providing
support,
albeit
supporting an illness that may result
in someone's death," one of the
researchers said in a statement. "But
until they're ready to go and seek
recovery on their own terms, this
might actually be a way of prolonging
their life, so that they are mentally
ready to tackle their recovery
process."
Researchers have analyzed thinspo
blogs before, but the vast majority
simply looked at the sites instead of
reaching
out
to
the
bloggers
themselves before concluding that the
pro-ana community defends anorexia
as a lifestyle choice instead of a
disease. This new study is notable
because the research team actually
reached out and talked to the women
(no men responded) behind the
concave belly gifs and advice about
how chewing celery burns calories; it
turns out that only three called
anorexia a lifestyle. Instead, 27
defined their eating disorder as a
mental illness, and six said it was a
coping mechanism.
interviewed, and the researchers
didn't specify how they defined proana sites. The takeaway isn't that we
should encourage 15-year-olds to
make their own embroidered "nothing
tastes as good as skinny feels"
pillows, but that we should take a
close look at the qualities that make
the thinspo community so hard to
break away from - for example, how
the blogs offer a round-the-clock
security
blanket
that
more
constructive support groups could try
and emulate.
"In other words, people living with
eating disorders are not purposely
making
unhealthy
or
healthcompromising decisions. They are
trying to find the best way they can to
live
with
this
disorder,"
the
researchers wrote.
"We need to see what about (the proana blogs) is drawing people into the
community and design blogs for
recovery that offer the same kind of
useful information so the recovery
will work," one researcher said. "By
knowing what they're doing in those
blogs, we might be able to find better
ways to provide online support."
Still, the findings seem more like a
beginning than anything conclusive,
since
only
33
people
were
Surprisingly,
'Pro-Ana'
Blogging
Communities May Help Sufferers of
Eating Disorders [Medical Daily]
news·20120820·NBNE·GAWK-101003-13454918813842760600 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
41
The New York Times (blogs) - Well
Friday, 12 October 2012 - 12:28
Struggling With Anorexia on the Web
By LAURA GEGGEL
For years, young people - often girls
and young women - have frequented
Web sites promoting anorexia and
bulimia as a source of inspiration and
tips on staying thin, even as online
companies have worked to ban such
content. Now, groups and Web sites
focused on recovery from eating
disorders are fighting back.
"We need to be looking at these
communities and see what we can
learn from them, and what we can
provide as a positive alternative,"
said Claire Mysko, manager of
Proud2Bme.org, a Web site and
online community focused on healthy
recovery that is financed by the
nonprofit National Eating Disorders
Association. "That's what we're trying
to do here."
This Saturday, the group is taking its
message to the University of South
Florida in Tampa for its free annual
Proud2Bme Summit. Attendees will
be encouraged to engage in activities
like taking a stand on Twitter against
"body snarking," a bullying tactic that
draws attention to a person's body or
weight gain, and hear from speakers
including Julia Bluhm, a 14-year-old
who collected more than 86,000
signatures to petition Seventeen
magazine to print one unaltered photo
spread a month.
"Our goal here is to make it a space
where people can connect," Ms.
Mysko said.
The site began in 2011 after the
success of its Dutch counterpart,
Proud2Bme.nl,
whose
co-founder
Scarlet
Hemkes
struggled
with
anorexia and bulimia as a teenager
and young adult and was horrified to
find countless sites where girls
competed to lose weight or shared tips
on how to lie to parents about weight
loss. Inspired by France's move in
2008 to ban such sites - commonly
called pro-ana (for pro-anorexia) sites
- Ms. Hemkes collected 10,000
signatures with the hopes of inspiring
similar Dutch legislation. When that
didn't work, she created a community
on Hyves, a Facebook-like social
network for girls with eating
disorders,
before
founding
Proud2Bme with a psychologist, Eric
van Furth, in 2009.
Many pro-ana sites cater to young
people with eating disorders by
featuring blogs, forums, calorie
counters, videos, tips, poetry and
pictures. "A lot of it is very image
based: It's people posting pictures of
very thin bodies that have quotes
glorifying thinness," said Ms. Mysko,
who aims to make the American site
equally appealing for its 7,000 daily
visitors by also including "fashion
and everyday stuff."
Web companies periodically try to
stamp out the proliferation of pro-ana
Web sites. In 2001, Yahoo! and other
Web portals banned sites promoting
eating disorders. And this year,
42
Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram
banned "thinspo," a term associated
with finding inspiration for thinness.
"We're committed to supporting
freedom of speech, but we wanted to
provide some limits," said Katherine
Barna, a Tumblr spokeswoman. "We
drew the line on any blogs that
actively promote self-harm."
Still, pro-ana sites continue to
multiply with the ever-increasing
number of online platforms.
"We need to find a way to make the
healthy information more attractive to
these girls," said Daphna YeshuaKatz, a doctoral student in the Indiana
University
department
of
telecommunications. For a recent
study, she and Nicole Martins, an
assistant professor at the university,
talked to 33 pro-ana bloggers, women
ages 15 to 33 who were willing to be
interviewed. The study, published in
August in the journal Health
Communication,
showed
that
participants were motivated to blog as
a way to cope with a stigmatized
illness and a means of self-expression
and social support.
Ms. Mysko of Proud2Bme.org says
that her group is aiming to turn that
social
support
into
something
positive. "Those who might be
attracted to thinspiration content will
find a space where they can feel
accepted and feel like they are able to
talk to others who get it," she said.
"It's an environment that's promoting
recovery."
Related blogs:
Family Therapy for Eating Disorders
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/1
0/18/family-therapy-for-eatingdisorders/
2/19/sharing-your-wifes-eatingdisorder/
When an Eating Disorder Has No
Name
1/18/when-an-eating-disorder-has-noname/
Sharing Your Wife's Eating Disorder
© 2012 The New York Times (blogs) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20121012·NYB·24_83143 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
43
Eating Disorders Among Orthodox
Jews
4/11/eating-disorders-amongorthodox-jews/
The Ideal Ballerina
2/13/the-ideal-ballerina/
States News Services
Monday, 20 August 2012
IU RESEARCHERS INTERVIEW PRO-ANOREXIC BLOGGERS FOR GROUNDBREAKING NEW
STUDY
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The following
information was released by Indiana
University - Bloomington:
BLOOMINGTON,
Ind.
A
groundbreaking new research study
from Indiana University suggests
there may be benefits to the
controversial activities of "pro-ana"
bloggers, the online community for
people with eating disorders.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Most of the
33 bloggers from seven countries
interviewed for the study, which has
just been published in the journal
Health Communication, said their
writing activities provide a way to
express themselves without judgment,
which the authors believe can be
crucial to their treatment.
"We don't know what are the effects
of participating in this community on
health," said Daphna Yeshua-Katz, a
doctoral
student
in
telecommunications in the IU College
of Arts and Sciences. "But we do
know that the current therapy for
eating disorders is not effective."
"These communities are providing
support, albeit supporting an illness
that may result in someone's death,"
added Nicole Martins, an assistant
professor of telecommunications at
IU. "But until they're ready to go and
seek recovery on their own terms, this
might actually be a way of prolonging
their life, so that they are mentally
ready to tackle their recovery process.
"From the outside looking in, this
looks like a really disturbing
community, but I think that the fact
that these women are able to find
support from one another and find a
place where someone understands
what they're going through is a really
good thing," Martins added.
They acknowledged that the study
findings are different from media
coverage and other research about the
pro-ana community.
The National Association of Anorexia
Nervosa and Associated Disorders in
2010 reported that eating disorders
affect more than 11 million people in
the United States alone. Anorexics
lose between 15 and 60 percent of
their body weight and are susceptible
to osteoporosis and heart ailments that
can lead to death. It is viewed as a
mental illness.
Little is known about the "pro-ana"
online community because of the
closeted and secretive nature of its
members. The IU study is believed to
be the first one to focus on interviews
with the bloggers. Previous research
in this area has centered on content
analysis of what these people, mostly
women with the disorders, are
writing.
The researchers reached out to 300
bloggers and received a 10 percent
response -- a statistically significant
response. Both men and women with
eating disorders were approached, but
44
only women participated. Participants
ranged in age from 15 to 33. Most
were attending high school or college,
and all lived in countries where
anorexia is most common. About twothirds lived in the United States.
Yeshua-Katz said many bloggers
express themselves through song
lyrics, music and photos that they call
"thinspiration,"
which
are
very
controversial. Complaints from eating
disorder support groups have led
Internet service providers to shut
down pro-anorexia websites, but the
site administrators and bloggers have
remained resilient.
"They use the blogs to look for
support and understanding, but at the
same time, the content they display is
something that for us -- people who
are not sick -- is very disturbing," she
said. "Studies show that people with
eating disorders are stigmatized.
Therefore these bloggers are looking
for a place to vent out and express
themselves without judgment of
others."
Yeshua-Katz, the lead author on the
paper, frequently researches how
marginalized people are mediating
their stigma through social media.
"The results revealed that the answers
to why individuals are attracted to
pro-ana sites have little to do with the
need to share a broad philosophy or
outlook and may stem from the desire
simply to belong to a safe community
of
individuals
with
similar
experiences," the researchers wrote in
the study.
Their primary motivation for blogging
was to seek social support. Most
bloggers started publishing because
they did not want to feel alone and
were interested in finding others like
themselves.
They
described
interactions with family and friends as
stressful "because they lack the
understanding of their situation, while
online
they
receive
support
constituted
with
sympathy,
understanding and encouragement."
About half of the bloggers also said
self-expression and the need to cope
with social stigmas were other
motives. When asked to give an
example of how blogging might help
them
cope
with
stigma,
six
respondents answered that blogging
offers them a different reality.
The majority of the sample reported
that blogging about their illness
improves their mood, and they found
relief through their writing. The
support they found was seen as
unconditional.
"They receive encouragement when
they post about their weight loss
success and comfort in bloggers'
comments when they fail in such
efforts. Moreover, when a user wants
to stop self-harm behavior or go into
recovery, the community supports her
choice
too,"
the
researchers
explained.
"Our participants perceived the
support within their ED community to
be stronger than the support they
received for their so-called strong ties
to their offline life," they said, adding
that eight bloggers reported meeting
other community members in person.
In medical literature, a patient's
decision to find support is seen as a
good predictor of compliance and
treatment leading to a cure.
Nearly 20 percent of the women
interviewed for the study indicated
that they were in the process of going
through recovery from the illness.
One respondent, who was in recovery,
said that her blogging activities "gave
her the skills to talk about her illness
in the recovery process."
Of the 33 women interviewed, 27
defined their eating disorder as a
mental illness and six said it was a
coping mechanism. Contrary to
previous research based on content
analysis of the blogs, only three of
those interviewed called anorexia a
"lifestyle."
"In other words, people living with
eating disorders are not purposely
making
unhealthy
or
healthcompromising decisions. They are
trying to find the best way they can to
live
with
this
disorder,"
the
researchers wrote.
"I think that's encouraging that a
majority don't look at it as a
lifestyle," Martins said. "The silver
lining is there that if they realize that
it's a disease, then maybe they'll
eventually seek help for it. But right
now this is how they're coping."
While most studies make the claim
that pro-ana websites promote and
maintain anorexia by sharing tips for
weight loss and concealing the
disorder,
only
five
bloggers
mentioned this as a reason to start
their blogs.
"Participants in this research, except
for shutting down their blogs, did
actively engage in ways to warn their
audience about the content and
45
ignored or blocked requests for tips
and tricks from what they nicknamed
'wannarexics' -- young teenagers who
want to become anorexic," the paper
said.
Yeshua-Katz and Martins hope their
research
provides
the
medical
community
with
greater
understanding of the people they are
treating. One of the bloggers they
spoke to expressed difficulty finding
"recovery" blogs and still follows the
pro-ana blogs because "it's hard to
totally abandon them."
"For example, they were missing a
24-hour support place," Yeshua-Katz
said. "We need to see what about (the
pro-ana blogs) is drawing people into
the community and design blogs for
recovery that offer the same kind of
useful information so the recovery
will work.
"By knowing what they're doing in
those blogs, we might be able to find
better ways to provide online
support," she added.
The paper also highlights a major
paradox for the pro-ana community.
"They go online to vent out and to
relieve stress. But then by having
their blog, by having their secret life,
it adds another level of stress to their
life," Yeshua-Katz said. "There is an
information game going on, and it's
very intense and stressful because
your stigma is unknown."
Ten of the pro-ana bloggers actually
produce two blogs -- a "healthy" one
for family members and friends and
another about their eating disorders.
"The fact that disordered eating is
such
a
solitary
and
isolating
experience makes the Internet an ideal
place for offering support and
advice," the researchers wrote. "The
pro-ana community is worth studying
in its own right as a social space that
affords a style of interaction that
would be highly unlikely to be visible
© 2012 States News Services ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20120820·SNS·1116715918 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
46
in the offline
environment."
or
pre-Internet
Blogs - Health - Health Business Blog
Monday, 21 June 2010
Opening our eyes to pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites
David E. Williams of the Health business blog
class="dateline">Jun.
21,
2010
(Health Business Blog delivered by
Newstex) --
access.) It's not just "concerned
parents and friends" who can be
fooled.
If you came here on a search for proanorexia or pro-bulimia websites
please visit Getting Help for Anorexia
and Bulimia at HealthyPlace.com
instead (or at least first).
As I reviewed the sites I noticed that
some
provide
very
specific
instructions on how to hide eating
disorders from one's physician. I had
informal follow-up discussions with a
number of pediatricians. Few had
heard of these pro-Ana and pro-Mia
sites; they certainly hadn't visited
them to see what they are all about.
Some pediatricians also talked about
how the emphasis on obesity
screening and prevention might make
things worse. BMI screening focuses
on finding patients who are too heavy,
not too light. And the message that
it's bad to be too heavy resonates with
the "thinspo" crowd.
I'm happy to see that the American
Journal of Public Health has
published a study of eating disorder
websites --the so-called "pro-Ana"
and "pro-Mia" (as in anorexia and
bulimia)
sites
that
provide
"thinspiration" or "thinspo" to their
visitors. The article, reviewed on
MedPage
Today,
includes
a
systematic assessment of 180 such
sites.
From MedPage Today:
Although
85%
provided
"thinspiration," 83% also offered
overt suggestions on how to engage in
eating disorders.
"The tips and techniques were
suggestions and strategies to achieve
rapid weight loss and even hide one's
eating disorder from concerned
parents and friends," [author Dina
L.G.] Borozekowski said.
I've spent some time looking at proAna/pro-Mia sites in the past, and
Borozekowski's words ring true.
However, I wish she'd gone a bit
farther in her comments to help
pediatricians understand what they are
up against. (Maybe she did in the
AJPH article --but I don't have
If you're a pediatrician or a parent of
an adolescent girl (though boys can
have eating disorders, too), try
browsing some "thinspo" sites. You
are likely to learn about how those
with eating disorders try to evade you,
and you might also develop some
insights into the psychology of those
with anorexia and bulimia.
In the past I've avoided linking to
thinspo sites because I didn't want to
boost their popularity. But I've
decided to abandon that policy in the
name of getting more parents and
peds to visit. I think it's more likely
they are the ones reading my blog
than thinspo fans.
- Here's a summary of pro-Ana tips
and tricks. They are quite repetitive -
47
probably compiled from a number of
separate lists. A couple examples:087.
If you must eat at the table with the
family do not pile food upward on
your plate. Try to keep it close to the
plate and spread out this way your
plate looks full with lots of food, but
isn't.088. If you must eat at the table,
talk a lot and take a drink with
EVERY bite or every other bite to fill
up and make you look active at the
table.
- Here's a fairly hard core one
(Prothinspo) that includes a lot of tips
on hiding anorexia from parents and
doctors.
Avoid going to the doctor at all costs.
If you do have to visit the doctor and
you are underweight, here are some
things you can try: drink tons of
water, if you know you are going to
the doctor a few days in advance you
can load op on salt; you can lose the
water weight alot easier,Wear heavy
clothes and clunky shoes, wear extra
jewelry, paint your nails with extra
layers
(
every
ounce
counts,
remember 16 ounces make a pound),
if the doctors office isn't too far from
your house you can wash your hair
right before going, layer the inside
bottom of your shoes with coins, (I
hate to say this) but don't scrub your
body for a few days and don't shave
your legs, when the doctor weighs
you, say "hey, I lost some
weight!" pay attention to your facial
expressions upon saying this, when
you are weighed, and when the doctor
talks to you. If you are still
underweight after all that and the
doctor asks you about it just say
you've been so busy and you too are
unhappy with your weight loss, say it
definitely wasn't intentional, you can
even say you haven't felt well.
Some of the suggestions in the last
paragraph seem absurd (painting nails
with extra layers!) but it gives you a
sense of the mentality.
you'll find plenty of informative,
disturbing posts and photos.
-
Share
After I wrote this post it occurred to
me to go on Twitter, which is a
natural spot for thinspo behavior. Try
searching #thinspo and #proana and
class="newstexID">Newstex
HBB-0001-46293474
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48
ID:
Blogs - Health - Blisstree
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Pinterest Bans Thinspiration And Pro-Ana Content...But That Doesn't Mean That It's Going Away
Mar 27, 2012 - This week, the big
news about Pinterest is that the
micro-blogging
platform
finally
listened to its users (and, likely, its
lawyers),
and
made
necessary
changes to the wording regarding
copyright and ownership in its Terms
of Service. But they also snuck
something else into the new rules: no
"self-harm" sites...meaning no "proana" content, and no "thinspiration."
But, as Tumblr's recently-updated
conditions seem to show, it's a lot
easier said that done.
Mar 27, 2012 - Jezebel drew some
attention to Pinterest's burgeoning
thinspo community last week, with
this article detailing the many
pinboards which centered around
extreme dieting, images of very-thin
women, and often-repeated adages
within in the eating disorder
community. And, it seems, the site's
creators paid attention, because
here's the new clause in the
Acceptable
Use
policy,
which
mandates that users not post material
that...
creates a risk of harm, loss, physical
or mental injury, emotional distress,
death, disability, disfigurement, or
physical or mental illness to yourself,
to any other person, or to any animal;
Which is all well and good in theory,
but in practice, it seems a little more
difficult.
Tumblr, who worked with NEDA to
help not only curb the use of its site
for pro-ana content, but also offer
support to users who were looking for
it, stated that they were "deeply
committed
to
supporting
and
defending our users' freedom of
speech," but that they "do draw some
limits." However, policing these new
policies seems to be difficult; it
doesn't take more than a quick peek at
Tumblr's tags to see that the
purveyors of scary, triggering images
and blog posts are still posting plenty
of potentially harmful stuff. But then,
pro-ana and thinspo sites are as old as
the internet, and so far, no amount of
restriction has really made them go
away. They just move around.
