I was in chat when someone posted a link to some girl's Xanga. I clicked it expecting to find some interesting material. Instead what I found was both disturbing and (in my opinion) psychotic. It appeared to be quite cult-like.

I don't know how much history this has, but I just recently stumbled upon a HUGE number of "Ana girls", or females that are "Pro-Anorexia Nervosa". In their blogs they seem to be glorifying a very serious and dangerous eating disorder.

Has anyone else seen anything like this before? It makes me feel really naive to think that I am just now finding out about it. And to think that there are support groups for people that glamourize being anorexic...

For more information I've provided links to two sources that I used to find out more about it.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-ana

Please note that any opinions stated in this topic are not meant to offend anyone. They are STRICTLY personal opinions.

Eh, never seen anything about that. As much as I'd like to be skinny, I'd rather do it the healthy way..

ZOMG 11:11

Being a member of a support forum [read: not "pro-ana"], I've seen that often. I'm not really sure what to think of it, other than just scoffing and ignoring it. Many of these girls can, actually, go on to develop full-on eating disorders through this "pro-ana"-ness, and that is quite scary. Most, from what I've seen, get tired of it or realize they were idiots. Which is good.
The forum I am a member of, though, originates from the pro-ED [eating disorder] "movement".

The creator of the forum even claims to be the original website in which eating disorders weren't discussed as just the regular DSM-IV crap.. Yeah, I think she almost takes 'credit' for it all. Almost. It's been around since..2001 or 2000, I think.
It's gotten ridiculous, though. There are such things as bracelets and actual colors that are used to identify eating disorders; there are nicknames for the disorders like "mia" for bulimia and well, ana for anorexia; online tips that are very idiotic and..yeah. Recommending someone take syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting is just...

There's not really much you can do for someone that believes an eating disorder is a choice and would like to lose a few pounds as a part of their diet--other than filling them up with facts and the whole "it's-a-deadly-mental-disease-not-a-diet, lolz" crap, which sometimes helps.
However, many of these girls can be dealing with an actual eating disorder and with taking part in this "pro-ana" crap, it just makes it harder for her/him to get help in the long run.

...wow. I know wannabe-anas. It's so dumb. They used to post images of anorexics on their pages. It was weird because they were.. obese.. and they never got skinnier. I think it's sad.

Even I, a full blown anoretic, finds this hugely disturbing.
They just seem to be so completely unaware of what their
getting themselfs into.

They will, sooner or later, have to face the consiquences.
Personality disorders, and heart conditions.
They will beg to take it back.
But it will be too late.

Whatever they have to face in the future;
they will only have themselfs to blame.
And I asure you guys, it will eventually hit them
and they will be wide-eyed and ready to recover.

Eating disorders become an obsession.
Their just playing with it.

Um the websites starting poping up around 2000-2001 after a special on primetime on ABC. It really is disturbing because they post pictures and its called their thinspiration but whatever let them ruin their lives

I remember somehow finding out about those xanga blogrings a while back.
I was shocked too. It's just like..wow. The lengths these girls will go through..s'just wow.

i always see these sites.
They always subscribe to my layout site O.o

I've seen one it made me want to throw up.

Not because I was reverting back to bulimia, but because it sickened me to see those girls idolizing sick young women and striving to give in to a disease as obsessive as that.

I don't know what possesses these girls to think the way they do or how to show them how wrong and sick they really are.

They make me want to cry.

^ Me too! They always subscribe to my site too.

It really scares me, they think it's the cool thing to do, and often they call it "tanorexia". A lot of the time they have like, diet & calorie intake journals - I find it really sad, actually.

Oh, and on those ads by google that appear over the fast reply boxes, there's this ad that says: get paid to blog about anorexia! make up to $1000/month by blogging about your life. It's free.

Umm..okay then.

People who support anorexia are stupid and makes ME feel stupid because I have friends who ARE anorexic even though THEY KNOW I hate it when that happens.

I really don't see the point. Everyone's beautiful the way they are, and I mean this as someone who trash talks a lot. What's the point of trying to make yourself look attractive to someone who never even looked at you in the first place! Seriously anorexia nervosa = pathway for attention whores

yea
I found it a long time ago. My friend was in one of them. And then another joined just to read all the stories.



oddly enough a lot of times their supporting them to go on.

i know. it's really sad

Yeah I stumbled upon some of those before in the past...it freaked me out to think people actually want to be like that and support something so dangerous and unhealthy...

thats not the only group supporting for that kind of stuff.
actually theres a group supporting suicidal thoughts, etc.
its quite sad really.

Wow..thats sad..Theres a lot of groups that support that sort of stuff.

Yeah..I've seen xanga's like those before..
I mean what are they thinking??

"Stay Strong Hun, we'll be skinny."
I mean..wtf?

i've never seen xanga's like that..since i dont use xangas anymore...and i cant believe girls or boys do that...i mean that is just way too stupid...i mean i wanna be skinny..but i'll never do that..i never heard about Ana till today..i heard anerexic and bulimia

Yeah it's pretty damn sad..


There is nothing you can say to someone

who is ANA to make them realize how wrong they are.

*Sigh* People are so pathetic these days. The sad thing is.. the vast majority of people like that and these ANAs have nothing to be depressed about.

I agree ^ ...Completely.

winterberryxxx... it's anorexic, not anoretic. haha,
i don't find it peculiar, seeing that i associate with quite a few anas and mias.
i never found it as anything "weird." i don't have an eating disorder, but i can relate to what they're saying a lot. i'm nowhere near depressed, and it's not as if they're freaks or anything.

lindAAH, are you referring to the "anorexic princess?" she was bizarre. i'm almost sure she was fake though, through the whole "omg my mom taught me and my sister to be anorexic bulimic LOLOLOL." seriously. i've never seen anyone else quite like that.

Anorectic, and they're both correct.

they should just go kill themselves

^ sure.
yeh i saw one on livejournal a few months ago. didnt even know that there was anything like it untill then. i think its sick how people are promoting it. its just wrong. anorexia is a serious disease and shouldnt be promotid like that.
arff its gay.