Last Updated on April 20, 2020
The rejection of the idea thatanorexia nervosa is an eating disorder has been called Pro Ana. Tips and tricks, as well as other informative material and discussion groups and forums are spread all over across the Internet. Anorexic persons tend to refuse support and contact with their family members and with medical staff, so the Pro Ana tips and tricks may help them find understanding and a starting point for sharing thoughts and methods to make anorexia safer. Scientists have investigated anorexia nervosa and bulimia in a lot of studies, but opinions sometimes differ, as some groups consider them to be eating disorders, while others frame them into the mental illnesses category. Regardless the scientific findings, anorexics see it rather as a lifestyle choice, so there’s no wonder they are scouring the net, searching for pro ana tips and tricks, to make their life easier and to help them share experience with people like them.
Pro Ana Tips And Tricks Criticism
It’s easy to understand that medical associations and scientists’ opinions are mostly negative, concerning the appearance of websites which share pro ana tips and tricks for their readers. These activities are perceived as encouraging teenagers to strive for perfection by becoming anorexic.
I think the roots of this eating trouble come from nowadays social standards of beauty, which many times impose that women are skinny. Only look at the fashion parades and shows and observe the top models: they all look like they are always starving, their bones are prominent and many times their face shows illness and malnutrition. If this is beauty, why then are we concerned when we see the young generation trying all kind of pro ana tips and tricks, from collective weight loss diets to tips on how to induce vomiting or on how to hide weight loss from doctors and from their parents?
While I tend to agree that being fat is harmful to a person’s health and well-being, I cannot understand the attraction of looking like an extremely poor person who cannot afford to eat. There are so many children in this world who would give everything to eat at least one meal every day, that it is outrageous to think that somebody would eat with the sole purpose of vomiting everything as soon as possible after that.
But I suppose I’m not entitled to judge anybody, and as long as the net would exist, there would always be places where anorexia sufferers would share their pro ana tips and tricks.
You state that you think anorexia is from the society that shows thinness as being beautiful in women, this is a contributer, yes, but this is not the reason that people are anorexic or bulimic. An eating disorder is a form of control. Though the pro ana and pro mia websites do have tips and tricks on them, there are forums that offer support and understanding. A place to go where people understand and one is not ridiculed or judged for being maladaptive and sick. Eating disorders are a serious illness but no, you do not have a right to judge as you do not know each and every person that suffers with a disorder and you do not know the trauma or difficulties that they have faced in their lives that has led to this. In addition, your comment on you not being able to understand why someone would intentionally eat to purge it asap, it is also a form of control. Eating disorders are usually a manifestiation of emotional issues that one either has not or can not deal with. If people would take the time to consider what the younger generations are facing then one might see that this is not some pleasure that teens are partaking in like drinking, it is a serious problem that needs help and a counselor to deal with the underlying problems as well as a support system. No one understands eating disorders to the full extent, even those who suffer from one, and NO ONE that has never had an eating disorder, not a diet, will never understand the emotional turmoil and obsession, fear, rejection, hatred, and all the other emotions that coexist with the disorder.
Heather you could not be more right. who ever wrote this article needs to take a good hard look at themselves and show a little understanding instead of ridiculing the many people living with an eating disorder. shame on you.
Hey, ladies, no offense, I was just expressing my thoughts about the topic. I’m not ridiculing anybody, I’m just trying to understand why those people are doing that to themselves and why they love their eating disorder that much, that they hide it as well as they can. Thank you for your comments and I’m sorry if I offended you in any way. I really believe that each of us has the power to change and that we don’t need counselors for that. A strong desire and motivation could be enough to let go of old habits we don’t want part of our life anymore.
I have suffered from anorexia nervosa for over 25 years now, and am now terminally ill because of multiple organ failure caused by my eating disorder. I have met well over a thousand other individuals who also suffer from this horrible illness, and have spent years studying eating disorders, psychiatry and ALSO I have studied and gathered statistics on those horrible pro-ana websites. I am anti-pro ana, which means I am against this horrible subculte and speak out online about this.
I would like to correct much of your article, because I was VERY offended and angered by your spread of misinformation. Do you know how much damage this can cause to the eating disordered population?
Do you know how many times people stop us on the streets to make fun of us, to yell names, throw things at us, take photos of us to laugh at? I have been beaten and raped all of my life because I look *different* then most people, becuase of my low weight. This only makes my eating disorder WORSE. Now I’m dying, and nothing can stop my multiple organ failure. I can no longer have a chance at recover, I live in a hospice centre because I can’t even get out of bed on my own, or use the bathroom on my own, I need help from medical staff. The misinformation being spread to the public about people with eating disorders has caused us SO MUCH harm and ridicule.
People are ALWAYS happy to judge us, make horrible comments, and actually physically harm us because of the lack of understanding they have of this horrible illness that we have NO control over. It is NOT OUR FAULT that we have this illess.
Anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders are MOST COMMONLY CAUSED BY RAPE AND ABUSE, NOT because of the media. My own eating disorder was caused by rape and abuse, as well, and I am disgusted to see all of this horrid misinformation being spread, you people are only causing us even MORE harm. You are no better. LEARN MORE BEFORE YOU SPEAK. Why don’t you actually seek out some of us to see how it truly is to be this way FIRST, before you go out and spread this shit?
NEXT, the majority of the pro-anas (some 90%) do NOT have an eating disorder AT ALL. They actually fit the diagnostic criteria for another mental illness called MÜNCHHAUSEN’S SYNDROME. This is a mental illness where the afflicted will feign mental illnesses for attention and sympathy. Pro-anorexics are VERY DIFFERENT from those who actually suffer from eating disorders, and most people who actually have eating disorders are DISGUSTED by the pro-anorexia/pro-anas and their horrible websites. Myself included.
If those pro-ana idiots knew what it was TRULY like to be eating disordered, they would NOT speak so fondly of it. They would realise that there are no tips or tricks to “becoming anorexic,” it is POUNDED INTO YOU FROM DAY ONE from HORRIBLE causes like abuse, rape and neglect. These websites are BELITTLING all of the pain that we have been forced to go through and glamorizing these terrible illnesses that have DESTROYED our lives.
Thinspiration is useless when you hate yourself this much, anorexics don’t need it, and many hate it and want NOTHING to do with it. (Again, myself included)
Pro-ana people often steal photos of very sick anorexics and repost them without permission, causing huge emotional damage to the people in these photos.
I have been a victim of MASS photo-theft from those stupid pro-anas. A horrible man who abused me for a long time have forced me to pose naked in photos that I leter found online on a fetish website. I got this webiste taken down, but not soon enough. Some pro ana idiot found those pictures and reposted them all over pro-ana websites, and soon my photos spread like wildfire. I have been so emotionally damaged by what they have done to me. I have attempted suicide and self harmed so many times after getting flashbacks of my rapes when accidentally finding these photos that I was forced to have taken of me on their idiotic websites.
This is not an uncommon thing, either. I have had MANY friends who ALSO have had their photos stolen by the pro-anorexics, only to be emotionally damaged just as much as I have been. They hate the pro anas as much as I do, for this horribly selfish and disgusting act of degrading and exploiting us for their own personal gain.
THIS is what the pro-anas are doing. They are degrading and exploiting the lives of anorexics for their own disgusting personal gains. They are faking illnesses they don’t have, just to get attention and sympathy from people online and then sucking even more people into this. They are HURTING PEOPLE and even KILLING PEOPLE and look what everyone is doing about it? FUCK ALL.
THESE SITES MUST BE BANNED AND THE CREATORS HELD FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
The only country, so far, that has done something about this is France. France recently issues a law that says anyone found creating a pro-ana website can be fined up to 50,000 euros and put in prison for up to 5 years. I hope more countries follow in France’s footsteps.