And, of course, there's the question of
free speech. Tumblr, Pinterest, and
any other platform that users agree to
interact with can rightfully do
whatever they want, and can limit
what content is "acceptable" in
whichever way they like. But that
doesn't mean users will be happy
about it. As one commenter put it on
an article about Tumblr from last
month,"they can do whatever they
want, but I don't find it fair that
Tumblr is insisting on restricting
blogs that are merely being used to
express the thoughts of the blogger
behind it."
Additionally, when it comes to proana blogs, many individuals who are
suffering with eating disorders-which
are notoriously isolating mental
illnesses-rely on that kind of content
to feel less alone. And, as one
49
commenter pointed out, "many blogs
on tumblr with posts concerning
anorexia and bulimia can be recovery
blogs." Something as subjective as
what may potentially lead to "selfharm" isn't just difficult to enforceit's difficult to define.
Still, many concerned parents and
individuals looking for a safe space
without triggers will likely appreciate
this additional piece of language in
Pinterest's updated usage rules. And
who knows? Maybe Pinterest will be
more dogged about policing content
than Tumblr or other platforms.
Though with user growth of 866% in
the last six months, that seems a little
unlikely.
What do you think? Just another
meaningless infringement on free
speech, or a progressive step toward
making the internet less full of thin
women in undies, unhealthy "tips,"
and other triggering images?
Image: Pinterest
Related posts:
True Story: I've Been Using Pro-Ana
Websites For Over A Decade Pro-Ana
Sites Are Just The Tip Of Eating
Disorders On The Internet Tumblr To
Begin Restricting Pro-Ana And Other
"Self-Harm" Blogs Marisa Miller's
'Diet Tricks' In Women's Health Read
Like Pro-Ana Tips
Post from: Blisstree
news·20120327·NBHE·BFME-106345-13328760877167494500 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
50
The Lethbridge Herald
Thursday C, Thursday, 15 September 2005, p. c7
[Stick figures or sick figures? Websites that advocate eating disorders worry health experts Story by
Alana Semuels Illustration by Daniel Marsula Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pictures of sickly thin models and]
Sulz, Dave
Stick figures or sick figures?
Websites
that
advocate
eating
disorders worry health experts
Story by Alana Semuels
Illustration by Daniel Marsula
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pictures of sickly thin models and tips
about how to hide her anorexia
greeted Shannon Bonnette every time
she surfed the Web five years ago.
Bonnette visited the sites out of
curiosity more than anything else after 15 years with an eating disorder,
she didn't need any tips.
But the girls on the sites were a
community of sorts; they were all
going through a similar illness, and
all felt misunderstood. Bonnette, who
is from Erie, Pa., and now lives in
Conneaut, Ohio, even started her own
website, where she kept a journal of
her experiences dealing with anorexia.
She would get e-mails from people
who supported her honesty in talking
about her site, even though it was
difficult to read.
Bonnette, who now runs a website to
support people recovering from eating
disorders, has been on both sides of a
controversy that has been building
over the past few years with the
growth of "pro-ana" and "pro-mia"
Websites that promote, respectively,
anorexia and bulimia, and of websites
that are geared towards recovery.
On one side are doctors who worry
that these sites might trigger eating
disorders in young people on the
brink of the disease, or worsen the
medical state of people who already
have eating disorders.
On the other are the sites' organizers,
who argue that they provide a
community for all those who feel
isolated by their illness, and that
warnings on their sites are meant to
dissuade anyone who cannot handle
their content.
That's part of the problem with these
sites: doctors think they may
perpetuate the illness, while visitors
don't see their problem as an illness at
all.
"The very core of the belief that backs
these sites is that eating disorders are
a lifestyle choice and not an illness,"
said Dr. Rebecka Peebles, an
instructor in adolescent medicine at
Lucille Packard Children's Hospital in
Palo Alto, Calif.
A disclaimer on one popular site
reads: This is a pro-ana website. That
means this is a place where anorexia
is regarded as a lifestyle and a choice,
not an illness or disorder. There are
no victims here.
51
As a doctor who looks at the medical
complications of anorexia, Peebles
does not agree with this assessment.
She's done some preliminary studies
of the effects of these websites and
suggests that they can be detrimental
to the health of those who visit them.
Peebles and medical student Jenny
Wilson surveyed 64 patients who had
been seen for treatment of eating
disorders and 91 parents of such
patients. Although they acknowledge
that the sample size is small, they
found that almost 40 per cent of the
patients
had
visited
pro-eating
disorder websites, and 38 per cent had
visited pro-recovery sites.
People who used the sites had more
hospitalizations because of their
eating disorder, and were spending
less time on school work than patients
who did not visit the sites. Over 60
per cent of the patients who visited
the pro-ana sites had learned weight
loss techniques from the sites, and
more than 30 per cent of patients had
learned similar techniques from
postings made by other patients on the
pro-recovery sites.
Peebles also thinks that these sites
might attract teens in particular,
because many pro-eating disorder
sites feature disclaimers warning the
"weak-hearted" not to enter - a red
flag of sorts that something is off-
limits, and therefore, worth checking
out.
But while the sites might affect some
people negatively, Shannon Bonnette
says they provided her with a valuable
avenue of support.
Anorexia was a part of her identity
that isolated her from others.
"I just figured it was the way I was
going to die," she said.
Her parents had taken her to the
Cleveland Clinic for treatment and
she saw a counselor on her college
campus, but she didn't think that the
doctors she talked to knew anything
about eating disorders.
Even during the worst times of her
illness, the ability to put her
experiences on the Web were
valuable. She says her postings were
more real and gritty than what she
read in the recovery community,
where everything was focused on the
positive.
"Therapists and doctors who think
that they know it all, they don't know
it all," she said. Because of the
websites, "people going through it
feel a whole lot less lost."
It's true that these Websites can
provide a community of sorts, and a
place for people to share their
experiences of going through a
difficult disorder, said Stanford's
Peebles.
Eating disorders in general are
isolating, she said, and often people
who are ill are restricted from
physical activities or school, and if
they're in treatment they spend more
time at home, and inevitably, on the
computer.
Peebles even has patients who cannot
or will not express their feelings in
person, but will refer her to their proana websites where they write about
what they've been up to.
Whether they provide support or
worsen the medical conditions of
people with eating disorders, the sites
affect people in vastly different ways.
Depending on whether a person is
anorexic, or recovering, or on the
brink of developing the disease, the
sites could be a source of help or the
trigger that plunges her into a deadly
disease.
But since they're on the Internet,
there's no way to cater them
specifically to a certain group of
people, no matter how much the
disclaimers on the sites might try.
While there are websites out there
that promote eating disorders, and
those that encourage the road to
recovery, people with eating disorders
will often go to the ones that support
their illness because some, by
definition, have mixed feelings about
getting better.
"One of the diagnostic criteria for the
illness is denial of the seriousness of
the illness," said Marsha Marcus, a
psychiatry professor at the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "By
definition they are made anxious
about thinking of relinquishing the
illness."
The sites might trigger eating
disorders in vulnerable individuals,
she said. While she doesn't think that
websites can cause or cure a serious
disorder, Marcus knows that eating
disorders stem from a complex
combination of forces.
52
In some ways, the support they might
provide is countered by the way they
encourage people to stay thin or
maintain an eating disorder.
Some sites, such as Bonnette's, try to
provide the support network without
the negative aspects of some sites.
Strangely, it was a pro-ana website
that helped her recover; after reading
the complaints and journals of girls
who just wanted to lose a few more
pounds to get below 100 or 96 or 94,
she just got sick of it all.
She began to realize that the postings
never changed, and that no one ever
got any better. With this thought, she
started to give healthy eating a try.
But Bonnette's case is by no means a
common means of recovery from
eating disorders. She was lucky - she
is 26 now and gave birth to a baby
this spring.
Her site now straddles a fine line - it
isn't pro-ana, nor does it constantly
urge people to recover, she said. It
doesn't contain the pictures of thin
models or the diet tips present on
some sites, but it provides links to
some of those sites, as well as sites
that help people through recovery.
While her site has been criticized as
being pro-ana, she thinks it is an
invaluable source of information for
people with eating disorders and those
who want to discover. It's not like
some of the negative sites that are
over-the-top, she says.
"There's definitely a line," she said.
"As with everything, there's a good
and a bad."
© 2005 The Lethbridge Herald ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20050915·LH·0eating×1disorder×1websites - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
53
Victoria Advocate (TX)
Monday, 15 December 2008
'You can't save people from themselves'
Aprill Brandon
Dec. 15, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune
Regional News delivered by Newstex)
-- Con:
For years, when Candy Rutland was
living in Victoria, she was anorexic,
dropping down to 99 pounds by
consuming only 800 calories a day
and exercising twice a day at the gym.
Now living in San Antonio, she is on
prescription diet pills to keep her
weight down and eats only one small
meal a day.
It is a lifestyle choice that she chose,
she said.
"People have been bulimic and
anorexic long before there were Web
sites explaining how to be that way.
You
can't
save
people
from
themselves," Rutland said. "If they
ban the Web sites, then people will
continue to experiment on their own."
Rutland isn't alone in her thinking.
Those that oppose the banning of proana sites claim it is censorship of free
speech as well as how it is not the
government's
place
to
legislate
weight. In April, France's lower house
of Parliament approved a bill that
would punish magazines, blogs and
Web sites that promote eating
disorders with punishments of up to
three years in prison or hefty fines of
up to $70,000.
There is concern among some
disorder specialists that such
would actually create more
demand on the Web sites and
more publicity about pro-ana.
eating
a law
of a
create
"Ultimately, I think it's a mistake to
ban them because I think you're going
to be hard pressed to demonstrate in a
very clear way that these sites have a
direct negative effect," Kenyon
College psychology professor Michael
Levine said in an interview with the
International Herald Tribune shortly
after the bill passed.
Adam Thierer of the Technology
Liberation Front, a Web site devoted
to reversing the trend of political
over-regulation of the Internet,
suggests that education and open,
© 2008 Victoria Advocate (TX) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20081215·NCVI·0KRTB-0211-30479025 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
54
informed discussions are the best way
to combat the pro-ana movement. For
every pro-ana site, other sites pop up
to counter and address the negative
impacts of pro-ana.
While Internet service providers such
as Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) and
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have
shut down various pro-ana sites,
others like LiveJournal, Facebook and
Myspace refuse to do so, stating that
pro-ana being a controversial topic is
not enough to censor and ban the
material.
Newstex ID: KRTB-0211-30479025
Note(s):
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune
Information Services.
For
reprints,
email
[email protected],
call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550,
send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write
to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247
Milwaukee
Ave.,
Suite
303,
Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
The New York Times
Magazine, Sunday, 8 September 2002, p. 6 18
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 9-8-02: PHENOMENON
A Secret Society of the Starving
By Mim Udovitch
Claire is 18. She is a pretty teenager,
with long strawberry-blond hair, and
she is almost abnormally selfpossessed for a girl from a small town
who has suddenly been descended
upon by a big-city reporter who is
there to talk to her, in secret, about
her secret life. She is sitting on the
track that runs around the field of her
high
school's
football
stadium,
wearing running shorts and a T-shirt
and shivering a little because even
though we are in Florida -- in the
kind of town where, according to
Claire, during "season" when you see
yet another car with New York plates,
you just feel like running it down -there's an evening chill.
Claire's is also the kind of town where
how the local high school does in
sports matters. Claire herself plays
two sports. Practice and team fundraisers are a regular part of her life,
along with the typical small-townFlorida teenage occupations -- going
to "some hick party," hanging out
with friends in the parking lot of the
Taco Bell, bowling, going to the
beach.
Another regular part of her life, also a
common teenage occupation, is
anorexia -- refusal to eat enough to
maintain a minimally healthy weight.
So she is possibly shivering because
she hasn't consumed enough calories
for her body to keep itself warm.
Claire first got into eating disorders
when she was 14 or 15 and a bulimic
friend introduced her to them. But she
was already kind of on the lookout for
something: "I was gonna do it on my
own, basically. Just because, like,
exercise can only take you so far, you
know? And I don't know, I just started
to wonder if there was another way.
Because they made it seem like, 'You
do drugs, you die; be anorexic and
you're gonna die in a year.' I knew
that they kind of overplayed it and
tried to frighten you away. So I
always thought it can't be that bad for
you."
Bulimia -- binge eating followed by
purging through vomiting or laxatives
-- didn't suit her, however, so after a
little while she moved onto anorexia.
But she is not, by her own lights,
anorexic. And her name isn't Claire.
She is, in her terms, "an ana" or "proana" (shortened from pro-anorexia),
and Claire is a variation of Clairegirl,
the name she uses on the Web sites
that are the fulcrum of the pro-ana
community, which also includes
people who are pro-mia (for bulimia)
or simply pro-E.D., for eating
disorder.
About one in 200 American women
suffers from anorexia; two or three in
100 suffer from bulimia. Arguably,
55
these disorders have the highest
fatality rates of any mental illness,
through suicide as well as
the obvious health problems. But
because they are not threatening to
the passer-by, as psychotic disorders
are, or likely to render people
unemployable
or
criminal,
as
alcoholism and addiction are, and
perhaps also because they are
disorders that primarily afflict girls
and women, they are not a
proportionately
imperative
social
priority.
They have been, however, topics of
almost prurient media fascination for
more than 20 years -- regularly the
subject of articles in magazines that
have
a
sizable
young
female
readership. In these forums, eating
disorders are generally depicted as
fundamentally body-image disorders,
very extreme versions of the noneating-disordered woman's desire to
be thin, which just happen, rivetingly,
to carry the risk of the ultimate
consequence. "So many women who
don't have the disorder say to me:
'Well, what's the big deal? It's like a
diet gone bad,"' says Ellen Davis, the
clinical director of the Renfrew
Center of Philadelphia, an eatingdisorder treatment facility. "And it is
so different from that. Women with
the vulnerability, they really fall into
an abyss, and they can't get out. And
it's not about, 'O.K., I want to lose the
10 pounds and go on with my life.'
It's, 'This has consumed my entire
existence.' "
And now there's pro-ana, in many
ways an almost too lucid clarification
of what it really feels like to be eating
disordered. "Pain of mind is worse
than pain of body" reads the legend
on one Web site's live-journal page,
above a picture of the Web mistress's
arm, so heavily scored with what look
like razor cuts that there is more open
wound than flesh. "I'm already
disturbed," reads the home page of
another. "Please don't come in." The
wish to conform to a certain external
ideal for the external ideal's sake is
certainly a component of anorexia and
bulimia. But as they are experienced
by the people who suffer from them,
it is just that: a component, a
stepping-off point into the abyss.
As the girls (and in smaller numbers,
boys) who frequent the pro-E.D. sites
know, being an ana is a state of mind
-- part addiction, part obsession and
part seesawing sense of self-worth,
not necessarily correlating to what
you actually weigh. "Body image is a
major deal, but it's about not being
good enough," says Jill M. Pollack,
the executive director of the Center
for the Study of Anorexia and
Bulimia, "and they're trying to fix
everything
from
the
outside."
Clairegirl, like many of the girls who
include their stats -- height, weight
and goal weight -- when posting on
such sites, would not receive a
diagnosis of anorexia, because she is
not 15 percent under normal weight
for her height and age.
But she does have self-devised rules
and restrictions regarding eating,
which, if she does not meet them,
make her feel that she has erred -- I
kind of believe it is a virtue, almost,"
she says of pro-ana. "Like if you do
wrong and you eat, then you sin." If
she does not meet her goals, it makes
her dislike herself, makes her feel
anxiety and a sense of danger. If she
does meet them, she feels "clean."
She has a goal weight, lower than the
weight she is now. She plays sports
for two hours a day after school and
tries to exercise at least another hour
after she gets home. She also has a
touch
of
obsessive-compulsive
disorder regarding non-food-related
things -- cleaning, laundry, the
numeral three. ("Both anorexia and
bulimia are highly O.C.D.," says
Pollack. "Highly.")
And she does spend between one and
three hours a day online, in the world
of pro-ana. Asked what she likes best
about the sites, Claire says: "Just
really, like at the end of the day, it
would be really nice if you could
share with the whole world how you
felt, you know? Because truthfully,
you just don't feel comfortable, you
can't tell the truth. Then, like, if I
don't eat lunch or something, people
will get on my case about it, and I
can't just come out and tell them I
don't eat, or something like that. But
at the end of the day, I can go online
and talk to them there, and they know
exactly what I'm going through and
how I feel. And I don't have to worry
about them judging me for how I
feel."
pro-ana, the basic premise of which is
that an eating disorder is not a
disorder but a lifestyle choice, is very
much an ideology of the early 21st
century, one that could not exist
absent
the
anonymity
and
accessibility of the Internet, without
56
which the only place large numbers of
anorexics and bulimics would find
themselves together would be at
inpatient treatment. "Primarily, the
sites reinforce the secretiveness and
the 'specialness' of the disorder,"
Davis says. "When young women get
into the grips of this disease, their
thoughts become very distorted, and
part of it is they believe they're
unique and special. The sites are a
way for them to connect with other
girls and to basically talk about how
special they are. And they become
very isolated. Women with eating
disorders really thrive in a lot of ways
on being very disconnected. At the
same time, of course, they have a
yearning to be connected."
Perfectionism, attention to detail and
a sense of superiority combine to
make the pro-ana sites the most
meticulous and clinically fluent selfrepresentations of a mental disorder
you could hope to find, almost
checklists of diagnostic criteria
expressed in poignantly human terms.
Starving yourself, just on the basis of
its sheer difficulty, is a highdedication ailment -- to choose to be
an ana, if choice it is, is to choose a
way of life, a hobby and a credo. And
on the Web, which is both very public
and completely faceless, the aspects
of the disorder that are about
attention-getting and secret-keeping
are a resolved paradox. "I kind of
want people to understand," Clairegirl
says, "but I also like having this little
hidden thing that only I know about,
like -- this little secret that's all
yours."
Pro-ana has its roots in various
newsgroups and lists deep inside
various Internet service providers.
Now there are numerous well-knownto-those-who-know sites, plus who
knows how many dozens more that
are just the lone teenager's Web page,
with names that put them beyond the
scope of search engines. And based
on the two-week sign-up of 973
members to a recent message-board
adjunct to one of the older and more
established
sites,
the
pro-ana
community probably numbers in the
thousands, with girls using names like
Wannabeboney,
Neverthinenuf,
DiETpEpSi
UhHuh!
and
Afraidtolookinthemirror
posting
things like: "I can't take it anymore!
I'm fasting! I'm going out, getting all
diet soda, sugar-free gum, sugar-free
candy and having myself a 14-day
fast. Then we'll see who is the skinny
girl in the family!"
That ana and mia are childlike
nicknames, names that might be the
names of friends (one Web site that is
now defunct was even called, with
girlish fondness, "My Friend Ana"), is
indicative. The pro-ana community is
largely made up of girls or young
women, most of whom are between
the ages of 13 and 25. And it is a
close community, close in the manner
of close friendships of girls and
young women. The members of a few
sites send each other bracelets, like
friendship bracelets, as symbols of
solidarity and support. And like any
ideology subscribed to by many
individuals,
pro-ana
is
not
a
monolithic system of belief.
