Pro-Ana
Pro- Ana ( pro: for and anorexia nervosa: Anorexia ) and Pro - Mia ( bulimia nervosa: bulimia addiction ) are movements of lean or bulimia addicts on the Internet. They were the beginning of the 21st century in the United States and spread from there to Europe. The followers of pro-ana, almost exclusively young women idealize the anorexia and suffer most from the disease itself. They are aware of their disease. Instead, however, to fight, they try to continue to lose weight - even if this is associated with loss of life. Sufferers exchange information on specific pro-ana sites and make there anorexia pictorially as an extreme slimness ideal is, which they approach with radical measures, with the aim to achieve satisfaction with themselves and their appearance. The anorexia sustains the appeal of a kind of self-realization, the sovereignty and power over one's own body, which must be defended against a hostile environment. The association of " Ana " with the name "Anna" is intentional and represents an idealized personification of anorexia. It occurs especially in the " Letter from Ana " expression, which is found on the websites of movement as a key manifesto. Pro Ana is therefore particularly controversial because the parties involved are exchanged on the Internet. Here, the danger is seen that the parties involved are mutually further spur to decrease with all means and so that innocent bystanders may also be suffering from anorexia.
The number of pro-ana sites on the German-speaking countries was estimated at several hundred 2007.
Content
The created pursuant to the Youth Media Protection State Treaty website jugendschutz.net examined 2006/2007 a total of 270 German -language pro-ana websites and found the following, typically recurring content:
- Sacred texts ( " sacred texts " ): Letter from and to Ana, creed, 10 Commandments, Psalm
- Thinspiration ( thinspo also; portmanteau of thin, thin and inspirations, inspiration ) are often post-edited photos of underweight stars, models and other people in the advanced stages of anorexia, artwork, videos
- Tips & Tricks: advice and tips on how to decrease further and conceal the eating disorder of doctors, parents and friends can
- Laws & Commandments: strict instructions among other things to the dining and social behavior, to maintain confidentiality, to weigh
- Thin lines: ". Hunger hurts, but starving works" quotes and phrases with character motivation, for example,
- BMI Calculator
- Forum: the exchange of like-minded, mutual animation for further weight reduction, exchange views on nutrition, diets, medications and tips, among other things to maintain confidentiality
In addition to BMI rankings competitions are organized (so-called contests ) in some forums in which the member wins with the greatest weight loss or lowest BMI. Many users of the forums write a dining and weight diary, are documented in the eating behavior and weight change. Also typical is the search for a twin ( twin ), a partner with the same body size and age for mutual support for further weight loss. Most forums are non- public and require filling out a detailed questionnaire recording can be activated. Some forums also have strict age restrictions, with certainly not let this control in the anonymous Internet.
In an earlier and smaller study of physicians Mark L. Norris has the contents of twelve English-speaking pro ana websites investigated and found similar results. Thus, seven of which contained an upstream NOTE (disclaimer). And he called on people without eating disorders to leave the page, contained the statement that it is a page that supports the pro-ana movement or contained an invitation to minors not to enter the site. A central component of the half of the websites were protected web forums in which registered and accepted by a moderator visitors to bring each other to continue to lose weight. The website even included pictures and quotes, which are called triggers and should continue to move to the impulsive reduction of weight. The images, also called thin Spirations were found in all but one of the cases and showed celebrities (these are often retouched with image processing applications on a emaciated appearance), people in advanced stages of anorexia, as well as negative examples obese people. In addition, were found in eight of Sites " Ten Commandments " for instructions for weight loss, to distract from the food and the thought of it, or a calculator to determine the body mass index. There were also general information about eating disorders and links to various other institutions or pro-ana sites on nine out of the sides of poems and short stories and five of the sites. Only one of the studied sites designated anorexia nervosa as a lifestyle choice ( "lifestyle choice" ), while almost half of the sites owners saw this as a means of support for people with eating disorders.
Interpretation
For characterization, there are several views: the literary scholar Roxanne Kirkwood defined pro-ana as a movement that sees anorexia as a lifestyle choice and rather than a disease. Here Kirkwood noted, however, that the movement this position not active suggesting other people. The sociologist Nick Fox, however, speaks of a movement, whose adherents reject a cure ( "anti- recovery" ).
Norris characterizes pro-ana as an Internet movement that represents anorexia nervosa as beneficial.
After the presentation of a anorexic student who was interviewed by TIME online to their point of view, the pro ana followers are aware that anorexia nervosa is a life threatening disease. Most of them have already made a therapy after her impression. The student believes that the persons concerned are therefore pro-ana, because they have given resignation and the hope for a cure before the anorexia. This opinion is also in another Pro Ana interview clearly where the theory is established: if there were no Pro Ana movement, the subject would hurt in other ways. See Elisabeth Bader and Barbara Novak of the Austrian Society on Eating Disorders the situation more critical: They believe that Pro- Ana - trailer " [ anorexia ] often do not recognize as a disease and the side effects and sequelae are not aware of. "
Pro- Mia corresponds, apart from the reference to bulimia, in the nature of pro-ana. The followers of both movements beat despite their strong Internet reference on their websites and bracelets as recognition symbols before: in red for supporters of pro-ana, purple for Pro - Mia. Based on color and shape symbolism has evolved. Blue should stand for self- injurious behavior (SIA, " cracks "), black for depression, green for attending a therapy for white self-imposed fasting and starvation, Pink or Pink for the DSM- IV-TR category of "Eating disorder not otherwise specified " (ED- NOS). The dragonfly represents pictorially the distorted views regarding physique aesthetics, which fall down feather in terms of weight.