Please think more before spreading information that can cause severe harm to other people, Simone.
While I am glad people are bringing light to the dangers of these websites, the least they could do is get their information right so that people are given the CORRECT information.
Thank you so much, Bony Pink, I appreciate your input a lot and I’m happy you took the time to write such a detailed and in-depth analysis of this terrible illness. I agree with you, pro-ana websites shouldn’t exist, and that’s why I wrote this article, to draw an alarm signal that they are bad.
Thank you for hearing me out, Simone. I really appreciate it, however I still do feel that you have spread some misinformation about eating disorders with this article and this worries me because it effects how people look at those with eating disorders and also how they treat them. It can mean a lot of horrible treatment to various people in the future, just like what happened to me.
Much of my abuse could have been prevented, and that REALLY upsets me. I still deal with ridicule and verbal abuse from people daily, even though I am living out my last days in hospice and hospice is meant to make one who is dying comfortable and painless for their last days. Instead, mine are filled with pain.
People in hospice don’t understand eating disorders. The patients throw things at me and call me all sorts of hurtful names. Many staff members are very rude to me and also verbally abuse me. One staff even will refuse to give me my medications, and forced me to beg for the medication that is keeping me alive. (I have to call over another staff just for her to give it to me) Now, while this isn’t as bad as the sexual abuse and physical abuse I dealt with most of my life, I am still greatly hurt and my eating disorder is only worsened by the hurtful comments and actions of others. These people only know the misinformation that is spread about these terrible illnesses, so they continue to judge and to hurt. Maybe if they knew more, it wouldn’t be so bad for me here. Maybe they wouldn’t say as many cruel things as they do to me.
I remember when I used to be able to go outside and my father would wheel me around in my wheelchair, people would stop and stare, some would take out their camera to take pictures of me, because I looked like a freak. They would yell things at me, telling me to eat or saying I looked like a crack whore. Mothers would point and laugh as they told their children, “honey, look at that skeleton girl! haha!”
One mother actually walked up to me and slapped me in the face, despite me being tubed and in a wheelchair, she then said, “You are horrible, disgusting person. It’s people like you that cause girls to want to diet. I hope you die a horrible death you pathetic piece of shit. You deserve to suffer.” (well, I guess I’m going to do so, she would be happy to know how I am now.)
Because of all the misinformation spread about anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, people think it’s all our fault, or that it’s just simple for us to stop. They think we want to be this way, that we like looking they way we do or that we think everyone else around us must be fat because they are bigger than us. ALL OF IT IS UNTRUE.
Most people think anorexia is about looking pretty, or like a model, or that they are doing this for attention, this can’t be further from the truth.
Anorexia nervosa is primarily caused by rape or sexual abuse and is an unhealthy coping method for these traumatic events. It is not about looking beautiful, sexy or pretty. It’s usually the completely opposite. Many anorexics usually strive to become emaciated to look sexually unappealing so that people will not harm them or they will leave them alone. They want to disappear from sight so people can’t hurt them. They don’t want attention, they want to be left alone.
Anyways, I hope that you have learned something from the information I have given you, Simone. Maybe someday you would write another article about the misinformation spread about eating disorders and how this damages people, hehe. If you ever plan this, I could help you out if you like. (I’ve left my email address here, either that or if you want to reach me, search up “Bony Pink” on facebook. I am on there most of the time when online. Beware, though, some people have been known to create false profiles and pretend to be me. If you find more than one, mine should be set on private viewing and I don’t post any photos of my body on my profile. Usually people who impersonate me use those stolen body pictures.)
anorexia is a life style NOT a disorder.
people choose to live it mainly becuase it makes them feel beautiful. thats why girls wear make up isnt it? should wearing make up be a disorder too? no! if girls want help to stop being anorexic than they should seek help but for those who are fine with it and love it than the society should let us be! we do this to feel beautiful, wrong or not.
Lulu, for God’s sake, have you not read my comment? I’m sorry, but you are completely wrong. Your comment is absolutely idiotic.
Those who have eating disorders do NOT develop them to be beautiful, or sexy or whatever idiot reasoning you have claimed. Anorexia nervosa never makes the afflicted feel beautiful in any way, it only makes you feel ugly and disgusting.
The most common causes of anorexia nervosa is RAPE and ABUSE, not wanting to look attractive. People with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders have gone through traumatic events that have damaged them so much that they harm themselves, starve themselves and such, NOT TO LOOK GOOD AT ALL, but to claim control, by controlling the only thing they can in their chaotic lives; their caloric intake.
In my own case, (I have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, Type II for over 25 years, not to mention I have been through medical school, so trust that I know what I’m talking about..) I was raped and beaten all my life. This is what caused my eating disorder.
I was brought up believing that men like women with meat on their bones, and that a beautiful, sexy women has big breasts, curvy hips and a round bottom. So after all the rapes, beatings and sexual abuse I figured that if I starved away those parts of me that made me look feminine, that men would leave me alone and stop hurting me. This is how my distorted mind worked and is how MANY anorectic’s minds work, so I became severely emaciated, but in my mind, I still could see large breasts and a big curvy ass, so I kept starving myself. Over 25 years later, I’m still caught in this cycle and can’t get out of it. I’m now dying from multiple organ failure and am living out my final days in a hospice.
Anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders are NOT a lifestyle or a choice, they are SERIOUS, DEADLY ILLNESSES. There is absolutely no truth to your claims. Arguing my claim would be pointless as I have years of scientific data to back me up.
Your comment is completely ridiculous, nonsensical and misinformed.
Wearing make up versus a psychiatric illness? God, girl. Wake up.
You have not a clue about what you’re talking about.
I was also offended by your article, although your responses to other comments suggest that you weren’t malicious, just misinformed. There is an important difference between pro ana and pro anorexia. Pro anorexia is the ‘it’s not a disease, it’s a lifestyle attitude’ that you hear from young people who want to lose weight and get attention by following the ‘ana diet’. Pro ana is people who suffer from the disease but are not ready for recovery. Pro ana forums offer support and a friendly ear, not ‘tips and tricks’ to people who want the disorder. As someone who has lost so much of her outside life to this disease it really sickens me to hear people describe it as a choice or a way to make yourself beautiful. Trust me, I am not beautiful. My illness is about control rather than beauty, but it has taken me from a promising and bubbly dancer to a frail husk. My bones are too weak for me to dance, I get out of breath walking to the bathroom and I am afraid to leave my house because of the reactions I get. People have spat on me in the street, shouted abuse at me and posted my picture on sites ridiculing those who suffer from eds because of the way I look. I am tired of people blaming sick people for others insecurity. No one tries to become bipoler or schizophrenic so I am at a loss to explain why some people think this mental illness is desirable. Eating disorders are mental illnesses, not lifestyle choices.
Cara, I believe that you, too, may also be misinformed in a way as well.
Pro-ana and pro-anorexia are, indeed, the exact same thing. The word Ana, is simply a short form those idiots use for anorexia (as well as some twisted form of a stupid “pet name.” Obviously if they had a clue how horrible this illness actually was, they wouldn’t be using it…)
I’ve been around and speaking out about these issues since before pro-ana was created in the first place, and have studied these websites, and the subculture for many years. (As well, as I have been a major part of various large, and small, websites to do with people who have eating disorders ever since they first started appearing.)
Saying that you are pro-anorexic can be almost dangerous, if you are not, as you are going to be subjecting yourself to a lot of anger from those who actually have eating disorders, Cara. If you end up posting this around the net, especially around where those who have eating disorders spend their time, you are going to end up with a LOT of angry people chewing you out for your comments.