At its most militant, the ideology is
something along the lines of, as the
opening page of one site puts it:
"Volitional, proactive anorexia is not
a disease or a disorder. . . . There are
no victims here. It is a lifestyle that
begins and ends with a particular
faculty human beings seem in
drastically short supply of today: the
will. . . . Contrary to popular
misconception, anorectics possess the
most iron-cored, indomitable wills of
all. Our way is not that of the
weak. . . . If we ever completely
tapped that potential in our midst . . .
we
could
change
the
world.
Completely. Maybe we could even
rule it."
Mostly, though, the philosophical
underpinnings of pro-ana thought are
not quite so Nietzschean. The "Thin
Commandments" on one site, which
appear under a picture of Bugs Bunny
smiling his toothy open-mouthed
smile, leaning against a mailbox and
holding a carrot with one bite taken
out of it, include: "If thou aren't thin,
thou aren't attractive"; "Being thin is
more important than being healthy";
"Thou shall not eat without feeling
guilty"; "Thou shall not eat fattening
food
without
punishing
thyself
afterward"; and "Being thin and not
eating are signs of true willpower and
success."
The "Ana Creed" from the same site
begins: "I believe in Control, the only
force mighty enough to bring order
into the chaos that is my world. I
believe that I am the most vile,
worthless and useless person ever to
have existed on this planet."
In fact, to those truly "in the disorder"
-- a phrase one anonymous ana used
to describe it, just as an anonymous
alcoholic might describe being in
A.A. as being "in the rooms" -- proana is something of a misnomer. It
suggests the promotion of something,
rather than its defense, for reasons
either sad or militant. That it is
generally understood otherwise and
even exploited ("Anorexia: Not just
for suicidal teenage white girls
anymore" read the home page of
Anorexic Nation, now a disabled site,
57
the real purpose of which was to push
diet drugs) is a source of both
resentment and secret satisfaction to
the true pro-ana community. Its
adherents might be vile and worthless,
but they are the elite.
The usual elements of most sites are
pretty much the same, although the
presentation is variable enough to
suggest Web mistresses ranging from
young women with a fair amount of
programming know-how and editorial
judgment to angry little girls who
want to assert their right to protect an
unhealthy behavior in the face of
parental opposition and who happen
to know a little HTML. But there are
usually "tips" and "techniques" -- on
the face of it, the scariest aspect of
pro-ana, but in reality, pretty much
the same things that both dieters and
anorexics have been figuring out on
their own for decades. There are
"thinspirational" quotes -- You can
never be too rich or too thin";
"Hunger hurts but starving works";
"Nothing tastes as good as thin feels";
"The thinner, the winner!" There are
"thinspirational"
photo
galleries,
usually pretty much the same group of
very thin models, actresses and
singers -- Jodie Kidd, Kate Moss,
Calista Flockhart, Fiona Apple. And
at
pro-ana's
saddest
extreme,
balancing the militance on the scales
of the double-digit goal weight, there
are warnings of such severity that
they might as well be the beginning of
the third canto of Dante's "Inferno":
"I am the way into the city of woe. I
am the way to a forsaken people. I am
the way into eternal sorrow." The proana version of which, from one site,
is:
Please Note: anorexia is not a diet.
Bulimia is not a weight-loss plan.
These are dangerous, potentially life-
threatening disorders that you cannot
choose, catch or learn. If you do not
already have an eating disorder, that's
wonderful! If you're looking for a new
diet, if you want to drop a few pounds
to be slimmer or more popular or
whatever, if you're generally content
with yourself and just want to look a
bit better in a bikini, go away. Find a
Weight Watchers meeting. Better yet,
eat moderate portions of healthy food
and go for a walk.
However.
If you are half as emotionally scarred
as I am, if you look in the mirror and
truly loathe what you see, if your
relationships with food and your body
are
already
beyond
"normal"
parameters no matter what you weigh,
then come inside. If you're already
too far into this to quit, come in and
have a look around. I won't tell you to
give up what I need to keep hold of
myself.
Most of the pro-ana sites also
explicitly discourage people under 18
from entering, partly for moral and
partly for self-interested reasons.
Under pressure from the National
Eating Disorders Association, a
number of servers shut down the proana sites they were hosting last fall.
But obviously, pretty much anyone
who wanted to find her way to these
sites and into them could do so,
irrespective of age. And could find
there, as Clairegirl did, a kind of
perverse support group, a place where
a group of for the most part very
unhappy and in some part very angry
girls and women come together to
support each other in sickness rather
than in health.
Then there's chaos -- also her Web
name -- who like her friend
Futurebird (ditto) runs an established
and well-respected pro-E.D. site.
Chaos, whom I met in Manhattan
although that's not where she lives, is
a very smart, very winning, very
attractive 23-year-old who has been
either bulimic or anorexic since she
was 10. Recently she's been bingeing
and purging somewhere between 4
and 10 times a week. But when not
bingeing,
she
also
practices
"restricting" -- she doesn't eat in front
of people, or in public, or food that
isn't sealed, or food that she hasn't
prepared herself, or food that isn't one
of her "safe" foods, which since they
are a certain kind of candy and a
certain kind of sugar-free gum, is
practically all food. ("You're catching
on quickly," she says, laughing, when
this is remarked on.) Also recently,
she has been having trouble making
herself throw up. "I think my body's
just not wanting to do it right now,"
she says. "You have the toothbrush
trick, and usually I can just hit my
stomach in the right spot, or my
fingernails will gag me in the right
spot. It just depends on what I've
eaten. And if that doesn't work, laxis
always do."
severity of Chaos's bulimia, its
longstanding nature and the other
things she does -- taking ephedra or
Xenadrine, two forms of, as she says,
"legal speed," available at any health
food or vitamin store; exercising in
excess; fasting -- she stands a very
real chance of dying any time.
As it is, she has been to the
emergency room more than half a
dozen times with "heart things." It
would freak her out to see the details
of her heart things in print. But the
kinds of heart things a severe bulimic
might
experience
range
from
palpitations to cardiac arrest. And
although Chaos hasn't had her kidney
function tested in the recent past, it
probably isn't great. Her spleen might
also be near the point of rupturing.
Chaos is by no means a young woman
with nothing going for her. She has a
full-time job and is a full-time college
student, a double major. She can play
a musical instrument and take good
photographs. She writes beautifully,
well
enough
to
have
won
competitions.
Chaos, like Clairegirl, is obsessivecompulsive about a certain number
(which it would freak her out to see
printed), and when she takes laxatives
she either has to take that number of
them, which is no longer enough to
work, or that number plus 10, or that
number plus 20, and so forth. The
most she has ever taken is that
number plus 60, and the total number
she takes depends on the total number
of calories she has consumed.
But despite her many positive
attributes, Chaos punishes herself
physically on a regular basis, not only
through bulimia but also through
cutting -- hers is the live-journal page
with the picture of the sliced-up arm.
To be beheld is, to Chaos, so painful
that after meeting me in person, she
was still vomiting and crying with
fear over the possible consequences of
cooperating with this story a week
later. "Some days," she says of her
bulimia, "it's all I have."
While it hardly needs to be pointed
out that starving yourself is not good
for you, bulimia is in its own
inexorable if less direct way also a
deadly disorder. Because of the
One thing that she does not have is
health insurance, so her treatment
options
are
both
limited
and
inadequate. So with everything she
has going for her, with all her real-
58
world dreams and aspirations, the
palpitating heart of her emotional life
is in the pro-E.D. community. As
another girl I spoke with described
herself as telling her doctors: "Show
me a coping mechanism that works as
well as this and I'll trade my eating
disorder for it in a minute."
And while in some moods Chaos says
she would do anything to be free of
her eating disorders, in others she has
more excuses not to be than the mere
lack of health insurance: she has a
job, she is in school, she doesn't
deserve help. And what she has, on all
days, is her Web site, a place where
people who have only their eating
disorders can congregate, along with
the people who aspire to having
eating
disorders
-who
for
unknowable
reasons
of
neurochemistry
and
personal
experience identify with the selflacerating worlds of anorexia and
bulimia.
Futurebird, whom I also met in
Manhattan, says that she has noticed a
trend, repeating itself in new member
after new member, of people who
don't think they're anorexic enough to
get treatment. And it's true, very
much a function of the Internet -- its
accessibility, its anonymity -- that the
pro-ana sites seem to have amplified
an almost-diagnostic category: the
subclinical eating disorder, for the
girl who's anorexic on the inside, the
girl who hates herself so much that
she forms a virtual attachment to a
highly traumatized body of women, in
a place where through posts and the
adoption of certain behaviors, she can
make her internal state external.
Futurebird and Chaos are sitting in a
little plaza just to the south of
Washington Square Park, with the sun
behind them. Futurebird is a small
African-American woman. As she
notes, and as she has experienced
when being taken to the hospital, it is
a big help being African-American if
you don't want people to think you
have anorexia, which is generally and
inaccurately considered to be solely
an affliction of the white middle
class. Futurebird has had an eating
disorder since she was in junior high
school and is now, at 22, looking for a
way to become what you might call a
maintenance anorexic -- eating a little
bit more healthily, restricting to foods
like fruits and whole-grain cereal and
compensating for the extra calories
with excessive exercising.
Like Chaos, she is opposed, in
principle, to eating disorders in
general and says that she hates
anorexia with a blind and burning
hatred. Although she also says she
thinks she's fat, which she so
emphatically is not that in the interest
of not sounding illogical and
irrational, she almost immediately
amends this to: she's not as thin as
she'd like to be.
Both she and Chaos would vigorously
dispute the assertion that the sites can
give anyone an eating disorder. You
certainly can't give anyone without
the vulnerability to it an eating
disorder. But many adolescent girls
teeter on the edge of vulnerability.
And the sites certainly might give
those girls the suggestion to . . . hey,
what the hell, give it a try.
"What I'd like people to understand,"
Futurebird says, "is that it is very
difficult for people who have an
eating disorder to ask for help. What a
lot of people are able to do is to say,
well, I can't go to a recovery site and
ask for help. I can't go to a doctor or a
59
friend and ask for help. I can't tell
anyone. But I can go to this site
because it's going to quote-unquote
make me worse. And instead what I
hope they find is people who share
their experience and that they're able
to just simply talk. And I've actually
tested this. I've posted the same thing
that I've posted on my site on some
recovery sites, and I've read the
reactions, and in a lot of ways it's
more helpful."
In what ways?
"The main difference is that if you
post -- if someone's feeling really bad,
like, I'm so fat, et cetera, on a
recovery site, they'll say, that's not
recovery talk. You have to speak
recovery-speak."
"Fat is not a feeling," Chaos says, in
tones that indicate she is echoing a
recovery truism.
"And they'll use this language of
recovery,"
Futurebird
continues.
"Which does work at some point in
the negative thinking patterns that you
have. But one tiny thing that I wish
they would do is validate that the
feeling does exist. To say, yes, I
understand that you might feel that
way. And you get not as much of that.
A lot of times people just need to
know that they aren't reacting in a
completely crazy way."
The problem is that by and large, the
people posting on these sites are
reacting in a completely crazy way.
There
are
many,
many
more
discussions answering questions like,
"What do you guys do about
starvation headaches?" than there are
questions like, "I am feeling really
down; can you help me?" And in no
case, in answering the former
question, does anyone say, "Um . . .
stop starving yourself." A site like
Futurebird's, or like the message
board of Chaos's, are designed with
the best intentions. But as everybody
knows, that is what the way into the
city of woe, the way to a forsaken
people and the way into eternal
sorrow are paved with.
1,000," she says, wrapping her arms
around her knees. "I consider myself
to be one of the extreme dieters. Like,
I could never want to be -- I mean, it
would be so awesome to be able to
say a double-digit number as your
weight, but it would look sick, you
know?" (Clairegirl is 5 feet 7 inches.)
What Clairegirl, sitting shivering on
the running track, would say today is
that when she reaches her current goal
weight, she will stay there. But she
can't ever really see herself giving ana
up altogether. "I don't think I could
ever stop, like, wanting to not eat.
Like, I could keep myself from eating
below 300 calories a day. But I could
never see myself eating more than
And what about the people on the proana sites who are not so happy, who
describe the disorder as a living hell,
who are in very bad shape? "Those
girls have been going at it a lot longer
than me. But you can't ever really say
that ana isn't a form of self-hatred,
even though I try to say that. If I was
truthfully happy with myself, then I
would allow myself to eat. But I
Figure:
Photo (Jocelyn Lee)
60
don't. And it's kind of like a strive for
perfection, and for making myself
better. So I can't honestly say there's
no. . . . "
She trails off, and gazes up, as if the
answer were written in the night sky,
waiting to be decoded. "Like, you
can't say that every ana loves herself
and that she doesn't think anything is
wrong with her at all," she says. "Or
else she wouldn't be ana in the first
place."
Note(s):
Mim Udovitch is a contributing editor
at Rolling Stone.
Friday, 2 March 2012
True Story: I've Been Using Pro-Ana Websites For Over A Decade
Mar 02, 2012 - Earlier this week, I
wrote about the pro-ana websites,
body-negativity, and what the internet
is doing to both promote and try to
end eating disorders. But there was
one voice that was distinctively
missing: that of someone who is, and
has been, a regular user of pro-eating
disorder,
non-recovery-centered
websites and forums for years.
rather polarized: the "recoveryoriented" sites decried the evils of the
pro-anorexia websites, and the proanorexia
websites
decried
the
intolerance of the strictly recovery
sites. I played both sides of the fence,
and I'm sure I wasn't the only one.
What all of these sites had in common
was a connection to people who knew
what I was going through.
Mar 02, 2012 - "Rachel," who we're
keeping anonymous to protect her
privacy, has struggled with an eating
disorder for over a decade. And she
says she's found comfort and
community on multiple websites and
forums in that time, often frequenting
pro-recovery and pro-eating disorder
sites. But now, she notes, pro-ana
sites aren't what they used to be-in
fact, Rachel says that many are
beginning to move away from the
glorification of eating disorders, and
toward a more positive mindset.
One common theme among people
with eating disorders is shame. There
are so many thoughts and behaviors
that accompany an ED that we feel we
have to hide, and sometimes for good
reason (in my case, I had to pretend to
be recovered to avoid being kicked
out of college). Only online could I
tell others about the rampaging voice
in my head telling me I was fat; only
online could I share my guilt about
stealing a roommate's food; only
online could I admit to rummaging
through trash bins to find scraps of
food I wouldn't otherwise allow
myself; only online could I share the
horror of purging in the bathroom and
forgetting to clean before my
roommates returned.
Some of the content may be
triggering, and we definitely don't
support pro-ana websites, but we
thought it was important that all sides
to this story were told. If you're
looking for support, there is help
available. Check out these great
online resources, like Proud2BeMe.
Below is Rachel's story:
I've been part of the online ED
community almost since my eating
disorder started in 2001. This also
coincided with the proliferation of
"pro-ana" websites and forums. ED
forums at this time seemed to be
Over the past decade, many formerly
"pro-ana" forums have become more
moderate in their approach with a
strong bent toward recovery. During
these same years, my own ED has
gradually improved (although never
dissipated
completely).
I
have
remained somewhat active in the
online ED community and recently
took ownership of a forum that has
evolved beyond its "pro-ana" roots to
become a supportive community for
61
people with EDs and other mental
health issues.
Of course there is no way to know
precisely how participation in the
online ED community impacted my
own disorder or how my illness would
have otherwise progressed, but I
believe the net effect was positive.
Online support isn't a substitute for
real-life friendships, but it helped me
to avoid complete isolation and the
feeling of being alone in my
struggles.
I'm sure I picked up ED-fueling
"tips," especially in the first couple of
years, but isolation would have
certainly
triggered
me
toward
possibly
worse
self-destructive
actions. Online forums have also
provided me with an opportunity to
look beyond my own problems in
order to reach out and help others.
Again, if you're in crisis, or just need
support, there are websites that can
help.
Image:Edyta
Shutterstock
Pawlowskavia
Related posts:
Phantom Fat: Walking The Line
Between Weight Loss And Eating
Disorder What I Learned About
Eating Disorders From Watching
Lifetime Movies Pro-Ana Sites Are
Just The Tip Of Eating Disorders On
The Internet 'How The Media Used
My Eating Disorder Story To Shock
Instead Of Help'
62
The Telegram (St. John's)
Final
Health & Fitness, Thursday, 9 August 2001, p. B1 / FRONT
'Have a skinny day': Buoyed by technology and the promise of anonymity, pro-anorexics flock to Web
sites to reach others
Kelly Cryderman
Southam Newspapers
OTTAWA - "Being thin is
important than being healthy."
OTTAWA - "Thou shall
without feeling guilty."
not
more
eat
OTTAWA - "Starvation is next to
Godliness."
OTTAWA - "What we are doing takes
strength. People who say we are
wrong only wish they were as strong."
These are samplings from
Ana Commandments" on a
called Bloody Brick Road
dozens, if not hundreds, of
flourishing
pro-anorexia
community.
the "ProWeb site
-- one of
sites in a
virtual
The idea will likely seem freakish and
unhealthy to most, but groups of
anorexics from the U.S., the U.K.,
Germany, Australia and Canada
regularly discuss tips for fasting,
hiding food to make it look as though
it's been eaten, and avoiding
suspicious questions from family
members and doctors. They post
photos of famous skinny women such
as Calista Flockhart, Kate Moss and
Jodie
Kidd
because
they're
"thinspirational," and sign off their
messages to one another with "Have a
skinny day." Almost everyone in the
chat groups is looking for a dieting
buddy.
Kim, a 19-year-old pro-anorexic
living in a suburb just south of
Minneapolis, who doesn't want her
last name used, says she has had
anorexia for three years and has been
hospitalized twice. She's not as
dedicated to anorexia as she used to
be, she says, and at five-foot-four,
weighs 105 pounds. Ideally, she says
she'd be 85 pounds. The psychology
student regularly goes online to her
favourite pro-ana sites since a friend
told her about them four months ago.
"If you're gaining weight, if you're
eating too much, life sucks," she said
in an interview.
"If you have people holding you
accountable, it keeps you on track,"
said Kim, who consumes about 500
calories a day. "People feed off
competition. People compete with
each other and try to eat less.
"I know it's a disorder, but disorders
aren't always bad."
It's this attitude that's enraging the
people who fight anorexia. "It's like
saying, 'Here's how to have cancer or
here's how to be an alcoholic,' " said
Christopher Athas, vice-president of
the National Association of Anorexia
Nervosa and Associated Disorders, a
non-profit help and advocacy group in
the U.S.
63
But buoyed by technology, and the
promise of anonymity, pro-anorexics
flock to these sites to reach others
like them around the world.
