'Pro-Ana' Web Sites Glorify Eating Disorders

June 13, 2006 — -- Bathing suit season is upon us, and more people are hitting the gym and starting new diets trying to shed unwanted pounds.

But for millions of Internet-savvy teens, a dangerous alternative is just a click away -- countless Web sites that glorify, promote and teach that eating disorders aren't a disease, but a "lifestyle choice." This, despite the fact that eating disorders are one of the most deadly mental illness in the country.

Annie Hayashi, spokesperson for the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), says that 6 percent of people with eating disorders will eventually die from the disease. "We believe that the pro-eating disorder sites are not only destructive but dangerous," said Hayashi. "They give legitimacy to people who can't recover and are triggering for people who are trying to recover."

There are about 500 Web sites that offer tips on how to become anorexic or bulimic. The popularity of what are known as "pro-ana" (pro-anorexia) and "pro-mia" (pro-bulimia) Web sites has increased in recent years. They attract mostly teenage girls and young women, often getting thousands of hits a day.

Most Web sites are run by self-proclaimed "rexies" -- individuals who celebrate their eating disorders. Some even call it a religion, reciting psalms and offering prayers to their goddess "Ana." Many of the sites feature "thinspirational" photos, which depict the skin-and-bones of emaciated models and celebrities.

On one site, www.ceruleanbutterfly.com, the philosophy is frighteningly blunt: "One day I will be thin enough. Just the bones, no disfiguring flesh. Just the pure clean shape of me, bones. That is what we all are, what we're made up of and everything else is just storage, deposit, waste."

Most of the Web sites give tips on the most effective way to starve oneself. One site recommends "taking antacids" to "help reduce hunger pains" and constantly drinking coffee, diet soda and chewing gum so "you won't feel hungry." Other tips from similar sites --