While I believe you when you say you are eating disordered, and I’m very sorry that you, too, have to deal with this horrible illness, I just wanted to clarify something for you, so that you don’t end up getting yourself chewed out by a bunch of angry people for something that you don’t even deserve to be chewed out for!!
Pro-ana and pro-anorexia are the exact same thing, they are both “pro” as in they are FOR this illness as something you can just plainly (and stupidly) emulate for feign as if it were an idiotic fad diet and not an illness. (God those people are absolute idiots, I’m sorry, I just can’t stand how they can treat a serious illness as if it were a joke.)
I have had anorexia nervosa for 25 years, and I am not in recovery. I do not want to go in recovery. I am terminally ill, which means I am going to die from this illness, and I don’t feel I have any hope for recovering, let alone even if I -did- recover, I would still end up dying from multiple organ failure (which is what I’m in right now) probably before I even had the time to recover, so I’m not bothering to try as I don’t see the point in my situation. I just don’t feel I’ll be able to do it.
But does THAT make me one of those pro-ana/pro-anorexic people? Heck NO. I would never be a part of that horrible subculture. I am anti-pro anorexic/anti pro-ana
It just makes me someone who has anorexia nervosa. Because the large majority of actively anorexic people…well, they obviously aren’t in recovery, or they would no longer be anorexic, right? They’d be recovering anorectics if they were.
To be anorexic is to have anorexia nervosa and not be in recovery. That’s you having an illness, and if you want to go online and get support, then you go seek an ANOREXIA (or an eating disorder) support forum (it could be recovery oriented, but it doesn’t have to be. The important thing is that it offers support, healthier alternatives if you want them, and does not give you harmful information), NOT a pro-anorexia/pro-ana one. I would NEVER recommend ANYONE with an eating disorder go to a pro-ana website, ever. Those websites make a mockery of all of the suffering and pain that people with eating disorders go through. They make light of this horrible illness and make a joke of the people who’ve DIED from it. Those sites are a disgrace.
I believe that it’s POSSIBLE your beliefs that pro-anorexia is “different” may have come to you from a misinformed site owner, likely, who is trying to tell their members something that is just simply not true. There are many of them out there. (I’ve met a good deal of them who just “decide” they are going to make a brand new definition of pro-anorexia/pro-ana , so that people won’t think they are doing something as bad as they really are.)
There are much better places to find support, friendship and understanding from fellow eating disordered people than a pro-anorexia/pro-ana website.
You can get almost the exact same support from the anti-pro ana people, and those who have nothing to do with that horrible subculture, however the only difference being is that they won’t bring any harm to you by offering dangerous advice. (And that they actually give a damn about you, instead of not giving a crap if you get hurt by following their advice, like the pro-anas.) The ‘pro’ people are NOT your friends. Friends don’t hurt each other, or help each other self-harm. Friends are supposed to CARE about each other and want only to do GOOD for each other, and that is NOT what pro-ana/anorexia is about.
I strongly suggest you take a look at whatever site you’re on that is feeding you this misinformation, Cara, and decide if there may be a better place to get support, understanding and good friendships. There are BETTER places to get your support.
I am anti-pro ana and give a lot of support for various people who suffer from these horrible illnesses. Those who are in recovery, AND those who don’t want to recover. I just want to help people, not hurt them, that is completely wrong.
Anyways, I just wanted to clarify this and I hope you understand what I’m trying to tell you.
I wish you the best of luck in the future.
Sorry for the numerous spelling and grammatical errors in my message.
However, there is one error in particular that I wanted to correct;
“saying that you are pro-anorexic OR pro-ana is dangerous…..”** (just replace that with the sentence I had originally written.)
I agree 100% with Bony Pink. Anorexia is not a diet or something that you just pick up and begin doing in order to look like your favourite celebrity. It is a mental illness, which is something that I don’t think a lot of people understand, including pro-anas. I am absolutely against pro-anas, and I think that the websites should be taken down, and the creators should be ashamed of themselves. Those who are pro-ana do NOT know what it’s like to suffer an illness like this. To be so idiotic as to giving teenage girls (so it seems, as the majority of the websites are targeted to them) anorexia ‘tips and tricks’. Anyone who has really suffered the disease does not need these tips, they don’t need someone to power their illness. I’d love to give those who are pro-ana a wakeup call, for them to just understand the tiniest bit how it feels to live with this disease. Looking past skipping meals, basically drinking your weight in water to keep yourself alive, there’s so, SO much more. They don’t understand the black spots dancing in front of your eyes when you get up, the fluttering, barely-there heartbeats, looking at yourself in the mirror and seeing a reflection of yourself that really is a mutilated version of yourself. To be ridiculed and criticized for having a disease.
In some ways, anorexia (especially in those of the younger years) is influenced by the media. Seeing a 90-pound model being praised in magazines and TV isn’t going to do anyone good, and can influence this negative behaviour.
Pro-anas treat anorexia as a joke, basically, and as a relapsing anorexic, I’m extremely offended. Someone with anorexia won’t go around thinking about what “Ana” would do, what “Ana” would think if they ate that sandwich. It’s not like that. I really, truly hope that all pro-ana websites will be taken down. I wish Bony Pink, Cara, and all those suffering my best wishes.
Hello Nichole, thanks for the kind words and wishes, as well, it’s good to hear you agree with what I’ve been saying. =) I also agree with everything you’ve written in your comment as well, it’s great to have your input!!
I’m very sorry to hear that you are relapsing. Don’t give up, dear. There is always hope. <3 If you ever need to talk, I'm always willing to lend an ear to you, Nichole. I'm most often on FaceBook nowadays, are you? If you are, this is my profile: http://www.facebook.com/bonypink
I would like to be of support to you, if you are willing to accept my support.<3
This is a response to Bony Pink:
I am not quite sure if I am right about my feeling, however, I think that you are just faking it a bit. Because I have a lot of anorexic friends and I am, too, anorexic and I really don’t agree with you AT ALL!!! We think that bones are beautiful and we think that people are going to accept us and think that we would be more beautiful as long as we are thin. I am sure, that most of us just want to be normally thin and look healthy – maybe a bit underweight.. that can backfire, as we know.. but, we think it’s nice and we are not seeking attention. at least not all of us – of course, some people are and you are right about the münchhausen syndrom.
I am sorry for you, if your story should be true and I think you’re brave to go ahead and publish your story, however, when I read it – at some point – it started to sound a little fake and a little well lets say “embellished” .. maybe because you were saying all the things I am not really identifying with.
HOWEVER, I really don’t want to start a fight nor would I want to offend you in ANY WAY. That’s by no means my intention. I am just a little angry that you’re calling all the other people fake only because you’re disagreeing with their beliefs and intentions and -maybe even -stories.
To sum everything up: I think everyone has a different approach to anorexia and everyone has his or her own story and reasons. I would not say, that some reasons are totally wrong or ridiculous and that ONLY your story is the right one.
Again, I am not trying to make you angry or sad or anything like that, I’m just trying to let you understand, that not everyone is like you and everyone does have his/her own background.
If pro-ana sites help people with their choice of lifestyle then let those sites help them. you DON’T have to visit them.
Thank you very much for accepting my opinion.
Cara- as BonyPink said, pro anorexia and pro-ana are almost always associated with those who promote the disorder. Having anorexia and not being ready to recover is not pro-ana, it is merely anorexia, as the nature of anorexia IS not wanting to recover.
Kati- firstly, please know I AM NOT attacking you in anyway, or anything of that nature. But there is no doubt in my mind that everything BonyPink has posted on here is 100% true. I have gotten to know her, and she is absolutely not one to embellish anything. I’ve never known her to exaggerate about anything at all, ever. She is not seeking attention, or pity, I assure you. She is trying to spread awareness, and as I am able to identify in a way with a lot of what she has said, I completely believe her life story. She’s a truly wonderful, incredible person, and she really has been through all that horror.