Many of the sites speak in a tone not
entirely different from a line in a
lifestyle magazine. "I started this here
club for anorexics who don't want to
get better, and for anorexic wannabes
who are looking for newfound
thinness!" is the way one Internet chat
group site greets visitors.
Other sites seem more full of selfloathing, with direct references to
suicide attempts and disgust with
body fat. Bloody Brick Road states:
"You do not understand the freezing
cold showers, the 200-calorie-a-day
diet, the week-long fasts, the morning
runs in underwear, the sleeping with
ice ... You think I am weird, crazy in
fact, but what you think doesn't
matter ... there are other people out
there like me. We all worship the
eating-disordered gods. Some of us
worship Ana, some Bulimia."
One girl calling herself Gillian and
speaking on a Yahoo club group
called "pro anorexia," which has
almost 2,500 members, posted a
message saying, "I am so nervous. I'm
starting to listen to all my doctors and
nutritionist people -- maybe I'm not
eating enough. But there's no way I
can give this up!"
section, despite a sprinkling of antianorexia groups.
See WEB, page B2
Anorexia is an eating disorder that
affects mostly women (but the
numbers of male anorexics is
increasing) with the primary symptom
being self-induced starvation. Most
girls start in their teens, but a
significant number continue well into
adulthood. Some 750,000 Canadian
women and girls have some type of
eating disorder.
Continued from page B1
Another writer on "we will be thin"
on Yahoo said "I've been anorexic on
and off. I'm on again -- I eat 150-300
calories a day every day with water.
I'm afraid to eat more 'cause the more
I eat the less I'll lose, but I'm starting
to feel too weak to do my workouts.
The last time I got myself down to 99
pounds on workouts and animal
crackers."
In one discussion about fasts on
"anorexic wanna b," jessi99031 wrote,
"After a couple of days, I start to get
real lightheaded. If this happens, eat a
few grapes. This will bring your blood
sugar back up so you don't pass out,
and it only takes a few!"
Other Yahoo pro-ana groups are
called "Only Popular With Anorexia,"
"DiET PePSI UhHuH," and "Anorexia
for Beginners" -- there's even a
"German Pro Anorexia" group, a
"Short
Anorexics"
group
(for
anorexics five feet and under) and a
"women of colour with anorexia" proana group. These groups are all under
the health category at Yahoo, and are
the most popular sites in the anorexia
Dr. Hany Bissada, director of
Ottawa's Regional Centre for the
Treatment of Eating Disorders, which
gets almost 60 new anorexia patients
a year, calls the Web sites "criminal"
and "like a cult."
"It's an invitation to illness," Bissada
said after viewing some of the sites.
"It's really nauseating. People will die
because it does attract young women
and men who have no sense of
identity."
Before the Internet was available,
Bissada says the only way serious
anorexics could find and encourage
each other was if they ended up in the
same hospital room.
For its part, Yahoo Inc., which is just
one of many of the Web hosts of these
sites, says when there's content with
the sole purpose of promoting harm,
© 2001 The Telegram (St ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20010809·ET·0060 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
64
Yahoo will evaluate it, and in rare
cases, remove it. A spokeswoman
couldn't comment on any specific
cases.
Web masters of these sites defend
their actions, noting they post
warnings about bulimia, and the
dangers of laxatives and ipecac syrup
(which induces vomiting). Xtremity,
who identifies herself as a 20-year-old
with a nine-year history of eating
disorders, says she would have killed
herself if she hadn't met other people
who are struggling with the same
issues. Pro-ana sites, she says, gave
her hope.
"Perhaps a tip from my site would
help (people) resist a binge and
therefore avoid all the guilt and selfloathing
thoughts
that
follow,"
Xtremity writes. "It may be a source
of comfort for someone who felt
totally alone in their eating disorder."
Kim says sometimes she wants to get
better, and it scares her when she sees
someone claiming to be 11 years old
talking about fasting on one of the
sites. She says it would be a good idea
to restrict the pro-ana sites to those
over 18.
"I wish it was just for older people
who aren't wanting to die -- people
who just want the lifestyle."
Victoria Advocate (TX)
Monday, 15 December 2008
Eating disorder sites can have negative impact
Aprill Brandon
Dec. 15, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune
-- You can find anything on the
Internet these days, including Web
sites devoted to eating disorders.
Commonly known as pro-ana or promia, short for pro anorexia and pro
bulimia, since around the year 2000,
hundreds of Web sites have cropped
up spouting these eating disorders as
a lifestyle choice, not a disease.
Complete with tips on binging and
purging, "thinspiration" photos of
extremely thin celebrities and weight
loss
challenges,
the
pro-ana
movement has gained many followers
but just as many opponents. In recent
years, there has been a backlash
against pro-ana, with many Web
providers shutting down these sites
and many anti pro-ana protesters
calling for all the Web sites to be shut
down.
So the question remains, should proana Web sites be banned from the
Internet?
After developing an eating disorder at
the age of 14, Angela Ross would
spend two to three hours a day on proanorexia Web sites. Now the
moderator of the Facebook group Stop
Pro Ana, which currently has
approximately 1,600 members, Ross,
18, is on a mission to spread
awareness about the dangers of proana.
"Getting on those Web sites definitely
encouraged me to keep going with my
eating disorder. And I don't want
anyone else to fall into that trap like I
did," Ross, of Roswell, NM, said. "I
would personally love for all of these
sites to be shut down."
According to research done at the
University of Missouri, there is
emerging evidence that Web sites
promoting anorexia do have a
negative impact. In a piece published
in The International Journal of Eating
Disorders, the research showed that
young women who looked at anorexia
sites later felt lower self esteem than
the women in the study who were
assigned to look at Web sites
featuring conventional models.
In a 2006 survey of eating disorder
patients at Stanford Medical School,
35 percent had visited pro-ana sites
and of those, 96 percent learned new
weight loss techniques.
Many in the health care profession
have spoken out against pro-ana
groups, including the National Eating
Disorder Association and the National
Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders. The Academy
for Eating Disorders has written a
position statement about the pro ana
phenomenon, saying that "Web sites
that glorify anorexia as a lifestyle
choice play directly to the psychology
of its victims." The academy's
position statement goes on to say that
there is always tension between
respecting the right of free speech and
protecting vulnerable individuals,
particularly children...it's important to
note that the average age of the onset
65
of
eating
disorders
adolescence.
is
during
"Anorexia is slow suicide and pro-ana
is slow mass suicide," Ross summed
up. "Either through the government or
the Web providers, these sites need to
be banned. We're trying to get the
word out there and letting people
know how harmful these sites are."
40 percent of newly identified cases
of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years
old.
Significant increase in incidence of
anorexia from 1935 to 1989,
especially among young women
15-24.
A rise in incidence of anorexia in
young women 15-19 in each decade
since 1930.
The incidence of bulimia in 10-to-39year-old women tripled between 1988
and 1993.
Only one-third of people with
anorexia in the community receive
mental health care.
Source: National Eating Disorders
Association
Note(s):
For
reprints,
email
[email protected],
call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550,
Milwaukee
Ave.,
Suite
303,
© 2008 Victoria Advocate (TX) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20081215·NCVI·0KRTB-0211-30479057 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
66
Albuquerque Journal (NM)
Monday, 9 March 2009
Biting back As pro-eating disorder Web sites emerge, so does the backlash
Amanda Schoenberg
Mar. 9, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune
-- In the world of "pro-ana" and "promia," eating one banana in three days
can be a badge of honor, and sharing
pictures of stick-thin girls serves as
"thinspiration."
In this world, healthy eating and body
images have been turned on their
heads for so long it is hard to know
which end is up.
Thousands of pro-eating disorder Web
sites, forums and blogs that describe
themselves as "pro-ana," for proanorexia, and "pro-mia," for probulimia, have emerged in the past
decade, some listing as many as
20,000 members.
As more people with eating disorders
experiment with online forums, blogs
and YouTube videos, the sites have
sparked an "anti pro-ana" backlash on
social networking sites like Facebook
and
a
movement
some
call
"prorecovery" that focuses on people
recovering from -- rather than living
with -- an eating disorder.
A 'shared secret'
According to the National Institutes
of Mental Health, anorexia nervosa is
"a relentless pursuit of thinness and
unwillingness to maintain a normal or
healthy weight, a distortion of body
image and intense fear of gaining
weight, a lack of menstruation among
girls and women, and extremely
disturbed eating behavior."
Anorexia affects brain functioning
and can lead to dental erosion,
insomnia, osteoporosis, ulcers and
cardiac death. Between 0.5 percent
and 3.7 percent of females suffer from
anorexia, and an estimated 1.1 percent
to 4.2 percent suffer from bulimia,
which includes out-of-control binge
eating and purging, according to the
American Psychiatric Association. A
small percentage -- 5 percent to 15
percent -- of anorexics or bulimics are
men.
For people with severe eating
disorders, pro-anorexia Web sites can
feel like their only community, says
Sharon
Hodgson,
a
recovering
anorexic who once spent six to eight
hours a day on one pro-ana site.
Hodgson, 31, a graphic designer in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, first began to
restrict food when she was in high
school. She then began a cycle of
bingeing and purging in college. In
2001 she started visiting pro-ana
sites.
"I had all these issues, and something
about these sites tugged on these
issues," she says. "There's a shared
secret there. It creates a traumatic
bonding. Those other people share
your secret, your pain."
After two years in the pro-ana world,
Hodgson was ready to move toward
recovery. She started the Web site
"We Bite Back," which describes
itself as a "post pro-anorexia" site.
Community members do not trade
starvation tips or calorie-reduction
67
secrets. They are trying to recover,
Hodgson says.
Pro-ana defense
Many pro-ana sites have a disclaimer
before visitors enter. One site says,
"To prevent being deleted we must
put the following warning: Anorexia
may be a harmful activity. We do not
encourage this activity."
Despite the disclaimers, pro-ana sites
can perpetuate unhealthy behavior by
simultaneously
glamorizing
and
trivializing eating disorders, says Dr.
Dana Udall-Weiner, a Santa Fe
psychologist specializing in eating
disorders.
The sites may list gruesome effects of
anorexia but warnings often come
alongside tips on avoiding food.
Some pro-ana sites claim that people
with eating disorders will engage in
destructive behaviors regardless of
whether they participate in the
community. One popular pro-ana
forum says it focuses on suicide
prevention and says members would
be worse off without encouragement
from others in the community.
"I don't think people go online and
say, 'I caught anorexia,' " Hodgson
points out.
But according to the 2006 study
"Surfing for Thinness," published in
the journal Pediatrics, 96 percent of
those who visited pro-eating disorder
sites said they learned new fasting or
purging techniques.
Pro-anorexia sites mesh with the
profile of typical anorexics, who tend
to be intelligent, competitive people
who
strive
toward
perfection,
according to therapist Holly Finlay, a
certified eating disorder specialist in
Albuquerque.
Finlay, who has worked with eating
disorder clients for 17 years, says
people with anorexia may use forums
to feel superior to those who give in
to food cravings. Self-esteem is often
based on feeling in control, she says.
Dr. Brenda L. Wolfe, a psychologist
in Rio Rancho, says many patients see
starvation as a badge of honor.
"(Anorexia is) an indicator to the
world that this individual can control
her appetites more than anyone else,"
Wolfe says. "The person that eats the
least is somehow the best of the
group. It becomes very intertwined
with their identity."
Cycle of seclusion
As long as pro-anorexia communities
have found homes online, Web
servers have shut them down. In 2001,
Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO) took down
115 pro-anorexia sites, according to a
2001 Time article.
Pro-ana groups have expanded to
social networking sites like MySpace
and Facebook, where they are often
deleted
and
then
re-emerge.
Facebook's policy is to remove groups
that promote harming oneself or
others when they are reported by
users, according to the company.
Pro-ana groups have also sparked an
international outcry. In France,
legislators debated a law last year that
would criminalize pro-eatingdisorder
groups.
Destroying pro-ana networks may
force members to find other ways to
connect, Hodgson says.
Perhaps the greatest danger from proeating disorder sites comes from the
deteriorated mental state of members,
Wolfe says. In addition to related
mental illnesses such as depression
and obsessivecompulsive disorder, the
malnutrition from anorexia can also
have profound effects on cognitive
function and brain anatomy.
"Once you get so undernourished, it's
really hard to think critically," says
Blair Doner, who developed anorexia
as a sophomore at Del Norte High
School. "When it was at its worst I
didn't go to school a lot. I just stayed
in bed. I basically lost my personality
because I was so consumed with it."
Doner, 20, started worrying about her
weight when she became a varsity
cheerleader. It took her almost four
years to recover from her eating
disorder, including a two-month stint
in the Denver Children's Hospital and
intensive therapy.
Doner and University of New Mexico
grad student Alayna Orozco now lead
a peer support group for women over
18 years old who are recovering from
eating disorders.
"With an eating disorder, a main
characteristic is seclusion," Doner
says. "You don't want anybody to
push you to stop. We want to give
them a place to belong, a place to feel
safe."
Advice for parents
n If parents are concerned about
adolescents
visiting
pro-eating
disorder sites, Santa Fe psychologist
Dr. Dana Udall-Weiner recommends
68
keeping the computer in a public
space and tracking Internet time.
n Censorship is not very effective,
says Dr. Brenda L. Wolfe, a Rio
Rancho psychologist. If parents find
out a child is looking at pro-eating
disorder sites, talk about it. "If you
make it OK to talk about, you're much
less likely to wake up one day and
look at your daughter and realize she's
emaciated," Wolfe says.
n Many parents try too hard to be
unobtrusive, says graphic designer
Sharon Hodgson, founder of We Bite
Back, a "post proana" Web site.
People with eating disorders often
think they fool everybody. Open
communication is crucial, Hodgson
says.
n Parents need to model healthy
eating and selfacceptance for their
children. "Children don't learn what
you teach them, children learn what
they live," Wolfe says
Resources in New Mexico
The University of New Mexico
Women's Resource Center hosts a
body image peer support group for
women over 18 every Saturday from
2-3 p.m. Participants do not have to
be students. Every other Saturday
there is a support group for families
of people with eating disorders from
3-4
p.m.
Call
277-3716
for
information.
Professionals who work with eating
disorders include:
Holly Finlay, MA, LPCC, CEDS,
Certified Eating Disorder Specialist,
266-6121 Cynthia Keeran, Ph.D.,
(505) 830-2729 Brenda L. Wolfe,
Ph.D.,
884-5700,
Web
site:
brendalwolfe.com
Dana
UdallWeiner, Ph.D., (505) 989-3688, e-
mail:
com
DoctorUdallWeiner@yahoo.
somethingfishy.org webiteback.com
pale-reflections.com
For information on eating disorders:
psych.org
nimh.nih.gov
nationaleatingdisorders.org anad.org
edreferral.com
Note(s):
Pro-recovery sites:
© 2009 Albuquerque Journal (NM) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20090309·NCAM·0KRTB-0010-32765059 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
69
For
reprints,
email
[email protected],
call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550,
Milwaukee
Ave.,
Suite
303,
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Pro-Ana Sites Are Just The Tip Of Eating Disorders On The Internet
Mar 01, 2012 - The information
super-highway (is that what the kids
are calling it these days?) can be
great for researching, learning about,
and
finding
supportforeating
disorders. But, unfortunately, a lot of
the informationisn't the kind that's
helpful-it's the kind that hurts, that's
triggering, and that promotes body
negativity. Pro-ana and pro-mia
websites and communities are as old
as the internet-but they grow more
and more concerning each day, as
they feed and are fed by the overall
"perfection" that the internet seems to
breed.
Mar 01, 2012 - "Thinspiration"
(photos of very-thin women), "tips"
and "tricks" for unhealthy practices
(like
purging)
and
concealing
excessive weight loss, diet plans for
ultra-restrictive days...you name it,
and it's out there-easy to search to
for, and full of pretend (but
potentially harmful) "support." Under
the comforting blanket of anonymity,
visitors to these sites express hatred
of their own bodies, a lack of control,
and a desire to look "perfect."
Teenagers, young adults, and even
those who are middle-aged can easily
find communities full of similarly
suffering individuals, and become
engulfed in the dark mindset of
disordered eating and distorted body
image.
"Pro-ana and thinspo sites are created
and frequented by people who are
stuck in the eating disorder mindset
and their content keeps people stuck
there. These are communities too, but
they are not about recovery and
they're certainly not about health.
They are dark echo chambers of
illness, and they only serve to make
people sicker." says author and
speakerClaire Mysko.
And while it's easy to shrug off as
"just the internet", the fact is that
"just the internet" offers a safe haven
for harmful information that can spur
lethal behavior and thinking in real
life.
"All pro-eating disorder content is
potentially triggering and harmful to
someone struggling with anorexia,
bulimia, binge eating disorder or
multiple other forms of disordered
eating," saysJacquelyn Ekern, MS,
LPC. The director at Eating Disorder
Hope, Ekern calls it"a perfect storm."
"I think that the pressure to be
unusually thin is greater than ever,"
she says. "Simultaneously, internet
usage continues to grow in societies
around the world," she explains.
The problem isn't new-the debate over
whether or not to censor pro-ana
material was one of the first major
web censorship kerfuffle, when
Yahoo! and GeoCities bothmade the
decision to no longer host pro-ana
material-but in the years since the
first
LiveJournal
and
Xanga
communities sprung up, the number of
pro-ana sites have only grown. In a
trend report in 2008, Optenet found
that the prevalence of pro-ana sites
had increased by 470% between 2006
and 2007.
But, Mysko points out, it's not just
that new social media tools like
Twitter and Tumblr (who recently
decided to put restrictions on pro-ana
contentin their community) allow for
greater sharing of specifically pro-ana
material.In addition to actual proeating disorder sites themselves,
there's body-negativity and messages
of what "perfection" is coming from
all corners of the internet (like these
ads, perhaps?), and it's getting
Tweeted and Facebooked all the time.
Most frequently, she says, in the form
body-snarking.
Related posts:
Tumblr To Begin Restricting Pro-Ana
And Other "Self-Harm" Blogs Eating
Disorders: 10 Warning Signs You
Need To Know The Marie Claire
Controversy: Are Health Bloggers
Giving You Eating Disorders? A
History Of Eating Disorders, From
Holy Anorexia To Demi Lovato
70
71
CBC (blogs)
Community Blog, Monday, 31 March 2014
Websites selling 'pro-ana' bracelets concern eating disorder specialists
Lauren O'Neil
[View the story "Websites selling
'pro-ana' bracelets concern eating
disorder
specialists"
on
Storify]Websites selling 'pro-ana'
bracelets concern eating disorder
specialists
Storified by CBC News Community·
Mon, Mar 31 2014 13:45:57
www.myproana.comMost people who
wear cause-related pieces of jewellery
do so to raise awareness about a
specific illness or to advocate for
those who've been affected -- The red
AIDS band or pink breast cancer
ribbon, for example.