Differentiation
The Pro - Ana Scene differentiates itself now increasingly in with ana ( " Ana " ), in which the eating disorder is seen as a form of expression and valve deeply poignant problems and can take place self-help and has to start, and ana till the end ( atte, " Ana to the end " ), in which the followers take the death in buying or even strive consciously.
Reactions
The existence of the movement has repeatedly disturbed triggered in the media and in particular with organizations that deal with eating disorders, to cautionary reactions. See Elisabeth Bader and Barbara Novak of the Austrian Society on Eating Disorders Pro- Ana as "a glorification of anorexia through to fanatical devotion to them. " Georg Ernst Jacoby, chief physician at the hospital at the parade, a specialist clinic that specializes in eating disorders, warns of pro-ana websites and argues that they are very dangerous because they not only anorexic further into should go into the disease, but because it also could be seduced Healthy to anorexia. In his view, these websites should be banned analogous to cigarette advertising. He sees also by Pro- Ana consensus in danger, that anorexia is a dangerous disease. The Academy for Eating Disorders, the the world's largest professional association of persons claims to be dealing with eating disorders, has in addition to the severe physical consequences in particular notes that it is one of the diagnostic criteria of anorexia that sufferers deny it or not take it seriously. The association expects that pro ana websites can increase this and calls for a sustainable treatment of eating disorders.
The psychologist Julie Hepworth, who created a controversial study on participation in pro ana sites, however, concludes that the fears are exaggerated. For a period of six weeks across the investigated sites was accordingly the participants had no further fueled in their behavior towards each other, but is given by the social contact an emotional support that helped them to get their problems better grip. The study also reported that the website was less used by anorexics, but rather of women who only sought information for losing weight.
Karen Dias, a student at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Women 's and Gender Studies at the University of British Columbia explicitly takes a deviating from the prevailing interpretation of pro-ana view. She sees the dangers of anorexia as such, but notes that the conventional therapy have poor success rates. Could of eating disorders affected women on pro-ana or pro -mia websites therefore find there a refuge where they are the constant monitoring and control withdrawn from their environment, and where they continue to have the definition of sovereignty over their experience. The fact that certain websites are removed from the network, similar to crop up elsewhere but again, show how those affected are looking for a place where " stories told about her body " can be. Here, they say things that they (still) not their family or a therapist can say. The typical isolation of eating disorders can be broken so. The truly formulate thoughts about anorexia, it could facilitate the parties concerned to distance themselves from these thoughts eventually. Finally, slides pro-ana interpreted as subversive and discussed whether they could be part of a " third wave feminism ".
After efforts by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders ( ANAD ) with a campaign by fax and similar efforts of other associations Angel Fire, Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, MySpace, Tripod and other providers have taken the step, pro ana websites and services for operation to take appropriate web communities from the network that have been made publicly available on its free offers. They did this on the basis of ethical guidelines in their terms of service. However, some providers should this have also rejected by referring to freedom of expression. The ANAD has set even a full-time employee to search for pro-ana sites and notifying the appropriate service provider. Ebay has products that are associated with the movement, set ( detection jewelery) on its list of the illicit trade in goods.
In France adopted a bill in April 2008, the French National Assembly, the "incitement to anorexia " a punishable offense. According to the draft law could face up to two years imprisonment and a 30,000 euro fine for " the person who inspires others, excessive decrease " or up to 3 years in prison and 45,000 euros fine if a person comes to death.
In Germany the jugendschutz.net GmbH has submitted a report on a multiple -year study of more than 650 blogs and forums on 23 April 2008. Here, contrary 80 % of these blogs and forums against the protection of minors, because they propagated the eating disorders. The organization reached by its own account the removal of 70 % of these offers. The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young indexed in December 2008, a German-language blog on the subject, since there the fault would be represented extremely positive and glorified.
Demarcation
Further than Pro- Ana and Pro - Mia is the anti- psychiatry movement, whose adherents reject any classification in the medical category of mental disorder, including eating disorders. It represents instead the view that such classifications represent only a social construction.
After describing the operator of the website pure ana, which itself is anorexic, the terms " anorexia " and " Ana " is understood in the Pro - Ana movement as different terms for two viewing angles, for the disease and for their understanding as a lifestyle. For them, however, these are " basically one and the same phenomenon ." Because the understanding of anorexia as a lifestyle is a lack of insight into illness, she believes that it is itself part of the disease, where it points to the similarities with the diagnostic criteria.