I also wanted to address another thing Kara said. That is clearly not true anorexia. I have anorexia, and I cannot stop. I do not want to be thin or accepted at all. I want everybody to leave me alone. I wish to disappear entirely, using this as a slow form of… well.. frankly, self-suicide. I don’t want to be beautiful, I want to vanish. I cannot stop when I reach my desired weight, as, when I lose weight, my desired weight goes lower and lower. I do not want to be thin, I want to be invisible. I don’t think it is beautiful, and I would NEVER EVER wish this on anybody else.
Also, what you’re describing doesn’t even meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia. Anorexics must be at 85% or lower of their ideal bodyweight, or a bmi of 17.5. That is more than a little underweight (underweight begins at a bmi of 18.5)
That is NOT anorexia. That is just the desire to be thin, and perhaps going at it in an unhealthy way. But please, do not claim to have anorexia if you do not meet the criteria.
Thank you very much, Anna, I really appreciate your support and I agree with all of the points you’ve made about anorexia nervosa as well.
Kati, as for my story being “embellished,” I’m guessing you must be relatively new to the eating disordered community, because I’d be surprised if you’ve been around the internet eating disordered community very long without hearing about me, as I’m very well known and my story has not been questioned in a very, very long time.
While, I suppose you’re entitled to your own beliefs, and I can’t force you to believe that my life story is true. (Nor does it matter too much if only one person doesn’t believe me, I’ve dealt with worse. Haha, some years back, one woman who didn’t believe me had the police called to my home to check me out! And yes, they showed up and I offered them coffee and truth. ^_^)
Anyways, I can’t force you to believe me…I’d LIKE you to believe me, that would be nice. Maybe if you got to know me better you’d realize that I have no reason to lie about myself, anorexia nervosa or anything along these lines, as the whole reason I speak out about these topics is because I wish to show people the TRUTH.
Anyways, on to the more important of the topics being discussed, as this whole thing was originally about anorexia nervosa and the pro-anas, not my life.
First of all, there is no such thing as a helpful pro-ana website. They are ALL bad in their own ways. There are various types of pro-ana sites, these days, as over the years the pro-ana subculture has changed some. First I shall explain a few types of pro ana websites, and what they are doing that is harmful. (as well, I’ll include what THEY say they are doing that’s helpful.)
First, there are the old-school pro ana sites, that started the whole thing, years ago. These were the ones that often had no disclaimers, had all sorts of purging tips, and very dangerous tips and tricks on how to emulate the behaviors of the eating disordered. They included all sorts of “thinspiration” from models to those who suffer from anorexia nervosa to emaciated people from concentration camps. These old-school websites has little or no thought towards who they hurt, how many people they hurt, who went on their websites and if they even had an eating disorders. They were all for the “ana is a lifestyle choice.” This was before the news stations were doing reports on pro ana, and they weren’t very popular at all. They were truly an “underground” thing back then. (early 2000’s) Back around this time, you’d have actually noticed there were more genuinely eating disordered people visiting these websites, however you’d also see that while there were more true eating disordered people on these sites, many of them still disagreed with how they were run, the advice given on them, they didn’t like the idea of thinspiration and so forth, but they felt they had no-where else to go, so they stuck around to find people who just might understand them.
The second wave hit a couple years later and as the news stations started airing reports of pro ana websites and their popularity increased, the knowledge of pro-anas existence increased, many of the original pro ana sites ended up getting shut down as they were found and reported by random non-pro anas. Around this time is where the non-hardcore, shall we put it, wannarexics started to flood the pro-ana sites.
I would call a hardcore wannarexic to be the most selfish of them all. These are the ones who fully understand just how many people they are hurting and possibly killing by their advice, yet they only care about themselves, so they continue to hurt others for their own selfish desires. These were the types who started up pro ana in the first place, by figuring one can emulate anorexia as if it were a crash diet.
The “non-hardcore” wannarexics would make up the wave 2 of pro anas, these people are definitely selfish, otherwise they wouldn’t be acting the way they are, however they are different than the “hardcore” wannarexic. These wannarexics are easier to convince they are doing something wrong, and often don’t even realize they are hurting people unless it is explained to them. These ones know very little to nothing about real eating disorders, and couldn’t be further away from having one.
These non-hardcores are often quite young, both physically and mentally. Not very smart, either. (Well, no wannarexic is very smart if they are a want to be anorexic or emulate a mental illness, heh.) These ones are most often young girls who are still in either high school or middle school, often they are in search of popularity or the attention of some boy and think by emulating an eating disorder they will get what they are after. (Hah, yeah right. No eating disorder does that for anyone.)
Now, the “hardcore” wannrexics are often young girls as well, again, the same age group, although these ones aren’t always the preppy type that is commonly seen in the non-hardcores. These kinds are usually a bit darker. These types often fit the criteria for Muchausen’s syndrome very well. The non-hardcore types, after some education on the truth about anorexia and what will happen to them, change their mind and get away from pro-ana.
The non-hardcores, like I said above, are a lot easier to educate about what anorexia really does, as well as how badly they are harming others, and are the ones who give up on being pro-ana very quickly. They never last very long. Often these are the ones who are quick to stop by on a pro ana site and use sentences like, “I just started ana…got sum tipz?” which produces a variety of responses and sometimes anger from others. (certainly would get anger from me, hah) Once they find out that anorexia doesn’t make you beautiful like a celebrity in the teen magazines they are addicted to, they often stop emulating the symptoms of it, as well, the same thing goes for when they find out they are causing damage to their health.
Now there is also a third type of wannarexic; the pseudorexic. These ones have been around for a while, but are more common nowadays, like the non-hardcores. These ones are quite a bit different from both other wannarexics.
Often, the pseudorexics actually will claim they aren’t pro ana at all, when asked. (Despite the fact they spend a lot of time on pro ana sites, looking at thinspiration and pro ana advice as well as talking to other pro anas.)
The goal of the pseudorexic is also a tad different. These ones are full out attention seekers. They like to fake being severely anorexic, as well as fake all the health complications that come with it, and even their own deaths on occasion. The Pseudorexics fit ALL of the criteria for Munchausens’ syndrome perfectly. They are hardcore attention seekers, and sometimes tend to be very good liars, reading up on the medical conditions they plan to fake and such. They study up on what they plan to fake.
It is not uncommon to see them making sock puppet as well. A sock puppet can be a worried friend, a parent speaking on behalf of them after they get hospitalized or after they “die,” they can be anyone…..only if the real person typing their words is, in fact, the pseudorexic themself. They will sometimes create other people to type on their blogs, claiming that they gave their password out, or they found the password in a dresser or something, yet it is obvious this person is the pseudorexic typing. You can tell by the exact same writing style and use of expressions, etc.
As well, in the past I’ve contacted the real family members of various pseudorexics to see if it was truly them writing, only to find that is wasn’t. ^_^ That’s a fun time, I assure you.
Another trait of the pseudorexic is that they often like to become friends with genuinely severe anorexics. It appears they like to befriend me, too, as I suppose, I’m a well known one, however I never accept their requests. Often I’ve had to contact some friends of mine, whom are also severely anorexic to tell them they have a pseudorexic on their list, so they can remove them before they end up getting their photos stolen, or something else equally damaging or degrading to the person.
The pseudorexics like to show off their so-called “severe” anorexia to anyone and everyone, a kind of “look at me! look at me! I’m sick!!” ordeal. It’s pretty annoying. You’ll find idiotic amounts of these types on places like Xanga, Facebook, Myspace and Livejournal.