But for members of the oftencriticized "pro-ana" -- short for proanorexia -- online community, a
disturbing trend has emerged, in
which some eating disorder sufferers
are wearing red bracelets not to fight
against mental illness, but to
encourage
it.www.deviantart.comA
website called "Ana Boot Camp,"
which promotes diet tips, weight loss
techniques
and
"thinspiration"
(motivational imagery) for those who
suffer from anorexia and bulimia
nervosa, explains the "red bracelet
project" as such:
"The red beaded bracelet. You can
make it or buy them. Wear it daily or
when you go out to secretly say that
you are proud to be pro-ana or maybe
even just to identify yourself with
those others who are affected by this
too that you have anorexia."
One such bracelet, for sale at another
pro-ana site called "My Pro Ana," has
been splashed across news sites
around the web this week as activists
accuse its makers of attempting to
capitalize on the mental illness of
vulnerable teens.Huffpost"The proana bracelet is worn as a reminder of
staying true to your diet, and also to
meet other Anas," read the $14.00
bracelet's original description, which
in light of media attention has been
altered to read "the bracelet is worn
as a reminder of the daily struggle all
sufferers of an eating disorder
experience."
My Pro Ana's $14.00 "Pro Ana Red
Weave Bracelet" is currently out of
stock, but dozens of other websites
contain tutorials for making them or
links for users to buy similar items.
On Etsy alone, 27 different pro-ana
bracelets were available for purchase
at the time this article was written,
though several of the listings note that
"this bracelet is not intended to be
used as "pro-ana" paraphernalia, but
as a reminder that one is not ailing or
hurting
alone.redbraceletproject.tumblr.comD
espite the sellers' qualifications that
the bracelets are meant to show
solidarity, many within the pro-ana
community continue to wear them as a
point of pride and a reminder not to
eat.
"Awww! LOVE IT!" wrote one My
Pro Ana forum user in a thread about
72
the company's bracelet. "I'm making
my own though whenever I get the
chance to work on it. Sort of a
rededication and helps to distract me
from cravings."
"I am totally using this bracelet as my
thinsperation right now!!" wrote
another user. "I keep looking at it
every day!!"
"I made one by myself, since shipping
would've cost too much. Every time I
look at it, it makes [it] easier to skip
dinner,"
wrote
another
young
woman.ImgurThe existence of proanorexia
websites
has
troubled
recovery activists and medicial
professionals for more than a decade.
"These
sites
are
enormously
negative,"
said
Dr.
Alexander
Yellowlees, Medical Director at the
Priory Hospital in Glasgow in an
interview with the Huffington Post.
"Particularly if the individual already
has this illness. They are definitely
designed to help sufferers become
more effective in their methods... they
fuel the pursuit of thinness and
encourage
the
anorexic
drive.Searching for 'Thinspiration'
Online | Eating disorder treatment |
Priory Hospitals and ClinicsSearching
for 'Thinspiration' Online The press
has recently highlighted that many
online users are turning to sites which
offer 'thinspiration.' Many of these
sites make use of terms such as 'proana' and 'pro-mia.' On the surface, this
community
looks
to
provide
encouragement to eating disorder
sufferers to continue with eating
disorder behaviours and beliefs but
are there any positives that can be
taken from it?Many such sites were
shut down by Yahoo and Geocities in
the early 2000s amid mounting public
pressure from activists, as well as the
result of a 2001 episode of The Oprah
Winfrey Show that focused on proana communities.
Today however, thousands more proana and pro-mia (pro-bulimia) pages
exist
on
self-hosted
domains,
sometimes under the guise of
"recovery websites" despite linking to
diet tips and thinspiration galleries.
Social media too has played a role in
reviving the pro-ana and pro-mia
communities online.
Over the years, Livejournal, Myspace,
Tumblr,
Pinterest
and
many
independent web forums have all
served as hubs for the quick-migrating
pro-ana communities -- and while
Instagram has officially blocked the
#thinspiration hashtag, hundreds of
thousands of pro-ana images can be
found under tags like #skinny, #thin,
#hipbones, #bones and #ana.#ana
#mia #anamia #anoretic #perfect
#anoretia
#thin
#thinlegsskinny_is_the_winnerAna
tips
#Ana
#anorexic
#anorexia
#eatingdisorder
#eatingdisorders
#skinny #thin #depressed #depression
#size0 #size00skinandbones18Follow
me #anaandmia #ana #ed #bulimic
#suicidal #eatingdisorder #bulimia
#anorexic #fat #starve #mia #suicide
#anorexia
#ednos
#depression
#anamia
#size00
#bones
#thynspiration
#restricting
#weightloss
#depressed
#selfhate
#size0 #donteat #broken #perfect
#nofat
#hipbones
#biteenloveruthgonzalezugh. i weigh
the lowest i have in a while why do i
feel fatter? #ana #anatips #anorexia
#anorexic #mia #bulimia #bulimic
#cat
#cut
#deb
#depressed
#depression
#ed
#ednos
#eatingdisorder
#fat
#suicidemy_friend_ana_lostHas to be
true. When I'm thin, summer
#socialanxiety #bulimia #fave #skins
#quotes #follow4follow #like4like
#lonely #hatemyself #bulimic #broken
#blood #hurt #makeup #lipstick
#beautiful #ana #anorexic #anamia
#fitnotfat
#whenimthinbones_birds_ofa_featherI
n an interview last week with
Buzzfeed, CEO of the National Eating
Disorders Association Lynn Grefe
called My Pro Ana's sale of the red
bracelets "appalling."
"Is someone making pro-cancer or
pro-heart disease necklaces? Replace
© 2014 CBC (blogs) ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20140331·BCB·015 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
73
the word 'ana' with 'cancer' and you
realize how absurd and how sick this
is, to be encouraging people through
jewellery to stay sick. I find it
unforgivable," she said. "I really
encourage people to take a step back
and ask if they want to promote a life
threatening illness and promote
death... The longer people are visiting
those sites, the longer they're not
getting treatment."
Similarly, a spokesperson for the U.K.
eating disorder charity B-eat told the
Huffington Post that "the commercial
exploitation of something that is a
very serious mental illness is
extremely concerning."
Many on social media agreed.
THERE IS A PRO-ANA BRACELET
BEING
SOLD
FOR
£10THE
MAKERS
ARE
LITERALLY
MAKING MONEY OFF MENTAL
ILLNESSI HATE THE WORLDa
mermaidPrepare To Be Disgusted By
This Pro-Eating Disorder Jewelry
Line
http://t.co/kab18d9uAy
via
@theglossdotcomNew BeginningsThe
pro-Ana bracelets are absolutely
disgusting. No piece of jewellery
should promote any illness, mental
illness included!Sophie TrottWhat are
your thoughts?
Blogs - Health - Dare To Dream
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Pro-Anorexia Groups Spread to Facebook
class="dateline">May
22,
2010
(Dare To Dream delivered by
Newstex) -Here is a heads up for parents of kids
vulnerable to eating disorders. There
is a growing support network on the
Internet to help young girls "improve"
on their eating disorders. Connecting
with
others
feels
supportive,
especially those who are like minded.
But in fact, the "Pro-Ana" (ProAnorexia)
groups
encourage
unhealthy behavior and feed the
preoccupation with being thin and
losing weight. About 15% of those
diagnosed with Anorexia die from
complications of starvation.
class="zemanta-img-attribution"
style="font-size: 0.8em;">Image via
Wikipedia
Newsweek.com
"A 2006 study that she coauthored
found that 96 percent of teens
diagnosed with eating disorders who
visited pro-eating disorder Web sites
learned new dieting and purging
techniques, and almost 50 percent of
teens who visited sites ostensibly
devoted to eating disorder recovery
also learned new weight-loss tips.
[..]Facebook doesn't track how often
it deletes pro-ana (pro-anorexia )
pages, but the groups violate the site's
terms of use by promoting self-harm
or harm to others. A team of
Facebook employees actively searches
for and deletes pro-ana groups along
with groups promoting everything
from bigotry to self-mutilation,
according to company spokesman
Barry Schnitt. In response to
increased scrutiny and criticism, many
pro-ana groups are now private and
can't be found in a search, and still
others omit the term "pro-ana" from
their titles.
Most of the anti-pro-ana groups try to
warn people away from pages that
promote anorexia and educate them
about alternatives, says Angela Ross,
19, who has recovered from an eating
disorder and created the 1,400member Stop Pro-Ana page. Ross says
she discovered pro-ana sites one day
while feeling depressed about her
weight and surfing the Web. The
sites, she says, fueled her fledgling
eating disorder. Similarly, a 15-yearold
high
school
student
in
Philadelphia happened upon the proana community while flipping through
Facebook. "I was looking through
groups and I found [a pro-ana
group]," she says. "I was like, 'Wow,
these girls kind of know what I'm
saying.'" Now, using a different
account, she's joined dozens of the
groups and downloaded Facebook
applications that allow her to share
thinspiration pictures with friends.
She spends about 45 minutes on her
pro-ana account every day, although
some of her friends will stay online
for as much as five hours daily,
posting in groups and chatting with
other pro-ana Facebookers, she says.
Marcia Herrin, a Dartmouth professor
who has written several books on
eating disorders, finds the public
nature of the discussions of anorexia
on Facebook encouraging, because it
shows that teens are less afraid of
74
confronting eating disorders. "To me,
that illustrates or indicates that teens
these days are so wise," she says.
"They've seen so much, they know so
much, compared to when I was a
teenager in the '60s, that not all of
them are wrapped up in eating
disorders. Girls are concerned about
other girls in their social group who
they see toying with an eating
disorder. They may talk to them
directly, they may talk to a school
counselor, they may talk to the girls'
parents."
Rose actually hoped some of her
friends would see the groups she was
joining and talk to her about them. "I
wanted one of my close friends to see
it and rescue me," she says. But
unfortunately, no one did. At one
point, she was so involved in the
Facebook pro-ana community that she
started her own group in defense of it;
eventually she deleted that group and
stopped posting in others. She
couldn't get over her guilt at "helping
someone
kill
themselves"
by
supporting them in their fasting, and
she realized that the groups weren't
truly helping her. "Even though the
pro-ana sites provided a way for me to
communicate with people, it wasn't
real-life connections and it wasn't real
friendships," she says. "It was us
telling people, 'Oh, stay strong.' I was
not getting better. I was venting the
frustrations. I just wanted to talk to
people with similar experiences; they
really didn't help at all." Rose says
she has since recovered from anorexia
and she rarely visits pro-ana Facebook
groups. When she does, she says,
she's mostly relieved to no longer be
part of that world."
Rose sums it up pretty well. The
pressure we all feel inside ourselves
often attributed to "anxiety" or
"depression" is in fact the motivation
to act or change. When a person with
eating disorders finds reassurance and
support for their unhealthy habits,
their motivation to change is used up
in the social exchange.
On-line relationships are complicated
even more so by the fact that they
aren't anywhere as meaningful or
rewarding as "real life" relationships.
They give a satisfying feel of
intimacy, but there is no way of
assuring yourself that what you see on
the screen is the real person. In fact
there is good reason to believe that
much of what we see in on-line social
networks is a highly superficial if not
completely false presentation of the
real person. But the on-line's
relationships are satisfying enough to
divert a persons energy from more
productive pursuits.
news·20100522·NBHE·DTD-0001-45312661 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
75
Related articles by ZemantaWhy proanorexia websites are spreading to
Facebook
Pro-Anorexia Groups Coming Out
Pro-anorexia site clampdown urged
"Pro-Ana" On The Web
class="newstexID">Newstex
DTD-0001-45312661
ID:
Paris-Normandie
Le dossier du jour, mardi, 1 juillet 2008, p. 2
[Chiffres L'anorexie mentale touche 1 % de la population adolescente en France avec 2 500 nouveaux cas
par an.]
Chiffres
« Pro-ana »
L'anorexie mentale touche 1 % de la
population adolescente en France
avec 2 500 nouveaux cas par an. Elle
est considérée comme un véritable
enjeu de santé publique à cause de sa
gravité
et
de
son
caractère
invalidant.
Elle
touche
majoritairement
les
jeunes
adolescentes, mais un cas sur dix
touche un garçon et cette maladie
existe également à l'âge adulte où
elle peut aussi faire des ravages.
Les sites encourageant l'extrême
maigreur peuvent désormais faire
l'objet de poursuites. Les « proana », comme on les appelle,
manipulent
des
images
de
mannequins
transformés
en
squelettes et diffusent des messages
faisant l'apologie de l'extrême
maigreur.
La députée Valérie Boyer a déposé
un projet de loi visant à combattre
l'incitation à l'anorexie. Adopté en
mai par l'Assemblée, il prévoit des
peines pouvant aller jusqu'à deux
ans de prison et 30 000 euros
d'amende, peine qui serait portée à
trois ans de prison en cas de décès.
Ce texte doit être examiné par le
Sénat mercredi.
reperes
Loi
© 2008 Paris-Normandie ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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76
CB News, no. No: 966
Lundi, 21 avril 2008, p. 19
Conseils décryptage
Anorexie : comment la loi a éclipsé la charte
Fouzia Kamal et Justine Valletoux
Santé publique En gestation depuis
deux ans, la charte volontaire sur
l'image du corps s'est enrichie d'un
volet répressif visant l'incitation à "
l'extrême maigreur ". Une pilule
qui a du mal à passer chez les
cosignataires.
En une journée, la lutte contre
l'anorexie a eu sa charte volontaire et
sa proposition de loi... La première un travail entamé sous Xavier
Bertrand - a mis deux années à
aboutir,
au
prix
de
longues
discussions entre professionnels de la
mode, de la publicité, des médias, des
associations, placées sous la houlette
des professeurs Rufo et Poulain. La
seconde, comme tout droit sortie d'un
chapeau de magicien, a pris tout le
monde de court, avant d'être adoptée
quelques jours plus tard par
l'Assemblée nationale. Non informés
de cette initiative parallèle soutenue
par
Roselyne
Bachelot,
les
cosignataires de la charte ne cachent
pas leur stupeur. Ce n'est pas sans
amertume que le professeur JeanPierre Poulain livre son sentiment : "
La communication a pris, depuis une
dizaine d'années, beaucoup de place
dans la politique. " S'il ne rejette pas
cette initiative qu'il estime " pouvoir
entrer dans la panoplie d'actions ", le
très
réputé
sociologue
de
l'alimentation la qualifie néanmoins
de " mini-loi " sans réel impact, et "
peu dangereuse pour l'enjeu qui (les)
intéresse ".
" Une préemption du travail de
groupe au profit d'une loi gadget "
Sur le fond, Hervé Brossard, président
de l'AACC et membre du groupe de
travail, initialement baptisé " Image
du corps " et chargé de " promouvoir
la diversité corporelle dans notre
société ", ne peut que souligner le
danger des sites " pro-ana ", en
réduisant, ici aussi, la portée de la
législation en " l'absence de loi
internationale qui vienne régir les
contenus Internet ".
Pour autant, le timing le laisse
perplexe : " Pendant un an, nous
avons travaillé en ayant à l'esprit de
ne pas stigmatiser telle ou telle
catégorie, mais en se demandant
comment chacun pouvait à son niveau
faire avancer les choses, faire preuve
de responsabilité. Chaque mot de
cette charte a été longuement discuté,
pesé. Et nous y sommes arrivés. Le 9
avril, au ministère de la Santé, en fin
de signature, on découvre que Mme
Boyer va déposer une proposition de
Illustration(s) :
photos afp - dr
77
loi contre l'incitation à l'anorexie. En
intervenant au même moment, cela a
favorisé un amalgame qui m'ennuie
beaucoup. Généralement, quand on
prend la voie législative, c'est que
toutes les autres alternatives ont été
épuisées... "
Le professeur Poulain va encore plus
loin : " Nous avons assisté à une
préemption du travail fait par le
groupe au profit d'une loi gadget ! "
Estimant
cette
précipitation
regrettable, il avance que " tout cela
nécessite d'être construit. Soit, ce
n'est pas aux experts de faire la loi.
C'est le rôle des politiques. Les
experts peuvent néanmoins leur
fournir des éléments concrets sur ce
que la science est capable d'éclairer,
et définir les enjeux sociétaux et
culturels... ".
L'essentiel pour lui, aujourd'hui, reste
néanmoins d'avancer : " Il faut faire
le tri entre ce qui appartient à une
étape et le processus. Ce dernier ne
s'arrête pas là. " Même son de cloche
à l'AACC, où l'on veut " pousser cette
charte parce que l'on y croit ".
Prochain rendez-vous le 5 juin, au
BVP, dont le thème du prochain
Forum Pub et Cité n'est autre que "
l'image du corps dans la publicité ".
Objectif de la charte : lutter contre des sites " pro-ana " au contenu dangereux et qui incitent carrément à l'anorexie
© 2008 CB News ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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Les Echos, no. 20020
Compétences, lundi, 8 octobre 2007, p. 16
Publicité
Quand la pub s'empare de l'anorexie
FRANÇOIS BAROIN (Aube, UMP)
Concepteur sulfureux des pubs
Benetton, Toscani récidive avec
l'affiche choc d'une jeune femme
anorexique pour la promotion des
vêtements No-lita.
La campagne d'affichage pour la
marque de vêtements No-lita,
durant la semaine de la mode à
Milan.
Un
corps
en
détresse,
nu,
squelettique, griffé d'escarres. Un
beau visage, un regard en souffrance.
Elle s'appelle Isabelle. Elle a vingtsept ans, mesure 1,75 mètre et pèse 31
kilos. Elle est anorexique depuis
treize ans. C'est sur une affiche. C'est
en Italie. Comme, pour la Sécurité
routière, où les spots sont de plus en
plus violents pour alerter les
conducteurs et frapper l'opinion, on
se dit que le ministère italien de la
Santé, qui a encouragé cette
campagne publicitaire dérangeante
signée Oliviero Toscani, prend le
même chemin pour les accidentés de
la vie. Mais le regard d'Isabelle vous
rapproche un peu plus d'elle et de
l'affiche. Ses yeux bleus ne sont pas si
tristes. Et puis, il y a des mots écrits
sur le panneau. « No-anorexia. Nolita ».
No-lita... De quoi parle-t-on ? D'une
ligne de vêtements ! Ce n'est donc pas
une
campagne
sanitaire
pour
sensibiliser au problème de l'anorexie
en Italie (2 millions de malades dans
la péninsule), c'est une pub, un coup
de pub, pour une marque. Le
ministère de la Santé italien, mal
inspiré, n'est que complice. Derrière,
il y a un photographe célèbre qui a
fait de la provocation visuelle sa
marque de fabrique (lire encadré), un
industriel du vêtement, des clients, de
l'argent. L'anorexie pour de l'argent.
Raccourci furtif ? Utiliser une
maladie, exploiter dans une logique
de marché le drame aux ressorts
psychologiques si complexes de
centaines de milliers d'ados a de quoi
faire scandale. Qu'Oliviero Toscani,
l'ex-photographe viré par Benetton,
auteur par le passé de plusieurs coups
d'éclat du même genre, soit à l'origine
de ce cliché provocant n'est pas une
surprise. Que le ministère italien de la
Santé se soit laissé tenter par cette
fausse bonne idée est en revanche
plus choquant.
