Pro-anorexia websites should be made illegal. These websites promote anorexia as a lifestyle choice instead of the serious mental disorder anorexia is. These sites can be extremely damaging to any person who encounters them. Pro-anorexia websites should be illegalized because they cause self-esteem and body image issues, minimize the health risks associated with anorexia, and encourage women struggling with eating disorders to continue their unhealthy eating habits. Pro-anorexia websites should be illegalized for many reasons.
Pro-anorexia websites cause low-self esteem in multiple ways. Many of these websites include links and/or pictures of what they generally describe as "beautiful people" that women should aspire to look like. Many of these pictures are of celebrities with known eating disorders, some of whose lives have been threatened by their eating disorder. Many of the images are also airbrushed. Seeing these images described as beautiful could easily cause a young girl to feel she has to look like the women in these pictures, who are extremely unhealthy, to be beautiful. Also, these websites generally are extremely cruel towards heavier people. One such website provides a list of 40 reasons not to eat. A few include "The only time people notice a fat person is when they get in the way of that beautiful thin girl walking by" also on the list is "Only fat people are attracted to fat people. Do you want pigs to like you because you are one of them? "And finally, "Guys will want to get to know you, not laugh at you and walk away. " Along with these comments are reverse thinspiration, which are pictures of healthy sized celebrities, littered with rude comments about their bodies. Some girls even choose to post pictures of themselves as reverse thinspiration. One such girl posted her body mass index along with a picture. The girl was almost underweight with a body mass index of 19.2, and was extremely thin. Such images being portrayed as ugly and fat could easily cause a normal-sized or even extremely thin girl to believe they need to lose weight. In one study, women who were subjected to viewing a pro-anorexia website just once exhibited lower self-esteem and a higher risk of becoming preoccupied with weight loss then women in a control group who viewed a female clothing website with average size models. Whereas some people may argue that seeing healthy sized women portrayed as fat does not affect women and girls' self esteem, overwhelming evidence claims the contrary. Pro-anorexia websites greatly damage girls' self esteem.
Pro-anorexia websites also minimize the health risks of anorexia. Almost all pro-anorexia websites claim that anorexia is not a mental disorder but a lifestyle choice. Mental illness is defined by the dictionary as "any of the various forms of psychosis or severe neurosis." Psychosis is defined as "a mental disorder characterized by symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations that indicate impaired contact with reality." Evidence proves that at least 20% of anorexics are indeed delusional. 68% have extremely irrational beliefs about food and eating. This proves at least 68% of anorexics definitely are afflicted with mental illness. Anorexia is a very dangerous condition that kills 10% of its sufferers. Anorexia also can cause severe health problems in those who survive anorexia. Many former anorexics can never have children. Many pro-anorexia websites ignore the health risks completely, further making anorexia seem like a safe and effective way to lose weight, rather than a deadly mental disease. Also, pro-anorexia websites rarely ever have people share the stories of their recovery, nor is any information on treatment provided. This makes it appear anorexia is a choice that one can choose to stop at any time. Pro-anorexia websites severely minimize the risks associated with anorexia.
Perhaps the worst thing about pro-anorexia websites is that they encourage women who have already developed anorexia to continue their unhealthy eating habits. Most pro-anorexia sites give heaping amounts of information on how to restrain yourself from eating. Pro-anorexia sites also give plenty of information on how to hide anorexia from family and friends, even going so far as to explain how to bleach fingernails with hydrogen peroxide to hide discoloring due to malnutrition. Most pro-anorexia websites provide women with forums and message boards to discuss their anorexia with other anorexics. On most websites, these forums aren't full of support and motivation to get help, but instead are focused on encouraging others not to eat. Some sites even go so far as to have contests to see who can lose the most weight in a short period of time, go the longest without eating, etc. Many pro-anorexia websites also have sections where anorexics can post their triumphs and failures in starving themselves. Other members can comment on these blogs, offering even more encouragement for a woman starving herself to continue. Pro-anorexia websites prevent women with anorexia from becoming healthy again and triumphing over anorexia.
Pro-anorexia websites are harmful to our society. Pro-anorexia websites are not just an expression of people's opinions or freedom of speech, but instead a severe mental and physical health threat to women and even some men. Pro-anorexia websites make anorexia seem like a lifestyle instead of an illness, encourage anorexics to avoid seeking treatment that may save their lives, and destroy women and girls self esteem, thus all pro-anorexia need to be illegal. Everybody should petition against and certainly avoid viewing pro-anorexia websites. Pro-anorexia websites must be made illegal to ensure the safety of people everywhere!