They are also known to say things like, “I am NOT pro-ana, I hate pro anas.” Then later on in their post start including thinspiration pictures and pro ana tips. Or ask others for tips on how to emulate anorexia to lose more weight.
Now, I’ve gotten COMPLETELY side-tracked, as you might have noticed. Originally, I was talking about pro-ana sites, and somehow I got onto the topic of the different kinds of pro anas. So, back to the different kinds of sites…. (Hahahaha, damn, I’m annoying.)
Anyways, so I told you about the old-school pro ana websites already, which are often made by the hardcore pro anas.
The non-hardcore pro anas also have their own type of site, too. Their sites are often filled with mary-kate olsen, nicole ritchie and lindsay lohan worship and all that crap. These guys LOVE celebtrities and fashion magazines, oh yes, and also the high calorie, fattening starbucks drinks, despite being supposed “anorexics.”
They create colorful, preppy, almost disgustingly happy websites to show off their “pro-ana pride.” These, like the hardcore’s are the red bracelet wearing types, only of seemingly airhead origins.
So you often find their very colorful preppy pro ana sites, decorated with nicole Ritchie, large sunglasses and starbucks, along with posting their “omgz intake and liek out take and liek thinspo aftahrr, o ya den mah CW, LW, HW, GW1, GW2, GW3, & UGW” everywhere they can, to show off their non-anorexic weights while claiming to be anorexic, and how little they apparently have eaten today, despite having forgotten to write down the pizza they had for lunch and tacos for dinner….oh and the chocolate donut, but they had a diet coke with it, so that cancels it out. ^_^ (Oh yeah, did you know that if you put your food on top of your fridge you can render it non-caloric? Calories are naturally afraid of heights, so they will jump to their deaths from the top of the fridge. I bet the pro anas would love to have that tip!! Let’s just keep it between you and I, though. I could get in trouble if anyone found out I was giving out tips and tricks. ^_^)
Ah yes, and this leads us to the next type of pro ana website, created by the so-called non-pro ana pseudorexics, oh my, I said the naught “PA” word!
They swear up and down their sites are not pro ana ones, and often get out of having their horrid sites deleted and banned by doing this, unfortunately. However, the message may not be visible, but it’s pretty darn clear.
While they swear it’s not, they post thinspiration photos of their preferred “ultimate goal weight.” (I wonder if these idiots even realize that when it comes to anorexia, there never is an ultimate goal weight….well unless you mean dead.)
They can also be caught posting pro ana tips and tricks, as well as their daily caloric intake, if, when and how much their purged, how many and which kind of diet pills they took, maybe even recommending others to use them and so on. So they love to post all sorts of content meant to trigger people into harming themselves, yet say they don’t approve or pro ana websites….take a hard look into that mirror “girlies,” it’s not your body that needs changing, it’s your brain. (Ah yes, but your brain is made up of 60% fat, and when you starve yourself, your brain shrinks and of course, eating disorders can cause brain damage….but wait, you don’t have an eating disorder to excuse the absolutely RIDICULOUS actions you’ve taken, you’re doing it of your own FREE WILL. That makes is ALL THE MORE STUPID.)
Anyways, another interesting little difference noticed on the pseudorexic’s version of the pro ana sites would often be notable in either the “about me” pages, or if they have a blog, you’ll find it there. This is where they write about how severely anorexic they are, and how they have a TERRIBLE case of lanugo and their hair just WON’T stop falling out in clumps!!! (Despite the fact that they aren’t malnourished, aren’t underweight, aren’t eating disorders, aren’t sick and aren’t starving, in fact, they might be eating a cookie right now as they are typing!!)
On some of their blogs, you may even notice the infamous “last post,” in which one of their “loved ones” has written that they passed away recently….only then to go on to show off, ahem, I mean “explain” all the dirty little details about their eating disorder, daily eating habits, how thin they looked, their weight, height, BMI, caloric intake, goal weight number 1, goal weight number 2, ultimate goal weight, what diet pills they took and what methods they used………even though the average anorexic wouldn’t be too inclined to share this with just anyone, and their loved ones would certainly not want to post it, not would their likely be interested in knowing much about what they ate everyday, after they’re dead. I think they’d actually still be mourning and not too keen on typing a message on the pro ana site that led to their demise.
I’ve already passed out four times while writing this (which was how I got side-tracked when writing my reply) so I am going to have to stop writing my reply. As well, I keep knocking my head on the table my laptop is on, which hurts a lot and leaves marks which end up making me look really stupid later on.
I may be back tomorrow to finish what I was saying, and when I’m not as clouded by my pain killers. (As well, that’s assuming I have the time, as I have to answer my messages, first, which can take up all the time I have. However, I’ll return when I can.)
Oh yes, I’m not about to read my entry all the way through again, however I’m on a LOT of narcotics, as you may know, they can mess you up. So please ignore any spelling and grammatical errors, problems with sentence structure and the fact that I get mixed up and forget what I’m saying… often.
Okay, you know what, I read the beginning, and I didn’t end up doing what I said I would, crap. I’ll work more on this tomorrow when I’m not so drugged up and making so many darn mistakes. Why I posted this in the first place is a mystery, even to me, but I can’t delete it, so it’s hear to stay, lmfao. I’ll try and do a better job tomorrow. Sorry about that.
Bonypink, I feel your pain. In a quite different way, but I feel the hunger and frustration and the days go by faster and faster. I, too, am dying from an inability to eat- not anorexia ( though my sister suffered years through it) but a gastrointestinal or neurological ( or a combination of both) issue that is taking my life. It angers me to see girls want to emulate a sickness I saw my sister go through for so long, and it makes what they haven’t hacked away of my stomach, intestines, and brain absolutely swim with the idea that someone who wasn’t BORN with this sickness, exsasperated by terrible thing(s) that spun their lives out of control, would wish this life upon themselves. There is no glamour in bedpans, ivs, and constant heart monitors. Thin is not worth your life. Though I reached this point through a different disease, it is ravaging my body the EXACT same way years of anorexia would have. Black hair covers my skin. I cannot walk or drive. I am re- learning how to read and type. This could be any of you girls who think ” a quick fast won’t hurt” “just one more” your body begins to reject anything you try to give it and the sinkhole never ends. I know how bad my disease is, and how badly my sister struggles with her Ed every day of her life. Please don’t be stupid , girls( and boys). If you are not pre-dispositioned, get off the damn sites and find a good set of buddies. I might not have long, but even those who have legitimate eds, I pray you get into therapy before it’s too late. I will miss this life, but I think even though I myself wasn’t cursed with an Ed, I am suffering the closest consequences of them I have ever heard of. You are in my heart, women and men of true Ed- my sister put an indellible mark on my heart for you. I may never know or meet you, but I love you. Stay strong in recovery, and those who are close to the end, I truly believe we will meet someday…..
Sorry… My sister struggLED.. But I can’t talk about it anymore……… 🙁
Your story touched me, JustSad. I’m very sorry for all that you and your sister have gone through. You speak strong words, and your have every right to, going through the things that you are. I truly hope that someone reading this will listen to you and get off those retched pro ana websites, they are horrible. As well, I also hope that if anyone struggling with an eating disorder is reading this; you still have a chance at life, please don’t throw it away. Seek help, you will be so glad that you did, when you’re finally able to live an enjoyable life….instead of ending up like myself, or in a situation very similar to JustSad’s.
JustSad, I would be honored if you would be willing to speak with me online again sometime, which is why I changed my URL to my facebook address. (click my name and it should send you there.) If you are willing to speak with me again, and in a more private setting, and as well, if you have facebook, I would be honored to speak with you. I would like to be there for you and offer my support. If you ever need to talk to someone or if you’re having a hard day and need to vent, I would like to be here for you. I would hate to find out you have to go through what you’re living, alone. (I hope you aren’t as I know how it feels to have nobody offline to talk to.)