Urgence
Car l'anorexie est un fléau. C'est une
maladie. De nombreux médecins
travaillent sans relâche pour aider ces
jeunes filles, ces jeunes femmes à en
sortir. C'est un supplice individuel et
une immense épreuve pour les
familles. C'est un sujet grave et
préoccupant. Il impose des politiques
publiques puissantes, coordonnées et
inscrites dans le temps. Il justifie un
effort de recherches, la mise en place
d'établissements
spécialisés,
des
représentants
du
corps
médical
79
parfaitement formés. Il impose d'être
vigilant, de surveiller les sites
Internet, notamment les sites « proana » qui militent activement pour
l'anorexie comme mode de vie. Ils
affirment que ce n'est pas une
maladie, mais une philosophie, un art
de vivre. De nombreuses ados vont
sur la Toile pour se renseigner.
Mais cette lutte ne mobilise pas que
les représentants de l'Etat. Elle
engage aussi ceux un peu plus
concernés
que
d'autres
par
l'exposition
visible
de
cette
souffrance. Dans le milieu de la mode
et du mannequinat, notamment, où
l'on commence à réagir. Quelques
grandes
maisons
de
couture
établissent des règlements. A Madrid,
à Milan, à New York, on s'aligne
désormais sur l'Organisation mondiale
de la santé (OMS) pour que le rapport
entre la taille et le poids précisé par
les
spécialistes
mondiaux
soit
acceptable afin de pouvoir défiler.
Cette prise de conscience commence à
s'effectuer. Il y a urgence.
Pour autant, faut-il aller plus loin ?
Fallait-il offrir au regard du public le
dénuement déchirant d'Isabelle ?
Fallait-il
accepter
cette
compromission mercantile ? Le
Bureau français de vérification de la
publicité
(BVP)
a
totalement
déconseillé
aux
afficheurs
de
placarder les photos de la jeune
femme. Il a eu raison. Car accepter
cela, c'est accepter l'inacceptable.
C'est se retrouver sur un toboggan
sans
jamais
pouvoir
s'arrêter.
L'absence de scrupules de Toscani ne
saurait se confondre avec un silence
de règle pour une société qui doit
protéger les plus fragiles.
Starlette
Et d'ailleurs, est-ce efficace ? Pour le
coup de pub perso du photographe
italien, c'est gagné. Pour la marque
No-lita, c'est moins évident. Car
l'impact visuel du corps en souffrance
escamote forcément - et délibérément
on
l'espère
toute
logique
commerciale. Mais, pour les malades,
cette campagne inédite est à l'opposé
de leurs intérêts. Ce que confirment
les médecins. Une spécialiste de
psychopathologie de l'enfant et de
l'adolescent de l'hôpital Debré à Paris
en explique le caractère totalement
contre-productif. D'abord, parce qu'il
y a dans ces photos un côté esthétique
et mode qui peut au final valoriser
l'image de l'anorexie chez des
adolescentes. Ce que cherchent
précisément à faire les sites « pro-
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80
ana ». Ensuite, parce que le discours
de la peur, de la mise en garde et de la
prévention n'est pas toujours très
efficace chez les jeunes. Argument
pertinent. Quant à Isabelle, elle est en
train de devenir une starlette. Un
modèle. On sait d'elle qu'elle aime le
théâtre, qu'elle est actrice, qu'elle
voulait être mannequin. Elle est en
train de réussir. En acceptant de
poser, elle disait juste vouloir faire
passer son message contre la maladie.
Pas si sûr.
FRANÇOIS BAROIN (Aube, UMP)
Le Figaro, no. 19436
Le Figaro Magazine, samedi, 27 janvier 2007, p. MAG32
L'ACTUALITE-LE PLATEAU TELE
QUAND LA MAIGREUR EST À LA MODE
GUERRE À L'ANOREXIE
MARTINE BETTI CUSSO, RICHARD LE NY
Les sites, les blogs se multiplient : les
uns « pro-ana », les autres « anti-proana ». Par pro-ana, comprendre proanorexie. Et de vanter les bienfaits de
l'anorexie,
photos
à
l'appui,
difficilement supportables, mais qui
peuvent séduire des ados vulnérables,
comme le prouvent les forums de
discussion. Dernière victime en date :
le top-modèle Ana Carolina Reston,
1,74 m et 40 kg à sa mort. Une bonne
raison pour que le ministre de la
Santé, Xavier Bertrand, décide la
création d'un groupe de travail sur
l'image du corps : « Il est important,
au moment où les jeunes filles
© 2007 Le Figaro ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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81
regardent
les
mannequins,
de
s'interroger sur le véritable impact de
ces images sur le comportement. »
Surtout quand on sait que bien des
photos de mannequins sont retouchées
pour insister sur leur maigreur.
Sud Ouest
Mercredi, 16 avril 2008, p. 7
SANTÉ.
Les députés entrent en guerre contre les défenseurs de l'anorexie
L'Assemblée a voté hier une
proposition de loi qui condamne
l'incitation
à
l'anorexie.
Particulièrement visés : les sites
Internet
Une proposition de loi UMP
réprimant l'incitation à l'anorexie, y
compris sur Internet, a été approuvée
hier en première lecture par
l'Assemblée nationale. La proposition
de loi, qui doit être encore soumise au
Sénat, a pour objet de créer « une
incrimination
spécifique
de
la
provocation » à l'anorexie, une
maladie aux conséquences graves qui
touche entre 30 et 40 000 personnes
en France, dont environ 90 % de
femmes
(avec
deux
pics
de
déclenchement à 12-13 ans et à 18-19
ans).
Le texte a été approuvé avec les
seules voix de l'UMP, auxquelles s'est
jointe la députée PS Michèle
Delaunay. Les groupes PS et GDR
(PCF-Verts) se sont abstenus sur ce
texte
qu'ils
ont
qualifié
d'«
affichage », dont la « seule approche
est celle de la répression ».
Sites « pro-ana ».
Ainsi, « le fait de provoquer une
personne à rechercher une maigreur
excessive, en encourageant des
restrictions alimentaires prolongées
ayant pour effet de l'exposer à un
danger de mort ou de compromettre
directement sa santé, sera puni d'une
peine
maximum
de
deux
ans
d'emprisonnement et de 30 000 euros
d'amende ». Peine portée à trois ans et
45 000 euros d'amende, s'il apparaît
que « cette provocation a entraîné la
mort de la personne concernée ».
Pour lutter contre la multiplication
des sites « pro-ana » (pro-anorexie), il
est prévu que sera punie de deux ans
et 30 000 euros « la propagande ou la
publicité, quel qu'en soit le mode, en
Illustration(s) :
Anorexie. Une maladie qui touche près de 40 000 personnes photo afp
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82
faveur de produits, d'objets ou de
méthodes préconisés comme moyens
de parvenir à une maigreur excessive
ayant pour effet de compromettre
directement la santé ».
« Les messages qui sont diffusés sont
des messages de mort. Notre pays doit
avoir les moyens de poursuivre et de
condamner ceux qui se cachent
derrière de tels sites », a affirmé
Roselyne Bachelot (Santé). Pour la
ministre, « donner les conseils aux
jeunes filles pour mentir à leurs
médecins, leur indiquer les aliments
les plus faciles à régurgiter [...] ne
relèvent
pas
de
la
liberté
d'expression ».
Le vote de ce texte est intervenu une
semaine après la signature par les
professionnels de la mode, de la
publicité et des médias, et par
Roselyne Bachelot d'une « charte » de
bonne conduite sur l'image du corps et
contre l'anorexie.
Libération, no. 8381
France, mercredi, 16 avril 2008, p. QUO13
Est-ce qu'une loi suffira contre les sites «pro-ana» ?
Santé. Le texte qui réprime l'apologie et l'incitation à l'anorexie a été voté à l'Assemblée.
Eric Favereau; ÉRIC FAVEREAU
Etait-ce bien utile que de faire voter,
hier matin, devant une petite
vingtaine de députés en séance, une
proposition
de
loi
réprimant
l'incitation à l'anorexie ? «Grotesque
et ridicule», tranche Jean-Marie Le
Guen, député socialiste. «On voit, là,
les limites à mettre en place des
dispositifs
législatifs
pour
des
questions de santé.» A l'inverse, la
ministre de la Santé Roselyne
Bachelot s'est félicitée de ce vote :
«La proposition de loi apporte une
réponse adaptée et cela constitue une
avancée importante dans la lutte
contre l'anorexie.»Le texte a été
adopté
malgré
l'abstention
des
socialistes,
des
Verts
et
des
communistes.
Amende. Cette proposition de loi, qui
doit encore passer au Sénat, a pour
objet de créer «une incrimination
spécifique de la provocation à
l'anorexie». Ainsi, «le fait de
provoquer une personne à rechercher
une
maigreur
excessive,
en
encourageant
des
restrictions
alimentaires prolongées ayant pour
effet de l'exposer à un danger de mort
ou de compromettre directement sa
santé, sera puni d'une peine maximum
de deux ans d'emprisonnement et de
30 000 euros d'amende». Pour lutter
contre les sites «pro-ana» sur Internet
(lire ci-contre), il est stipulé qu'est
punie de deux ans d'emprisonnement
et 30 000 euros d'amende «la
propagande ou la publicité, en faveur
de produits, d'objets ou de méthodes
préconisés comme moyens de parvenir
à une maigreur excessive ayant pour
effet de compromettre directement la
santé». Selon la rapporteure UMP,
Valérie Boyer, il y a entre 30 000 et
40 000 personnes qui seraient
atteintes d'anorexie en France. L'air
de rien, c'est la première fois que le
législateur condamne l'incitation à
une maladie, qui plus est une
pathologie men tale. S ur ce sujet,
Roselyne Bachelot n'a pas eu d'états
d'âme : «Donner les conseils aux
jeunes filles pour mentir à leurs
médecins, leur indiquer les aliments
les plus faciles à régurgiter, les
inciter à se mortifier après toute
absorption de nourriture, ne relève
pas de la liberté d'expression... Notre
pays doit avoir les moyens de
poursuivre et de condamner ceux qui
se cachent derrière de tels sites»,a-telle affirmé. «Certes, a ironisé pour
les socialistes Jean-Marie Le Guen,
on ne peut pas être d'accord avec
l'anorexie. Mais est-ce à la loi de
réagir ?»
«Bizarrement, cela ne me paraît pas
complètement à côté», tempère le
Dr Jean-Pierre Benoît, psychiatre et
spécialiste
à
la
Maison
des
adolescents à Paris de la prise en
charge des anorexiques. «Avec ces
83
jeunes filles, il y a toujours besoin
qu'une limite assez forte leur soit
opposée. Elles dérapent, parfois très
vite. Au moins, cela va mettre des
bornes même si elles sont indirectes.
Je vois trop de situations où on laisse
dériver les choses.»Mais l'influence
de ces sites est-elle réelle ? «J'ai des
patientes qui les fréquentent, en
particulier
les
plus
malades.
J'ajouterai que pour les mannequins
aussi, c'est important de signifier
socialement ces limites, même si c'est
délicat.»
Dérapage. Un équilibre fragile à tenir
donc, même pour la rapporteure du
projet qui avait en effet déposé quatre
amendements. Elle les a finalement
retirés
en
séance,
tant
leur
formulation pouvait prêter à un
dérapage. Ainsi avait-elle proposé
d'interdire «les photographies à des
fins commerciales d'une personne
dont l'apparence corporelle a été
modifiée par un logiciel, si elles n'ont
pas été accompagnées de la mention
"photographie retouchée" . Elle
souhaitait
aussi
que
«chaque
mannequin bénéficie d'un examen
médical par période de six mois en
vue de s'assurer du maintien de son
aptitude à exercer l'emploi considéré,
compte tenu notamment de son indice
de masse corporelle».
© 2008 SA Libération ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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84
Sud Ouest
Gironde
Gironde Bordeaux centre, mardi, 20 mai 2008, p. 9
ANOREXIE.
«Chaque cas est différent»
Carole Filiu
La loi anti-blog prônant l'anorexie
a été votée le 15 avril dernier. Une
jeune patiente de 19 ans atteinte de
cette maladie témoigne depuis le
centre Jean Abadie dirigé par
Xavier Pommereau
«Cette loi contre les blogs pro-ana,
c'est comme l'inscription « Fumer
tue » sur les paquets de cigarette.
L'État nous prévient qu'on peut en
mourir, mais on ne s'arrête pas de
fumer pour autant ». La phrase est de
Mathilde (1), 19 ans, anorexique et
patiente en hôpital de jour au Pôle
aquitain de l'adolescent de Bordeaux,
le centre Abadie. Centre dépendant du
CHU constitué, entre autres, d'une
unité traitant les troubles des
conduites alimentaires (TCA), il
accueille en hospitalisation une
cinquantaine
d'anorexiques
«
graves » par an et suit en consultation
plusieurs centaines d'adolescents.
Mathilde est arrivée ici, « à la limite
de la mort », après avoir perdu 30 kg.
Huit mois sont passés, elle a repris du
poids, vient au centre trois fois par
semaine et... n'a toujours pas consulté
un seul blog pro-ana. La moitié des
jeunes filles qu'elle a rencontrée ici
n'en ont d'ailleurs jamais entendu
parler. Autant dire que pour elle, la
loi anti-blog « n'est pas un bon moyen
pour lutter contre l'anorexie », car «
ce qui engendre la maladie, ce sont
les problèmes personnels, chaque cas
est différent ».
Nouveau délit.
Et pourtant, Valérie Boyer, députée
UMP des Bouches-du-Rhône, y a mis
du sien pour mettre en avant sa
proposition de loi, appuyée par la
ministre de la Santé Roselyne
Bachelot. Cette loi prévoit deux ans
d'emprisonnement et 30 000 euros
d'amende pour « le fait de provoquer
une personne à rechercher une
maigreur excessive ayant pour effet
de l'exposer à un danger de mort ou
de compromettre directement sa
santé ». Une peine portée à 3 ans
d'emprisonnement et 45 000 €
d'amende « lorsque l'incitation de
privation alimentaire provoquerait la
mort ». Le but étant de créer « un
nouveau délit dans le code pénal »
La loi, adoptée par l'Assemblée
nationale le 15 avril dernier, vise
donc principalement ces fameux blogs
« pro-ana », principaux responsables,
selon la députée, de l'extension de
l'anorexie mentale en France ces
dernières années (30 000 à 40 000
personnes seraient concernées dans le
pays et ce, de plus en plus jeunes).
Situation d'urgence. « Cette loi est
une mesure de protection, il faut
considérer Internet comme un espace
de circulation équivalent à la rue. Si
on affichait ces images d'une extrême
violence en public, elles seraient
interdites. Je considère donc que c'est
une mesure de bon sens », explique
85
Xavier Pommereau, responsable du
centre Abadie. « Mais il faut faire
attention à l'angélisme, croire qu'on
va prévenir l'anorexie de cette façon
est illusoire ». Et de souligner que
seules les adolescentes déjà touchées
par les TCA vont sur ces sites : «
seules les contaminables seront
contaminées,
on
n'attrape
pas
l'anorexie en regardant un blog ».
Il pense qu'un dépistage précoce des
signes de cette maladie allié à des
actions de prévention dans les
collèges serait beaucoup plus efficace.
Et ajoute qu'il serait pour le moins
raisonnable de créer un équivalent du
centre
Abadie
dans
chaque
département. Car « ici on ne soigne
que des adolescents qui sont à quinze
jours de la mort et qui ont l'air de
déportés d'Auschwitz ».
Une situation d'urgence à laquelle a
été confrontée Mathilde. Quand elle a
voulu se faire soigner à Abadie, on a
remis à deux mois d'attente un simple
rendez-vous. Sachant que le centre
n'accueillait que des cas « graves »,
elle s'est laissée maigrir jusqu'à
l'extrême limite pour pouvoir y
entrer : « c'était un appel au secours,
confie-t-elle, c'est le centre qui m'a
sauvé ».
Mesure positive.
En attendant une meilleure prévention
de cette maladie mentale, Roselyne
Bachelot a signé le 9 avril avec des
publicité et des médias la « charte
d'engagement volontaire sur l'image
du corps et contre l'anorexie, pour
combattre la maigreur excessive des
mannequins ». Une mesure positive
pour Mathilde pour qui les affiches de
publicité donnent « une vision
déformée de la réalité, les humains
n'y ont plus de formes... Ça a joué un
rôle dans le déclenchement de ma
maladie, je voulais leur ressembler. »
Seulement voilà, cette charte n'a
aucune valeur contraignante sur les
publicitaires et autres faiseurs de
mode.
(1) Le prénom a été modifié pour des
raisons de confidentialité.
Illustration(s) :
Xavier Pommereau (en médaillon), responsable du centre Abadie, considère que « l'interdiction des blogs pro-ana est
une mesure de bon sens » photo DR et SO
© 2008 Sud Ouest ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20080520·SO·200508aP2446910 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
86
AFP - Journal Internet
Mardi, 15 avril 2008 - 10:05
Punir les incitations à l'anorexie, une proposition de loi en débat à l'Assemblée
Par Souk CHANTHALANGSY
PARIS (AFP) - La ministre de la
Santé Roselyne Bachelot a apporté
mardi le soutien du gouvernement à la
proposition de loi de l'UMP visant à
incriminer l'incitation à l'anorexie,
dénonçant
en
particulier
"les
messages
de
mort"
diffusés
impunément sur internet.
PARIS (AFP) - "L'anorexie est une
maladie qui n'est pas toujours
reconnue comme telle", car dans
l'anorexie "la pulsion de vie est
absorbée par la pulsion de mort", a
déclaré la ministre à l'ouverture des
débats.
Pour Mme Bachelot, la proposition de
loi, présentée par Valérie Boyer
(UMP), "apporte une réponse adaptée
à un enjeu décisif de santé publique"
et constitue "une avancée importante
dans la lutte contre l'anorexie".
"Ce texte permettra d'ouvrir plus
largement le débat public autour de
cette maladie et ainsi d'éveiller les
consciences. C'est pourquoi, je ne
peux qu'apporter mon soutien à la
création
d'une
incrimination
spécifique pour la provocation à
l'extrême maigreur ou l'apologie de
l'anorexie", a-t-elle poursuivi.
Mme Bachelot s'en est vivement pris
aux sites "pro-ana" (pro-anorexique).
"Donner les conseils aux jeunes filles
pour mentir à leurs médecins, leur
indiquer les aliments les plus faciles à
régurgiter, les inciter à se mortifier
après toute absorption de nourriture
ne relèvent pas de la liberté
d'expression", a-t-elle fait valoir.
"Les messages qui sont diffusés sont
des messages de mort. Notre pays doit
avoir les moyens de poursuivre et de
condamner ceux qui se cachent
derrière de tels sites", a ajouté la
ministre.
