Ana and Mia : Secret Society

[sugar and spice]

Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
But they aren't really trying to deal with the problem. In their eyes they don't see that they have a problem. It's everyone else who has a problem with them. I agree with Smiley, what they are promoting and supporting is extremely unhealthy and can be fatal. It's not like they are trying to promote being thin and healthy, they are promiting thin at all costs...and the thinner you are the better. They really don't have any idea that what they are do can kill them.
They are not trying stop the eating disorder, they are trying to keep it going. I'm not sure you fully understand the serious health problems that come along with eating disorders.

I'm not sure you fully understand eating disorders.

I've read a number of different eating disorder-related boards, and have run into a number of girls who are pro-anorexia. Almost all of them realize that they have a problem. (Why else would they be at a website about eating disorders?) They may not recognize the severity of their problems (although some do) -- but what it comes down to 99 percent of the time is that they realize they're screwed up but consider the positives of their disease (weight loss) to outweigh all the negatives. There are very few girls in today's society who don't understand that anorexia can bring long-term health concerns, shortened lifespans or even death. In many cases, girls are actively seeking out death (eating disorders and depression/self-mutilation go hand in hand).

While I believe that the bracelets have both a negative side (reinforcement of the disorder) and a positive side (support for the isolation that the disorder often creates) to them, the negative is kind of inconsequential. If the girl's already sucked into her disorder to the point where she's visiting pro-ana websites or buying bracelets, she's probably already pretty far in. Stuff like the bracelets and websites and whatever else -- it's all trappings. It's all tangential to the actual disease. You take away the bracelet, you take away her computer -- she's still going to have an eating disorder.