If you don’t have Facebook, however, just leave another comment after mind saying so, and I can provide you with my email address if you wish. =)
I hope that we sill see each other when the time comes. You sound like a kind soul, and I would be honored to be your friend, in this world, or in whatever comes next.
Please take care as best you can.<3
By the way, Kati, I still pan to continue my reply, it’ll be coming in a bit.
Your story touched my heart, JustSad. I would be honored to talk to you again if you have any interest in getting in touch. I wish you so much luck. I am so, so sorry you are so ill.
I just wanted to say that I do agree in that eating disorders are misrepresented and those who have not suffered from it or watching a family member suffer cannot even begin to understand the huge range of overwhelming emotions that we feel.
I have recently been diagnosed with anorexia when my bmi was 18.5, the school nurse told me that i was just okay, i.e. i didn’t need to go to a clinic. I am so sorry that you all are suffering and I hope you find strength and I wish you all the best.
Although the nurse believes that it started only recently, I know that it began to take control 5 years ago when i started to skip meals. At the time I thought i only skipped because i hated the food, I now know that it was about control. I despied the fact that I was told what to do, what to say and what to eat. I wanted to have control over something, I had been bullied for 4 years previously and even when it was reported, nothing was done. So I had to suffer in silence and I became withdrawn and had no friends.
However I didn’t lose any weight because I binged on biscuits when i got home from school, it wasn’t just a few biscuits though, it was morel like 30 and stuffing 2000 calories worth.
Skipping meals carried on until i realised that people were admiring the way i looked. Although you say it’s not about being pretty, for so long i was ignored, friendless and laughed at, I wanted someone to notice me. And so it carried on, until a ‘friend’ told my parents what was happening. My parents had no clue but they had realised that something was wrong because i had become very moody, depressed and snappy. You say that anorexics want someone to care about them, I agree on that now because i want to lift some of the burden but at that time i was distraught. I had been humiliated because my parents had known all summer that i was lying to them and it made me sick that someone i trusted had betrayed me.
Not only that, my parents thought it was a joke, they still do actually. they called me a hamster because i hid the food in my pockets and when i am depressed for days over my weight, they call me pathetic. So while i would like someone to care, i would much prefer to be left well alone, so that i can suffer in peace.
There is a ‘pro-ana’ site called pretty thin which celebrates beauty as a whole, whether you are thin or ‘curvy’, sporty, or emo, for them it doesn’t matter what you are, it’s more about sharing your experiences and being a friend to someone in need.
I understand the turmoil you go through, and although i do not have a disease such as multiple organ failure, i have made myself sick because i loath who i am. Nothing will change the self-hate i feel and for that I am really sad.
I sm not contradicting you and i do not wish to offend you in any way, i am just expressing my own opinion.
Thankyou for taking the time to read my comment and I wish everyone all the best.
Hi Paige,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful comment. Indeed, nothing can change the self-hate feelings. Nothing but yourself. You are powerful. It’s true we can’t control what other people do onto us, but we can control our reactions to what’s happening around us. We can smile and choose to be kind to others. Even though not all of them will answer back with the same kindness, there will still be some who will respond positively. They can be your future friends. Among them you could possibly find that person to care, the shoulder you can cry on, the smile that keeps you going. We can be whatever we choose to be, if only we have an enough strong desire for that. It’s nothing wrong with being different from other people, it’s OK to feel sad, it’s fine to suffer in silence if so we choose. We are beautiful through what we are, not through what we pretend to be.
Thank you again for commenting on my site. I wish you all the best in the world.
In reply to Paige,
Yes, now and then there are some people who get diagnosed with anorexia nervosa with BMIs 18.5 and below, so long as they have all of the other diagnostic criteria listed. Most doctors use the 17.5 and below criteria, although there are a small amount who chose to go by 18.5 and below.
Regardless of your BMI, I’m very sorry to hear of your struggle, eating disorders are hell. I truly hope that someday you will be able to recover from this before it’s too late. You deserve to enjoy your life and feel comfortable in your own skin. (And YES, it can happen!)
You’ve said a couple sentences I wish to touch on for a moment, I hope you don’t mind.
“you say it’s not about being pretty, for so long i was ignored, friendless and laughed at, I wanted someone to notice me.”
Eating disorders, on the whole, are not about being pretty. They are about coping. Coping with the feelings and emotions that come with events in your life that have been very unpleasant and horrible to go through. However, when people stop insulting the eating disordered person and begin to compliment them, I am certainly not saying they aren’t going to prefer this, or even like it. I am just saying that the reason people develop eating disorders isn’t just because they want to look like a model or celebrity, they are dealing with something that is very painful for them. (Even if this were the case and someone wanted to have anorexia nervosa in order to look good, developing an eating disorder to look good is more than ridiculous, when eating disorders destroy your appearance/good looks. Haha, I have no teeth, bald patches on my head, my fingernails fall off and I’m in diapers, sexy no? There’s *beautiful* anorexia for someone. =P)
” You say that anorexics want someone to care about them”
I’m not exactly sure where I said this, actually. I have scanned through my comments and haven’t found anything I said in there that was even close to this. (If you could point out where I mentioned this, you’re most welcome to!)
In my own case, I always just wanted people to leave me alone. I feel that no one really cares about me, but then again, I don’t deserve anyone to care about me, either. I’m a rotten person. (Actually, many people with anorexia nervosa feel this way.) To be honest, I feel like all I am is a burden to everyone, and that the world would be a better place if I had never been born. So I’m not quite sure if that statement would be true for me, and I also know many others with anorexia nervosa who would likely be saying the same thing as I am right now, unfortunately.
I do wish to say a few things about the website you mentioned though, as I have a very strong opinion about that specific website. I don’t mean any of what I have said to hurt your feelings, by the way, I really appreciated hearing your views on all of this.
The Pretty Thin website, however, is atrocious. The original owner abandoned the website and all of it’s members to “recover.” At this point, I had been desperately hoping that woman would realize that she was abandoning all it’s members to die, while she saved her own skin, and decide to shut the site down, but she didn’t. (A little selfish? Here she spent all this time making people sick and stealing photos from people who hate pro-ana sites and thinspiration, and she abandons all the members to die while she saves herself. WTF?)
Next up, some “friend” of hers comes in and takes over the website. Apparently this “friend” of hers doesn’t even have an eating disorder, the person even lets everyone know they don’t have any eating disorder, yet they are taking over a pro-ana website. What the hell? So you just like to watch people hurt themselves, and help them get even worse? So, that’s it?
And I’ve not even gone in to the thousands and thousands of photos they steal and the exploitation of the sick and dying people who NEVER wanted to be plastered all over a site that helps kids hurt themselves. It’s horrible!
Pretty Thin is also one of the websites that stolen photos of me had been featured on (photos I was forced to pose in by a horrible man who held me against my will, raped and beat me). When I asked for them to be removed, I was told “go kill yourself” and that “If you didn’t want people to take your pictures, you shouldn’t have posted them on the net.” (What the hell? I -never- posted those horrible photos, that sick man who abused me did. All I want is for people to stop posting them, it’s made my life a living hell and keeps giving me flashbacks.)
-This is how they treat people who’s photos they steal and post up on that rotten site.-
Of course, this is also not taking into the account that this website is aiding these people in harming themselves, and even killing some of them off. This site has caused DEATHS. Think about the families of people who have died from the advice given by members on Pretty Thin. Could you honestly give these families the same description of the site that you gave me, honestly, and knowing that had they NOT gone on that site (and perhaps found a recovery website instead), they’d still be alive right now?