Le texte UMP a pour objet de créer
"une incrimination spécifique de la
provocation" à l'anorexie. Ainsi, "le
fait de provoquer une personne à
rechercher une maigreur excessive"
est passible d'une peine maximale de
deux ans d'emprisonnement et de
30.000 euros d'amende.
Mise à l'ordre du jour de l'Assemblée
à l'initiative du groupe UMP, cette
proposition de loi a été approuvée,
sans opposition, mercredi par la
commission des Affaires sociales. Il
ne devrait pas recueillir les voix de
gauche lors du vote en milieu de
journée, les groupes PS et GDR (PCFVerts)
ayant
regretté
le
côté
"réducteur, voire inutile" de la
proposition de loi UMP.
L'examen de ce texte intervient une
semaine après la signature par les
publicité et des médias, et la ministre
de la Santé Roselyne Bachelot, le 9
avril à Paris, d'une "charte" de bonne
conduite sur l'image du corps et
contre l'anorexie.
87
Cette charte ne comprend toutefois
aucune mesure contraignante mais des
"engagements partagés et concertés",
essentiellement de sensibilisation et
d'information.
"A la souffrance, au déni et à
l'isolement des malades, au sentiment
d'impuissance qui envahit souvent
leurs proches, il est temps d'opposer
un signe fort marquant la prise de
conscience et la mobilisation des
pouvoirs publics contre ce fléau", a
fait valoir Mme Boyer.
Ainsi, "le fait de provoquer une
personne à rechercher une maigreur
excessive, en encourageant des
restrictions alimentaires prolongées
ayant pour effet de l'exposer à un
danger de mort ou de compromettre
directement sa santé, sera puni d'une
peine
maximum
de
deux
ans
d'emprisonnement et de 30.000 euros
d'amende".
La peine est portée à trois ans et
45.000 euros d'amende, s'il apparaît
que "cette provocation a entraîné la
mort de la personne concernée".
Lors de l'examen en commission, la
députée UMP a fait adopter un
amendement punissant de deux ans
d'emprisonnement et 30.000 euros
d'amende "la propagande ou la
publicité, quel qu'en soit le mode, en
méthodes préconisés comme moyens
directement la santé".
Cet ajout permettra "d'incriminer la
diffusion de contenus incitant à
l'extrême maigreur, quel qu'en soit le
support,
ce
qui
s'appliquera
notamment à certains sites internet
+pro-ana+" (pro-anorexie), a-t-elle
fait valoir.
Le mouvement dit "pro-ana", se
développe depuis le début des années
2000 aux Etats-Unis et depuis deux
ans en France. Ses membres, des
jeunes filles se présentant comme
anorexiques
et
prétendant
que
l'anorexie n'est pas une maladie mais
un "mode de vie", diffusent leurs
idées via des forums ou des blogs sur
internet.
Selon le rapport de Mme Boyer, entre
30.000 et 40.000 personnes seraient
atteintes d'anorexie en France, dont
environ 90% de femmes, avec deux
pics de déclenchement à 12-13 ans et
à 18-19 ans.
Ses répercussions sanitaires sont
souvent très graves. L'anorexie peut
en effet entraîner une anémie, une
ostéoporose, la perte des capacités
physiques et musculaires, voire la
détérioration des organes vitaux et des
problèmes cardiaques, précise le
rapport.
Illustration(s) :
Joel Saget
Les députés débattent mardi d'une proposition de loi UMP visant à combattre l'incitation à l'anorexie, cet état de
"maigreur excessive" aux graves répercussions sanitaires dont sont atteintes entre 30.000 et 40.000 personnes en France.
88
Francois Guillot
Pour Mme Bachelot, la proposition de loi, présentée par Valérie Boyer (UMP), "apporte une réponse adaptée à un enjeu
décisif de santé publique" et constitue "une avancée importante dans la lutte contre l'anorexie. Ce texte permettra
d'ouvrir plus largement le débat public autour de cette maladie et ainsi d'éveiller les consciences."
89
Bertrand Guay
L'examen de ce texte intervient une semaine après la signature par les professionnels de la mode, de la publicité et des
médias, et la ministre de la Santé Roselyne Bachelot, le 9 avril à Paris, d'une "charte" de bonne conduite sur l'image du
corps et contre l'anorexie.
90
Alberto Pizzoli
Lors de l'examen en commission, la députée UMP a fait adopter un amendement punissant de deux ans
d'emprisonnement et 30.000 euros d'amende "la propagande ou la publicité, quel qu'en soit le mode, en faveur de
produits, d'objets ou de méthodes préconisés comme moyens de parvenir à une maigreur excessive ayant pour effet de
compromettre directement la santé".
© 2008 AFP - Journal Internet AFP ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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91
Le Monde
Télévision & Radio, mardi, 22 avril 2008, p. 29
ÉCRANS
INTERNET
Les auteurs des blogs « pro-ana » s'estiment victimes de censure
Une proposition de loi réprime l'incitation à l'anorexie sur le Web
Sylvie Kerviel
Elle se présente sous le nom
d'Anamorphose et, à l'instar d'autres
blogueuses
revendiquant
leur
appartenance au mouvement pro-ana
(ana pour « anorexie »), cette jeune
femme a décidé de fermer son blog.
Cette décision, elle l'a prise au
lendemain du vote, mardi 15 avril, à
l'Assemblée
nationale,
d'une
proposition de loi, présentée par la
députée
UMP
Valérie
Boyer,
réprimant l'incitation à l'anorexie,
notamment sur Internet, en fixant une
peine pouvant aller jusqu'à deux ans
d'emprisonnement et 30 000 euros
d'amende.
« Nous sommes censurés par principe
de précaution. Précaution de quoi ?
demande Anamorphose dans son
dernier
billet.
Cette
liberté
d'expression nous aidait à nous
soigner. On nous l'enlève. » « Merci à
cette loi. Grâce à elle je contribuerai
à faire avancer les statistiques »,
commente avec cynisme l'auteure du
blog Ma parfaite obsession, faisant
référence au nombre de décès parmi
les anorexiques - le taux de mortalité
est évalué à 5,6 % sur une durée de
dix ans de maladie et dépasserait 20
% sur une période plus longue, selon
le rapport de Mme Boyer.
« Dans un pays où l'obésité représente
10 % de la population, il est aberrant
de voir que certains députés puissent
s'intéresser au 0,1 % d'anorexiques,
déplore de son côté l'auteure du blog
Dunes de sable. On nous demande
d'être tolérants envers les personnes
obèses (...). Et les pro-ana ? ne sontelles pas malades ? Ne souffrent-elles
pas de troubles du comportement
alimentaire [TCA] ? (...) Avant de
supprimer et de punir les blogs proana, les médias ne doivent-ils pas
cesser de véhiculer cette image de la
femme extra-mince qui est la seule à
réussir ? »
Le texte voté par les députés interdit
« la propagande ou la publicité (...) en
méthodes préconisés comme moyen
directement la santé ». Il vise les sites
et les blogs pro-ana qui pullulent sur
le Web français depuis deux ans.
Assez semblables, ces blogs sont des
lieux de discussion entre jeunes filles
souffrant d'anorexie. Elles s'y donnent
des conseils pour se « dégoûter de la
nourriture », vomir, s'échangent des
marques de laxatifs, livrent des
astuces pour tromper les médecins et
l'entourage, se lancent des défis perdre 4 kg en moins d'une semaine
par exemple.
92
Certaines mettent toutefois en garde
contre les risques de cette maladie anémie,
ostéoporose,
problèmes
cardiaques,
perte
de
cheveux,
détérioration dentaire (l'un de ces
sites accueille une publicité pour
produit de blanchiment des dents).
On trouve aussi sur Internet souvent
les mêmes photos de vedettes
filiformes, présentées comme des
modèles à atteindre. Les propos et les
images
sont
parfois
choquants.
Certains font d'ailleurs l'objet d'un
avertissement. « Je n'incite personne à
suivre mon exemple, écrit ainsi
Poussière de fée. J'ai bien spécifié à
Blog4ever [le serveur qui accueille
son blog] que mon site contenait des
arguments pouvant être choquants
(...). Je souffre de TCA. je n'ai pas la
même vision de la normalité que vous
qui êtes sains physiquement et
psychologiquement. »
Selon le rapport de Mme Boyer, entre
30 000 et 40 000 personnes seraient
atteintes d'anorexie en France, dont
environ 90 % de femmes, avec deux
pics de déclenchement de la maladie à
12-13 ans et à 18-19 ans.
© 2008 SA Le Monde ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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93
AFP - Journal Internet
Mercredi, 16 avril 2008 - 17:10
Les sites internet favorisent l'anorexie mais ne sont pas à l'origine de la maladie
Par Christine COURCOL
PARIS (AFP) - Les sites internet ou
autres supports incitant à l'extrême
maigreur,
réprimés
par
une
proposition de loi votée mardi à
l'Assemblée
nationale,
favorisent
l'anorexie mais ne sont pas à l'origine
de la maladie, selon des spécialistes
interrogés par l'AFP.
PARIS (AFP) - L'Assemblée a voté
mardi un texte qui prévoit jusqu'à
deux ans de prison et 30.000 euros
d'amende
pour
l'incitation
à
l'anorexie, y compris sur internet. La
peine est portée à trois ans et 45.000
euros d'amende si cette provocation
"a entraîné la mort de la personne
concernée". Le texte doit encore être
soumis au Sénat.
L'anorexie, qui touche quelque 30 à
40.000 personnes en France -90% de
femmes- est une pathologie grave.
50% des personnes atteintes s'en
sortent -après des années de suivisans séquelles sérieuses, mais 10% en
meurent au bout de 20 ans, soit par
dénutrition, soit par suicide.
"Ce texte de loi part d'une bonne
intention, parce que l'incitation peut
être un facteur favorisant, pouvant
jouer un rôle dans la population
fragilisée de l'adolescence", note le
Dr
Sophie
Criquillion-Doublet,
psychiatre
responsable
de
la
consultation au Centre des maladies
mentales et de l'encéphale (CMME) à
l'hôpital sainte-Anne.
Pour autant, dit-elle, l'incitation "n'est
pas un facteur de causalité de la
maladie". "Il faut un terrain".
Pour Annick Brun, psychologue à la
CMME, l'anorexie a "des causes
multiples": "un facteur génétique
probable", "des facteurs personnels"
(manque de confiance en soi, malêtre, facteurs familiaux, incapacité de
prendre ses distances avec ses
proches), et aussi "des facteurs
sociaux".
"Mais il y a toujours eu des
anorexiques, même quand la mode
voulait
que
la
femme
soit
pléthorique", dit-elle.
Mme
Brun,
qui
considère
la
proposition de loi comme "un premier
petit pas", reste "un peu perplexe"
devant les sanctions contre les sites.
Certes, "les vrais sites +pro ana+
(pro-anorexie)
sont
toxiques
et
pathologiques", et mettre des limites
c'est "amener les gens à réfléchir".
Mais en fermer un ça entraîne
l'ouverture d'un autre, "il n'est pas sûr
qu'on puisse être efficace à ce niveaulà", dit-elle.
Pour le Dr Criquillion-Doublet, les
sites "pro-ana" sont nourris des
confidences des malades, et "on ne
sanctionne pas les malades, qui sont
d'ailleurs dans le déni de leur
maladie".
94
"En France, on sait sanctionner, on
sait éventuellement traiter, mais la
prévention qui coûterait beaucoup
moins cher à long terme, on ne sait
pas la faire", déplore-t-elle.
"Il faut repérer très tôt, dès avant les
difficultés alimentaires, le manque de
confiance en soi d'un enfant, la
difficulté à se séparer de la famille,
ou les changements de comportements
sociaux", souligne-t-elle.
Mme Brun souligne que la maladie
dure très longtemps et qu'il n'y a
guère de structures de soin pour
adultes. Celles qui existent sont
référencées sur le site de l'Association
française pour le développement des
approches spécialisées des troubles du
comportement alimentaire, AFDASTCA.
Plus
globalement,
pour
la
psychologue, on est "dans une
question de fond qui dépasse
l'anorexie". "Pourquoi les femmes ont
besoin de tellement maltraiter leur
corps? Pourquoi les femmes doivent
avoir en permanence un corps
contrôlé, un corps maigre, pourquoi
une telle pression?". "Il y a une
maltraitance proposée aux femmes",
dit-elle.
Illustration(s) :
Joël Saget
Les sites internet ou autres supports incitant à l'extrême maigreur, réprimés par une proposition de loi votée mardi à
l'Assemblée nationale, favorisent l'anorexie mais ne sont pas à l'origine de la maladie, selon des spécialistes interrogés
par l'AFP.
© 2008 AFP - Journal Internet AFP ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20080416·ZK·0CNG×29130a017e931ac9bdc0185a7a7f7511d×2301 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
95
Le Figaro, no. 19816
Le Figaro, mercredi, 16 avril 2008, p. 10
FranceSociété
L'incitation à l'anorexie devient un délit
SANTÉ. Les députés ont adopté une proposition de loi UMP pour lutter contre l'apologie de cette
maladie.
Agnès LECLAIR
DEUX ANS d'emprisonnement et une
amende de 30 000 euros : telle sera la
peine encourue pour incitation à
l'anorexie. Hier, les députés ont
adopté une proposition de loi UMP
pour lutter contre l'apologie de cette
maladie ou de l'extrême maigreur
dans divers médias (sites Internet,
presse écrite ou audiovisuelle et
blogs). Et ce, une semaine après la
signature par les professionnels de la
mode, de la publicité et des médias et
la ministre de la Santé d'une charte
de bonne conduite sur l'image du
corps.
Le texte, présenté par la députée
UMP Valérie Boyer, prévoit aussi des
peines de trois ans de prison et 45
000 euros d'amende « lorsque cette
recherche de maigreur excessive a
provoqué la mort de la personne ».
Les blogs « pro-ana », journaux en
ligne qui vantent l'anorexie, photos de
mannequins squelettiques et recettes
pour perdre du poids à l'appui, sont
particulièrement visés.
«
Aucune
des
jeunes
filles
anorexiques que j'ai rencontrées n'a
été entraînée par des sites pro-ana ou
des défilés de mode », juge pourtant
Xavier Pommereau, psychiatre et
spécialiste de l'anorexie. « L'anorexie
mentale
n'est
pas
un
simple
phénomène d'imitation. C'est une
maladie et on ne prévient pas une
maladie par une loi, précise-t-il. Le
dépistage
des
premiers
signes
inquiétants constitue la meilleure
prévention ».
« Sensationnalisme »
Alice, une anorexique de 15 ans, juge
tout de même que «
les conseils sur comment se faire
vomir » sur la Toile peuvent avoir une
mauvaise influence. Coralie, 19 ans,
© 2008 Le Figaro ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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96
trouve qu'il est juste de condamner
des « personnes qui incitent à
sombrer dans la maladie » bien que
ces sites « ne provoquent pas
l'anorexie ». Spécialiste des ados, le
psychanalyste Michaël Stora craint de
son côté la difficulté d'appliquer cette
loi. Consultant pour Skyblog, site
d'hébergement de blogs, il rappelle
que nombre de ces journaux sont
créés par des jeunes qui ne souffrent
pas d'anorexie mais cherchent à faire
du « sensationnalisme ». Enfin,
l'hébergeur français Overblog, sur
lequel on trouvait hier encore des
sites pro-ana, réfléchit déjà à
l'installation
d'une
surveillance
élargie. « Cela ne réglera pas le
problème de manière globale puisque
cette loi n'est pas applicable à des
sociétés
étrangères
»,
alerte
cependant son directeur, Julien
Romanetto.
NewsPress
FRANCE; Institutions nationales; Etablissements publics, mardi, 4 décembre 2012 - 110500
Infos Générales; Science/ Recherche
Comment les réseaux sociaux façonnent nos pratiques alimentaires ?
Comment
les
réseaux
sociaux
façonnent
nos
pratiques
alimentaires ? Vendredi 14 décembre
prochain, les résultats du projet de
recherche
ANR
«
Anamia
»
s'intéressant à l'anorexie et à la
boulimie - « ana » et « mia » dans le
jargon d'Internet - seront dévoilés à
la BnF (Paris), lors d'un colloque
scientifique sur le phénomène « proana » (pro-anorexie). Cet événement
sera l'occasion pour des experts
internationaux et des chercheurs
issus de plusieurs domaines des
sciences sociales de discuter autour
d'une approche inédite des sites web
portant sur l'anorexie ou la
boulimie. Le projet de recherche «
Anamia » est coordonné par le
sociologue
Claude
Fischler,
directeur de recherche au CNRS.
Usage du web et diffusion
troubles alimentaires
des
Dans les pays de l'hémisphère nord,
on estime que le taux de mortalité lié
à l'anorexie et à la boulimie atteint
entre 5% et 10% par décennie - c'est
l'un des plus élevés pour ce genre de
troubles. L'enjeu est rendu encore
plus complexe par le fait que les
personnes atteintes de ces troubles
alimentaires sont aujourd'hui des
utilisateurs de technologies web et
mobiles. Les créateurs des sites web
consacrés aux troubles alimentaires
sont le plus souvent des jeunes
femmes qui souffrent de problèmes
d'alimentation, et se retrouvent sur
internet pour échanger autour de
leurs expériences de vie. L'expression
de leur condition va parfois jusqu'à
décrire les méthodes pour s'affamer
ou se faire vomir, ou encore à mettre
en scène des photos personnelles ou
de célébrités, retouchées et amincies.
Mais la découverte par l'opinion
publique de ce type de contenus,
considérés alors comme une apologie
des troubles alimentaires, a vite
entrainé la stigmatisation de cette
population. Régulièrement désignés
de façon péjorative comme « proana » dans les récits relayés par les
médias, ces sites web sont pourtant
aussi vécus par leurs membres comme
des vecteurs de coopération et de
prise en charge autonome.
Questionner le phénomène au-delà
des postions tranchées
Le colloque du 14 décembre 2012 sera
l'occasion
de
questionner
le
phénomène pro-ana au-delà des
positions tranchées. Derrière ce sujet
se cachent en effet des enjeux
importants
qui
traversent
les
frontières
des
disciplines
scientifiques. « Les communautés
pro-ana », affirme le sociologue
Claude
Fischler,
directeur
de
recherche au CNRS et porteur du
projet ANR Anamia, « sont un fait
social au travers duquel il est possible
de déployer et lire les enjeux actuels
du corps et de l'alimentation : le
rapport à l'image du corps, le rôle de
l'autorité médicale mis à mal, la
97
cacophonie alimentaire (trop de
messages contradictoires, trop de
tentations
qui
provoquent
des
réactions paradoxales). Bref, ces
jeunes anorexiques s'avèrent être
soumis aux mêmes tensions que les
autres mangeurs/consommateurs dans
les sociétés contemporaines... »
Parmi les participants seront présents
le psychiatre et psychanalyste Serge
Tisseron (Université Paris Ouest
Nanterre
La
Défense),
l'épidémiologue Adam Drewnowski
(University
of
Washington),
l'historien
Georges
Vigarello
(EHESS), la sociologue Madeleine
Ackrich (Mines ParisTech) et Alain
Giffard, directeur du GIS Culture &
Médias numériques, ainsi que d'autres
chercheurs
de
l'Institut
MinesTélécom et du CNRS.
