Expert: Leigh-Anne Persing, PA-C - 12/6/2006

Question
Hi! i am doing a research project and i would like to know how pro anorexia sites or other media negatively influences people on their body image. what exactly does pro anorexia sites do. i would have gone on the sites myself, but the pictures are just too horrific to look at. any information that you have would be grealty appreciated. thanks for your time.

~Rachel:)

Answer
pro-ana is what people refer to as an individual who supports the "lifestyle" of anorexia. They don't consider it to be a disorder rather a way of living. Most pro-ana sites give tips on how to lose weight, keep you from getting hungry, how to hide your "disorder"... and often show pictures, poems, and other literature that the pro-ana individual uses as inspiration. That and other media provide an environment that says to a person that "thin is in" and in order to get respect and be beautiful you have to be thin. Obviously this is not the truth of the matter. If I can be of any further help with your project please feel free to contact me.