I understand what I have said is harsh, but please understand something;
This is how you have described the site I am speaking about. (I’m posting it again, so you don’t have to scroll up to read it over)
“There is a ‘pro-ana’ site called pretty thin which celebrates beauty as a whole, whether you are thin or ‘curvy’, sporty, or emo, for them it doesn’t matter what you are, it’s more about sharing your experiences and being a friend to someone in need.”
I am showing you this, because I wish for you to think about what could happen if someone who isn’t familiar with pro-ana websites read your description and decided to join the site, so that they could get support (misunderstanding the term “pro-ana” and assuming that it simply meant “support.” I say this, because this happens.) They could end up getting sucked into a world of self harm, peer pressure, misinformation and disinformation.
This would be my description of the website. (If I were not allowed to explain just how much I hate it, and had to just put down the facts.)
Pretty Thin is a pro-ana website that offers harmful tips and tricks, thinspiration (consisting partly of stolen photos of people who are ill and who don’t wish their photos to be used in such a way), unhealthy dieting advice and starvation challenges, offers prizes to members for harming themselves, promotes the glamorization and emulation of eating disorders and various other pro-ana content. There are some who come on this site to seek support from others who will understand what they are going through. Sadly, many of these people do not realize that they could get the same support from understanding peers from other websites that do not cause people harm or glamorize eating disorders.
Here are some quotes from Pretty Thin to give an example of what may be found there (Usernames have not been included to protect identities):
Quote #1:
“Anyway, i decided to fast today instead 🙂
So, Day 4
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Water
Dinner: Water
Exercise: 30 minutes power walk with my bf ^^”
(From the Forum, linked from the front page of the site.)
Quote #2:
“My stats: H: 163cms
CW: 56.6kgs (125 lbs)
HW: 76kgs (167.5lbs) – FAT!!
LW: 55kgs
GW: 50kgs!!
UGW: 45kgs (99.8lbs)”
(Someone’s forum signature. I reached this from another link on the front page. This person intends to starve themselves to get down to the weights mentioned here. They are collecting tips from PrettyThin to use to help them starve themselves.)
Quote #3:
“I’m officially starting my fast tomorrow and the green tea diet afterwards. I’m not going over—/(I removed the number, however it was far below the starvation level)/–cal a day and staying as healthy as i can. I’m vegan so this shouldn’t be too tough! I think this will speed up weight loss emensly by cutting out carbs and processed crap lol
I’m gonna be doing al least 30 mins of cardio a day and i think light weight work only 4 times this week.
If anyone wants to join me or has any tips let me know!”
(Another person’s post I was able to reach from the front page of the site. This person is going on an extremely dangerous starvation diet and is asking others to join her. She is also after even MORE dangerous tips, any of which could end up killing her (and others, who intend to join her).
She also claims she is trying to stay as “healthy” as possible. Someone, please tell me (being someone who is dying because of anorexia, and has no hope of living any longer, even if I were to gain weight) how the HELL can you starve yourself and be healthy!? IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!!)
Anyways, I think I’ve proved my point about that site with just 3 quotes, I don’t feel like putting any more of them up because they make me very angry, and it won’t help anyone. I just wished to prove my point on here, the site is dangerous and is harming (and even killing) others.
“it’s more about sharing your experiences and being a friend to someone in need.”
This is not being a friend, dear. These people don’t give a shit about anyone save for themselves, if they can post crap like that and be happy about it. I am not saying that I’m perfect or that I’ve not doing things that are wrong, but I could NEVER help someone else harm or kill themselves and then say I’m their friend. (And I hope that you feel the same way, too.)
As you advocated the website, I am wondering if you happen to be a member on there? If you are, I hope someday you will leave the site, never to return, and realize what these sites do to people. (and I don’t just mean what they do to the members, these sites hurt far more people than just the members who join them.) You don’t have to be a part of that to get support. That website (and all pro-ana sites) is full of fake friends with knives disguised as roses.
If you truly believe that some of the people on there do not wish to harm anyone and are only looking to get support and help, you should gather these people and leave the site (if they turn on you, you will then see they weren’t real friends in the first place). Go to a better place, where people aren’t hurting each other like this, where people aren’t being so horribly selfish that they would cause so much harm to other people just to get what they want. Find a place where people have a genuine desire to support each other, understand each other and make friends. You don’t need a pro-ana site to find amazing support and great friends who understand you.
Again, I wish to stress I did not say any of this with the intent of hurting your feelings, I only wish to help show you the reality of what these sites are doing to people. I don’t want to offend you or make you feel bad, I just want to help.
I truly wish you the best, Paige.
Dear Bony Pink
I have been doing some research on size zero models and pro-ana websites for a school report…. and your comments really opened my eyes ( and i believe your story and dont think someone could make something that terrible up)… When I googled your name there were lots of negative things written about you (but i cant be 100% certain that it was about you, so I apologize if it isn’t you) My point is that only some people know your real story and what anorexia really is…. I think that you should tell all these people the real cause of your illness…. AND just like your story opened my eyes it will also open others and help people see things from a different view….
Another thing … on one of the websites it said that you had passed away, and from reading your comments I am aware that you are very ill…. but if this is not true i think it is sick that people can be so nasty to people they don’t even know…. However if it is true RIP bony pink and I hope that one day people hear your real story and not the lies written about you… xox
Hello Yumma,
Thank you for your kind words, and also for not believing everything you’ve read about me. I truly appreciate it.
Yes, there are a LOT of negative things written about me online, this is primarily caused by the photos that were taken of my best friend and I, by a horrible abusive man. These photos were posted online against our will, and many rumors arose regarding them. (Those awful photos have been around for roughly ten years now, and I’ve -still- not been able to get them all off the internet. I’ve been fighting the photo theft ever since I first found out they got posted online.)
No, I am not dead yet. I am, however, terminally ill due to the health problems anorexia nervosa has caused me and am in hospice care. Many places around the net will claim I’ve died. This rumor has been around for many years. It’s not very difficult to find my contact information online, and it’s simple to just ask me if I’m alive, haha.
Unfortunately, due to my health I am not able to get online as much as I once did, however I still update one of my accounts. (I used to update a blog, but I no longer have the energy to update multiple accounts, as well, I used to run one of the largest online eating disorder support communities, as well, however no longer am able to.) The only account I update regularly is my Facebook. If you have a Facebook you are welcome to contact me through there, I would be happy to speak with you if you like. (You should be able to reach it by clicking on my name here.)
However, when looking for me online, beware of dopplegangers, I tend to collect them. I do my best to get most of their sites shut down, however they are constantly making new ones. As well, beware of all the rumors, the majority of them are not true and are composed by people who’ve never spoken to me before, and who don’t even know my story. It’s best to come to me directly if you’d like to find out something about me.
Those who do not believe what I say are often people who know very little about me, most of whom have not had much of a chance to speak with me one-on-one, who don’t know my full story, who haven’t had access to my private accounts (such as my facebook), or who’ve not met me offline (I’ve had some online friends take flights to come see me offline, however I don’t have any offline friends as I am bedridden and don’t have any opportunity to go out and meet people…nor do I really want to) or spoken to my family.
I truly appreciate that you have chosen to speak to me directly, instead of reading the lies and believing them right away. It’s nice to know there are some people left who don’t always believe everything they read about a person.
As for telling people my story, I do share my story when I can (granted, I don’t do it as much anymore, now that my health has gotten much worse), as well, I also speak out against the pro-ana subculture and educate as many people as I can about genuine eating disorders and the associated dangers of them. I also offer support to those who are suffering from eating disorders, as well, through facebook (I used to offer support through my website, however I no longer have enough energy to keep up with it). I tell my story in hopes that it may convince others who have eating disorders (or who are using unhealthy weight loss methods) to seek help before it’s too late, and they end up in my situation –or worse.