Le projet ANR Anamia : étudier les
troubles
du
comportement
alimentaire
sous
l'angle
des
sociabilités
Soutenu par l'ANR et coordonné par
l'EHESS, avec le CNRS, l'Institut
Mines-Télécom,
l'Université
de
Bretagne occidentale et Aix-Marseille
Université, ce projet étudie depuis 3
ans les communautés Internet des
personnes atteintes de troubles des
comportements alimentaires à l'aide
de méthodes innovantes d'analyse des
réseaux sociaux en ligne et hors-ligne.
Antonio Casilli, chercheur à Télécom
ParisTech
et
à
l'EHESS,
et
coordinateur du projet Anamia pour le
volet scientifique, explique : « En
déplaçant le prisme pathologique vers
celui des usages des technologies et
celui des sociabilités, on se donne les
moyens
d'obtenir
des
résultats
surprenants. Le premier consiste à
déjouer le stéréotype de l'adolescent
"pro-ana" socialement isolé qui
rechercherait
sur
Internet
une
échappatoire à ses manques. »
D'après les résultats de recherche, les
sites web représentent en effet pour
les personnes atteintes de troubles
alimentaires un complément de
socialité,
des
lieux
où
elles
construisent des réseaux de solidarité.
Ces internautes ne feraient donc pas
une apologie acritique des troubles
alimentaires.
Au
contraire,
ils
recherchent une complémentarité avec
le système médical surtout quand ce
dernier n'est pas en mesure de les
prendre en charge. Les adolescents et
les jeunes adultes habitant des «
déserts médicaux » seraient tout
© 2012 NewsPress ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20121204·NW·FR260701 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
98
particulièrement
concernés.
C'est
pourquoi, une part des intervenants du
symposium indique que la répression
de ces sites, prônée par certains
hommes politiques, est une «
mauvaise décision en termes de santé
publique ».
En savoir + sur le projet Anamia :
http://www.anamia.fr
Note(s) :
CNRS - Centre National de Recherche
Scientifique
Libération
QUOTIDIEN PREMIERE EDITION
MULTIMEDIA, lundi, 20 août 2001, p. 15
Les fans de l'anorexie servent leur soupe sur le Web
L'apologie de ce trouble alimentaire inquiète les médecins.
PESSEL Nathalie
«L'anorexie est un art de vivre, pas
une maladie.» Des photos de côtes
saillantes, décharnées, teintées de
couleur flashy. C'est la page d'accueil
d'Anorexic Nation, l'un des 400 sites
web (surtout américains) qui font
l'apologie
de
ce
trouble
du
comportement alimentaire (TCA). The
perfect body, Fading into obscurity
(«Se fondre dans l'obscurité») ou
Dying to be thin («Mourir d'envie
d'être mince»)... Ces sites rivalisent
d'originalité, parfois enthousiastes,
parfois morbides: «J'aime sentir mes
os saillir. J'aime me sentir vide.
J'aime me dire que j'ai tenu toute une
journée sans manger. J'aime perdre
du
poids.»
Echanges
de
photographies mais aussi conseils
pour maigrir et maigrir encore.
«Quand vous mangez avec vos
parents, faites semblant de tousser et
mettez la nourriture dans votre poing;
dès qu'ils ont le dos tourné, jetez tout
dans la poubelle ou le pot à fleurs»,
«buvez un verre d'eau tous les quarts
d'heure pour tromper votre faim»...
Le tout illustré par des images de
stars
hollywoodiennes
filiformes.
Parfois trafiquées pour les amaigrir
davantage.
Fermetures. En France, 5 % à 13 %
des adolescents souffrent d'anorexie.
Un chiffre qui augmente chaque
année. Neuf sur dix sont des filles.
Des associations sont montées au
créneau pour dénoncer ces sites proanorexiques, «pro-ana» pour les
initiés. Le 26 juin, l'Anad (association
américaine contre l'anorexie et la
boulimie) a demandé à Yahoo de
retirer 115 sites «pro-ana» de ses
serveurs. Quatre jours plus tard, le
portail en retirait 21, «en raison, non
pas de la requête de l'Anad, mais de
l'engagement de Yahoo pour le bienêtre des enfants et adolescents», selon
son porte-parole. Les clubs de
discussion ont été également fermés.
Mais pas tous: Anorexia Fame est
toujours en service, avec un ton
vengeur: «Ce club a été créé pour
montrer au monde que l'on ne peut
pas nous ignorer ou nous faire taire.»
Certains
membres
vont
jusqu'à
affirmer que la fermeture des sites les
a plongés dans la détresse.
Des contre-sites se sont montés. Sur
Google US, le premier site indiqué
pour une recherche «pro-anorexia» est
un site de prévention et d'aide aux
malades, Scared (Soutien, conseils et
renseignements sur les troubles du
comportement
alimentaire),
qui
s'oppose aux «pro-ana». «Ils peuvent
être utiles et rassurants, car personne
n'est plus isolé qu'un anorexique»,
souligne Michèle Battista, psychiatre
à l'hôpital de La Timone à Marseille.
Scared se demande ce qui pousse
quelqu'un à créer un site «pro-ana»?
Certains
considèrent
l'anorexie
99
comme une amie dont ils ne veulent
pas se séparer, mais ne fournissent
aucune
explication
claire.
Les
webmestres contactés par Libération
n'ont d'ailleurs pas souhaité répondre.
«Narcissisme». «Rien d'étonnant»,
explique Christine Foulon, psychiatre
dans l'unité TCA de l'hôpital SainteAnne de Paris. «Les anorexiques
refusent de reconnaître leur trouble et
ses risques. 15 % à 20 % meurent de
cette maladie.» Pour se dédouaner, les
créateurs
de
sites
mettent
fréquemment un mot d'avertissement
sur leur page d'accueil. Insuffisant.
«Si ces sites ne plongent pas des gens
dans la maladie, ils entretiennent ceux
qui sont déjà anorexiques, les
confortent dans leurs attitudes»,
poursuit le docteur Foulon.
«Ces sites considèrent l'anorexie
comme une super-victoire, renchérit
Michèle Battista. Ils poussent à aller
le plus loin possible dans le
narcissisme. La médecine a pu faire
des erreurs dans le traitement de ces
pathologies, mais aujourd'hui les
aspects psychiatriques aussi bien que
somatiques sont pris en charge. Cette
maladie représente pour nous un
problème déontologique: soigner des
gens qui ne le veulent pas. C'est long,
on stagne, mais on ne les laisse pas
tomber. Ce serait de la non-assistance
à personne en danger.» «Les créateurs
de ces sites sont sûrement des
électrons libres, conclut Christine
Foulon. Des personnes en souffrance
qui refusent les soins.».
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100
Ouest-France
Pays de Loire, jeudi, 11 juin 2009, p. 17
Loire Atlantique; Pontchâteau
Les nouvelles anorexiques d'aujourd'hui, par trois élèves de 4e D
Clémence Boulch, Solène Aoustin et Mathilde Richard.
« La plupart du temps inconnues, les
pro-ana sont souvent considérées
comme
des
anorexiques.
Mais
contrairement à elles, les pro-ana se
restreignent
volontairement
d'alimentation et se répandent sur
internet. Ce sont essentiellement des
jeunes femmes, désireuses d'être
reconnues comme attirantes, qui
composent ce mouvement et mettent
parfois leur vie en danger.
« Anorexie veut dire perte de
l'appétit, mais les pro-anorexiques,
plus connues sous le nom de « proana », se privent volontairement
d'alimentation, ce qui entraîne un
amaigrissement massif de la masse
corporelle.
Les
«
pro-ana
»
constituent un réseau de membres
diffusant leurs idées sur internet, via
des forums ou des blogs où elles
tiennent un genre de journal intime
dédié à « Ana », une personnification
de l'anorexie. Les sites servent à
partager leur expérience et à se
soutenir entre elles. Pour qu'elles
soient dégoûtées d'elles-mêmes, «
Ana » les dévalorise en leur disant
des paroles comme « Tu n'es qu'une
grosse vache que diable » ; « Tu es
devenue grosse et paresseuse »... »
Principales victimes : les très jeunes
femmes. « Ce phénomène « pro-ana »
concerne 9 fois sur 10 une jeune
femme entre 14 et 23 ans. Les jeunes
femmes « pro-ana » ne font pas que
s'exprimer sur des sites, elles suivent
un règlement très strict qu'elles
doivent respecter (exemples : être
mince est plus important qu'être en
bonne santé, ce que dit la balance est
le plus important, on ne peut jamais
être trop mince...). Mais elles portent
aussi, si elles le veulent, un bracelet
rouge pour se motiver et qui sert de
signe de reconnaissance entre elles ».
Une recherche de la beauté qui peut
mener jusqu'à la mort. « Malgré leur
© 2009 Ouest-France ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
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101
maigreur, elles prennent soin de leur
apparence. Avec de telles privations,
il existe de nombreux risques dont
une hyperactivité, une baisse de
température, une baisse du pouls, un
arrêt des règles, un besoin de boire
permanent pouvant conduire à une
intoxication
par
l'eau
(celle-ci
entraîne des troubles de la conscience
pouvant aller jusqu'au coma). Après
un certain temps, elle peuvent aussi
avoir des pertes de cheveux (1).
Les conséquences en chiffres. 30 à
50 % des pro-ana guérissent sans
séquelles; 10 à 20 % restent maigres
et socialement fragiles; 10 à 15 % ne
guérissent pas; 5 % sont des
anorexiques-boulimiques;
10
%
décèdent (1).
(1)
Source
:
www.medecine-etsante.com/nutrition/anorexiementale.
html
Libération, no. 8381
France, mercredi, 16 avril 2008, p. QUO13
«Je ne me sens pas malade»
Témoignages recueillis sur des blogs prônant l'extrême maigreur.
Saran Koly; SARAN KOLY
Entre astuces pour vomir et conseils
pour s'affamer, les blogs «pro-ana»
(«ana» pour anorexie) prônent une
maigreur extrême. Pour Audrey,
16 ans, pro-ana depuis un an«la
minceur c'est encore trop gros, c'est
encore trop femme. Ce qui me dégoûte
dans la minceur c'est qu'on a encore
trop de graisse entre les os et la
peau».
Elle
a
découvert
le«mouvement» pro-ana il y a un ou
deux ans. «Je n'étais pas encore
anorexique
à
cette
époquelà,explique-t-elle, j'avais besoin de
parler, d'être comprise - pas d'être
traitée comme une malade. J'ai trouvé
cette écoute sur les sites pro-ana.»
Elles se reconnaissent grâce à leur
bracelet rouge, signe de ralliement à
la communauté. «Le bracelet me
rappelle ce en quoi je crois. Ce n'est
pas une secte mais un excellent moyen
de reconnaître ses
explique Anaïs, 25 ans.
semblables»,
«Comme beaucoup, je porte un
bracelet rouge, pas tant pour être
identifiée en tant que pro-ana, mais
surtout pour me rappeler à l'ordre
lorsque je suis prête à craquer sur un
truc calorique. Cela me rappelle tous
les efforts que je fais au quotidien»,
ajoute Audrey. Myriam, 23 ans, se
considérant comme une pro-ana
«modérée», n'est pas du même avis :
«Pour la plupart d'entre nous, ce
bracelet est plus un fardeau qu'autre
chose. Très rares sont celles qui
affichent leur anorexie parce que
nous
redoutons
toutes
l'hospitalisation.» Pour incarner cette
maigreur extrême, des sites retouchent
des photos de Kate Moss, Nicole
Richie ou encore Lindsay Lohan. «Les
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102
photos
retouchées
avec
des
mannequins squelettiques restent des
mythes grotesques. La plupart des
pro-ana
rêvent
d'une
certaine
maigreur mais pas jusqu'à ce point»,
s'insurge Audrey. Les blogueuses se
défendent souvent de faire l'apologie
de l'anorexie. Pour Anaïs, ce n'est pas
une maladie, «c'est un chemin que
certaines jeunes filles souhaitent
emprunter. Nous goûtons à la vie et
nous nous entraidons mieux que
quiconque. Nous ne sommes pas
totalement inconscientes. Mon palier
étant à 43 kilos pour 1 m 69. Je ne
suis jamais descendu en dessous, et je
ne le souhaite pas. J'ai été déclaré
anorexique par un médecin. J'ai tous
les symptômes mais je ne me sens pas
malade».
Le Monde.fr
Mardi, 15 avril 2008
Les "pro-ana" sur le Web, entre apologie de l'anorexie et soutien aux malades
Internet regorge de sites, forums et
blogs "pro anorexie" qui pourraient
être menacés par une proposition de
loi. Ces pages Web incitent-elles les
jeunes
filles
à
tomber
dans
l'anorexie ou sont-elles un soutien
pour les personnes déjà malades ?
montre du doigt une victime déjà
écrasée par son poids, son image, son
esprit'. (...) Etre anti pro-ana signifie
que je n'aime pas les personnes
malades."
Une proposition de loi "antianorexie" révolte la multitude et
invisible "nation Ana-Mia" sur le
Web. Le texte présenté par Valérie
Boyer, députée UMP des Bouches-duRhône, vise à rendre passible de deux
ans d'emprisonnement et de 30 000
euros d'amende "le fait de provoquer
une personne à rechercher une
maigreur excessive en encourageant
des
restrictions
alimentaires
prolongées". Cette proposition de loi
vise notamment "les sites et les blogs
faisant l'apologie de l'anorexie, tels le
mouvement pro-ana".
CODES COMMUNAUTAIRES
Les "ana-mia" ou "pro-ana", du nom
de ce trouble du comportement
alimentaire (TCA) qui touche 1 % à 2
% des adolescents de 12 à 18 ans,
dont 90 % de filles, se sentent
stigmatisés par cette loi qui ne les
comprendrait pas.
Ainsi, Dune de sable s'insurge sur son
blog : "Non, être pro-ana n'est pas un
hobby (...). Etre pro-Ana signifie 'je
souffre de TCA et je dois faire avec.
Je n'aime pas mon corps, je veux en
changer et aucun discours ne me fera
voir mon apparence autrement que
comme mon miroir me l'impose'. Etre
anti pro-ana signifie 'je n'ai aucune
connaissance
des
troubles
psychologiques que je dénonce et je
D'un nombre spectaculairement élevé,
les blogs pro-ana ou ana-mia sont
quasiment tous construits sur le même
modèle : éloge de la "beauté" de
l'extrême maigreur incarnée par les
photos ou "thinspo" de starlettes
décharnées
ou
de
mannequins
retouchés carrément squelettiques.
Au fil des blogs, toujours les mêmes
préceptes dogmatiques : la "lettre
d'Ana",
gourou
imaginaire
qui
dissémine
ainsi
ses
"dix
commandements", affirmant qu'"être
mince est plus important qu'être en
bonne santé" et qu'"être mince et ne
pas manger sont les signes d'une
volonté véritable et de succès". Les
jeunes filles s'appuient sur l'échelle
du poids idéal selon Ana, s'échangent
des astuces pour maigrir : se faire
vomir, prendre des laxatifs, manger
des glaçons pour tromper la faim,
voire prendre des médicaments, tout
cela
sans
inquiéter
leur
entourage :"Surtout, niez toujours
lorsqu'on vous posent des questions,
dites tout le contraire de se que vous
pensez au sujet des pro-ana. Croyezmoi, ça vous évitera beaucoup
d'ennuis ! [sic]", peut-on lire sur l'un
de ces blogs. Les anorexiques
utilisent Internet pour se lancer des
103
défis, comme perdre 4 kilos en une
semaine ou jeûner tous les lundis.
Elles se reconnaissent grâce à leur
bracelet rouge, signe de ralliement de
cette communauté secrète.
Presque toutes ces blogueuses se
défendent de faire l'apologie de
l'anorexie, implorent les internautes
de cesser de laisser des messages
d'insulte sur les forums. Ainsi "moi
Ana forever" rappelle en page
d'accueil : "Je n'incite personne à
devenir pro-ana, (...) pour moi, être
pro-ana est un mode de vie et j'espère
que vous respecterez mon choix
comme moi je respecte les vôtres."
LUCIDITÉ,
SOUFFRANCE
INCOMPRÉHENSION
ET
Car ces jeunes filles qui s'affament,
comptent et recomptent les calories,
n'en
finissent
pas
de
noter
scrupuleusement le moindre quart de
pomme avalé, ont, certes, une image
déformée d'elles-mêmes, mais elles
ont aussi une appréhension très lucide
de leur maladie. Elle connaissent les
graves séquelles que peut entraîner
l'anorexie, la plupart des blogs sont
extrêmement bien documentés sur la
question des TCA. Ainsi sur un forum
dans la rubrique "aide, conseils,
soutien" , Petronella confie "ça fait
longtemps que j'ai pas eu mes
règles... Je peux pas le dire, sinon on
va me faire manger..."
Aussi l'incompréhension demeure, ces
jeunes filles se savent malades,
connaissent bien la nature de leur mal
et, sous couvert de s'apporter soutien
et écoute, s'échangent des "conseils"
pour s'enfoncer un peu plus dans la
maladie.
Car même si les TCA font l'objet
d'une médiatisation croissante, une
unité hospitalière spécialisée pour
adolescents ayant même été crée dans
La Maison de Solenn, il subsiste, à
lire les témoignages de jeunes filles
diagnostiquées et en cours de
traitement, une grande impuissance du
corps médical face à cette maladie.
"Les TCA consistent en une réalité,
dure, qu'on juge souvent mal. On dit
parfois qu'une anorexique refusant de
s'alimenter fait preuve seulement de
CAPRICE. Sans toutefois chercher à
comprendre ce qui se passe dans sa
tête, ce à quoi elle est confrontée à
chaque seconde. Le mal-être est là, le
désespoir, la souffrance permanente:
bienvenue au pays les TCA", peut-on
ainsi lire sur la page d'accueil d'un
blog.
© 2008 Le Monde ; CEDROM-SNi inc.
news·20080415·LMF·1034211 - Date d'émission : 2014-04-16
104
Mais face au phénomène, la résistance
"anti pro-ana" s'organise, usant des
mêmes armes. Aussi le site "le
cimetière d'Ana" recense les décès des
suites d'anorexie, au Royaume Uni,
une campagne vidéo choc montre la
distortion de l'image dont souffre les
anorexiques et les témoignages de
malades dénonçant l'influence néfaste
du
mouvement
"pro-ana"
se
multiplient.
LEMONDE.FR Mélanie Duwat

Nombre de document(s) : 50 Date de création : 16 avril 2014 Créé par

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