Anyways, again, thank you and I hope to hear from you someday. I would be very interested in speaking with you (and may be able to help you with your research, if you like).
Take care.
Oops, sorry about that, I wrote “Yumma,” I meant to write “Yumna.” My apologies!
I have been mentally and emotionally abused by my father and brother for my entire life, and as someone who has struggled through some serious ass depression and anorexia (Diagnosed 2 month ago) I would like to say something to the others who have commented and suffered like I have…
BonyPink– I am so sorry to hear how you have suffered because of this horrible disease.. I have had people gawk at me and talk about me in hushed voices… Especially when they notice the dozens of scars on my arms and legs… That makes it even worse for me, because I can see people staring and talking about me, and not one of them understands. I have seen that website mentioned earlier, PrettyThin, and it completely disgusts me! I hope that The people who use that website and others like it will soon see what they are doing…. Thank you BonyPink for sharing your story.. It has touched my heart greatly..
Ummmm… I do not know who this person using the name “Bony Pink” is but ‘Bony Pink” was a photographer. Bony Pink did a photo shoot of three different anorexic Asian woman (I have the set). There is NO PERSON NAMED BONY PINK. The woman who photographed the three Asain woman’s pen name is Bony Pink. Good one though… you almost had these people on this site fooled. How the in the world are you going try to pull some stupid drama and maraud as a sick anorexic using the name “Bony Pink”. you need to give it up lmao.
Oh and this was a dead give away just in case no one knew about Bony Pink being the photographers name:
QUOTE:
(I’ve already passed out four times while writing this (which was how I got side-tracked when writing my reply) so I am going to have to stop writing my reply. As well, I keep knocking my head on the table my laptop is on, which hurts a lot and leaves marks which end up making me look really stupid later on).
Are you kidding me? Your so weak? you nearly wrote a novel lol. Good try but the majority of people already know the person on the net posing as a sick anorexic calling them self “Bony Pink” is a fraud. There was no court documents to back up your story any how. I think you need a new angle. In the meantime I will post the series of photos with the photographers name “Bony Pink” on each photo in an online album so you can see that there were three DIFFERENT models.
Maybe get a new angle, this one is over, you have been exposed! roflmao
^^ GTFO (lol) is right. Bony Pink is a fake.
And frankly, if you even bother to read through her ‘story’, it gets faker by the minute because she honestly does NOT sound like a true anorexic. Seriously, who the fuck would call the cops on you because they didn’t believe that you were an anorexic?
And there is no difference between pro anorexic and pro ana. Most pro anas DO have an eating disorder, it’s called EDNOS. Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. It’s a mix of bulimic, bed, coe and anorexic behaviors. And most of the time, the pro ana WILL actually become anorexic, bulimic, a binger, or a compulsive over eater.
Seriously, bony pink, just shut the f.. up. You really annoy me.
GTFO and rizu, I personally believe you, no anorexic who has ‘no energy’ would be able to write that much, Bony Pink, sorry to say but your story seems to drag on creating more and more contradictions along the line.
Pro Ana communities aren’t all the same, some may be advice for others on how to control purging or how to purge, but who are you to say anything. Yes, if your story is true and you are an anorexic who is so terminally ill, that you are bed riden…. then how the hell do you write all that??
Your opinion is correct and incorrect as many people on here have their own little stories to tell. Many bad but some purely for themselves to know. I reckon your looking for sympathy on here posting all the sad things that have happened to you in your life.
EDNOS is just as serious as having anorexia because in the long run many of these girls develop bad habits in which they become ill. You do have a choice to get help, you knew these things were happening to you but you chose not to help them. Any anorexic reading this, if you hate it so much, please, please get help. I know it is hard, but its easier in the long run than see yourself and family suffer in the long run. Its a hard but its harder for a mother to say goodby to her child forever, or a freind being phycologically tormented for the rest of their lives.
Bony Pink, if this story is not real, you should be ashamed of yourself. In my opinion anyway, non of this may be right but its how I feel about this topic. I respect all of your opinions.
While I don’t have the time nor attention span to write a lengthy reply to the most recent comments above. I am aghast at what some of you believe to be true, and to what lengths you have twisted the commenters’ words. I’ll address each of you individually.
GTFO – I don’t know where you have found this information and feel so firmly about it that you claim for it to be true. When I typed in ‘bony pink photographer’ on Google, the most that comes up about it is one stray blog comment saying that she was a photographer. Forum and blog posts aren’t always true, dear. Please be careful of what you say. Since posting my first comment in March 2010, I’ve talked to Bony Pink (who DOES have a name, actually, though she uses the alias for security reasons. I will not be disclosing her real name in this message) via facebook and we have become very good friends. I actually just finished talking to her about this blog post, and the fact that people were now bombarding it with hate.
I see no reason for any of you to hate her, nor any reason for you to believe that she is a fake. Shame on you. She is a woman stricken with a terrible disease that has wrecked havoc over her body for decades. Just because she is sick doesn’t mean, by any means, that she cannot write messages and spread the word of anti-pro ana/pro mia. Just because she is articulate doesn’t mean that she isn’t terminally ill. There is, by the way, no set length given as to when you can write messages. I see no reason for you not to believe that she spent her day writing a reply to someone who seemed genuinely interested in her story. Since she is terminally ill, there are of course going to be a few slips and she’ll have to take time off to rest or her body will stop functioning normally and force her to rest (ie. pass out).
Also, how do you know that there are no court documents to back up her story? I wasn’t aware that you worked so closely with her in legal matters.
Rizu – I’m not exactly sure who you believe Bony Pink called the cops on. I scanned the messages and the only thing that I could come up with related to jailing people is this, in an earlier message: “France recently issues a law that says anyone found creating a pro-ana website can be fined up to 50,000 euros and put in prison for up to 5 years.” If that’s what you’re talking about, firstly that was not her call for France to be issuing that law, and secondly, I think it’s a very good idea for this to be established. People do not understand how terrible, degrading and worthless pro-eating disorder sites are. It’s serious, it’s stupidly triggering for people that HAVE eating disorders that may, by chance, come across some of the pictures on the internet, and it’s useless! Looking at pictures of skinny girls won’t make you skinny, starving yourself won’t make you pretty, and talking to others that are doing the same for ~personal gain~ will never make you fulfilled.
Not to mention, it’s taking pictures of girls that are severely emaciated and suffering, such as Bony Pink herself, and exploiting them. It’s ridiculous, it’s insulting, and it’s a complete invasion of privacy. In Bony Pink’s case, her pictures were taken by a man that raped her and forced her to pose for these when she was captive. Take that as thinspiration and stick it up your ass.
No one really – As I said to Rizu, there is no timeline in which someone is allowed to write a message. Like a novel or document, she could have had it open for days and worked on it on and off, but only posted it once she was finished.
If you don’t trust her, then trust me as someone who speaks to her – she does NOT look for any sympathy whatsoever. I’ll ask her how she is, and she’ll answer with the truth, but she will never lace it with “oh woe is me”. She is honest, not pathetic.
She hasn’t, nor have I, bashed anything related to EDNOS. I have friends with EDNOS, and I completely understand the severity of it. It’s the most common eating disorder. It’s very serious. It’s life threatening. It is, in no way, shape or form, less of a problem as anorexia or bulimia.
I hope I cleared up some of your ignorance on the maters aforementioned.
BonyPink has been around on the internet for over fifty years. It’s not even one person posing as her anymore. It is SOO obvious that this is just the poser talking to herself. Please, for the love of god, do not believe this bullshit. BonyPink was a photographer. She is not an anorexic. She’s not even Japanese.
Oh, and if you really ARE talking to this ‘bonypink’ …, why don’t you provide some proof? A screenshot of her facebook or something, hmm?