Thinspiration: starvation for perfection

[Amiba]

disclaimer: this is merely my point of view on these sites. I respect everyone's intake on it.


More than once I´ve encountered these websites and it aggravates me.
exactly what young girls need: validating their eating disorders through other girls with eating disorders.

websites, youtube videos.. all focused on the importance of achieving an extremely thin figure no matter the cost.

what really triggered it for me today was this image:



no guy wants a fat girlfriend.
starve yourself

really?
let me check on that -phone rings- wait, that IS my boyfriend
and.. he wants me.
also he says that he doesn't want me looking like a 12 year old boy
no adult woman should.

I am in the same health quest as many people in here.. I do want to lose some weight, but places like that are taking it too far. balance is key and there's nothing balanced about those sites.

most of the thinspiration, pro ana and pro mia sites are full of pictures of extremely thin models and celebrities- some of them who once used to look healthy and beautiful.
people like drew Barrymore, Lindsay lohan, jennifer connely. to me they look hotter before. first of all they never were fat to begin with, not by any chance. some of them not even chubby

in these places..
they give each other tips on how to avoid food and resist the hunger. and even how to successfully ''throw up'' what meals to, and how to hide food
the affection and validation these girls crave, the need of guidance. it is jaw dropping that more and more girls are falling to it.



what do you think about thinspiration, pro ana and pro mia sites?

 

[aprilhunny]

The way I feel is that if you truly are anorexic/bulimic you won't need a site that gives you tips on how to do it. It's a mental disorder, reading a list of tips & tricks isn't going to make you anorexic. I don't think the should be shut down because of freedom of speech, but I think they're unnecessary.

 

[Tamago]

I don't think we would even need to consider shutting such sites down or trying to convince people how bad it is if we just had better nutrition/fitness education in the school systems. Lose weight = anorexia shouldn't pop up in someone's mind more than Need haircut = chainsaw should

 

[A_CRUCE_SALUS]

That is awful!!!! Feeds right into the minds and thoughts of young girls trying to fit in and have that picture perfect body image.

 

[Guest]

It is pretty dis-heartening. Especially for those girls and guys that don't have anyone at home to give them instruction, or structure, or healthy ways of expressing themselves. They'll look up to other girls/guys on there and be-friend them. They're usually too young to understand that they're playing victim. Some adult's don't realize they're playing victim. It's just makes everything harder.

I thought that alot of those sites were being banned? About a year ago I did some personal research on trying to find pro ana sites, and really couldn't cross any. Alot of them seemed to say, site is no longer here, something along those lines.

Another quick note: I found it really tough to learn that not eating only makes you FATTER & Full of HEALTH PROBLEMS down the road. It was a concept I knew, and understood, and yet was NOT UNDERSTANDING cuz I was still doing it.

BUT I also really feel that whether there are sites or not, cuz 15-20 years ago there was no internet and it was still a disorder. Parent's REALLY need to keep an active eye on their babes.

I also agree that it needs to be taught in school. I never even knew what I weighed until about 18,( which is also a good thing)where I tried out for a modeling agency and was rejected at about 135 lbs @ 6'. I didn't need to keep tabs on that kind of stuff, unless need be, for those children whom are over weight(tabs on weight) but still even than the parents should be keeping that under wraps with the Doctor.)

 

[Mad4Chillas]

Ok I may just have to throw some rocks in the pond and cause some ripples...But coming from someone who has had an ED for a very long time and still struggles with it. I used to belong to a pro-mia and pro-ana forum and honestly people like me would go to these websites to "normalize" their life. It was like if they could belong to a community where everyone was doing what they were doing then they weren't considered a freak, etc...

I know a lot of people think those websites are disgusting and immoral etc...but you have to realize that people with ED's are clinically ill and what they percieve as beautiful and normal is very different than what a normal person might percieve someing. Some of the images are even disturbing to others, but you have to realize having an ED is not a casual thing it completely consumes your life where theres nothing you dont think or breath that doesnt pertain to your ED.

You become compleletely obsessed and detached from the real world, and hang onto unrealistic ideals because they re the only things that your able to control.

**Sigh** I myself was digging through my old external harddrive and have a huge folder of "Thinspo" of internet pictures of celebrities, pop secrets, and just strange images that I felt related to me. A lot of these images were some crazy motivation for me to try and accept myself. Why I havent deleted this folder? Well I still deal with these thoughts and perceptions and havent yet thrown away my comfort blanket.

It seems strange and disgusting to some individuals, but its mostly because theres a lack of understanding of the thought-process of a person with an ED. Now Im not trying to say what we do is right and how we think is normal--because its not. But its going to happn regardless, and I honestly think if you dont want to see it---turn the other cheek.

Its extrememly hard to live in a society where underweight is considered beautiful to the majority and well sometimes it just gets pushed too far, and your going to have extremes on both ends.....Severly underweight people who think they are beautiful and perfect and morbidly obese people who believe that they are equally beautiful, perfect, and healthy.....

I guess thats all I have at the current moment

*sorry if this offends anyone*

 

[ChefChiTown]

It seems strange and disgusting to some individuals, but its mostly because theres a lack of understanding of the thought-process of a person with an ED. Now Im not trying to say what we do is right and how we think is normal--because its not. But its going to happn regardless, and I honestly think if you dont want to see it---turn the other cheek.

Its extrememly hard to live in a society where underweight is considered beautiful to the majority and well sometimes it just gets pushed too far, and your going to have extremes on both ends.....Severly underweight people who think they are beautiful and perfect and morbidly obese people who believe that they are equally beautiful, perfect, and healthy.....

The reason that a lot of people have eating disorders in the first place is because of how society forces this unrealistic expectation of physical "attractiveness" onto the whole world. It's force fed down our throats and people actually start to convince themselves that that's how they are supposed to look. When, in all reality, everybody with a mind of their own knows that the majority of people don't look like that.

I know you have your point of view, having battled with an eating disorder yourself, but, from an outside perspective, our media and our society are the two main contributors to the problem.

Advertisements, TV shows, movies, video games, internet websites, magazine covers...the majority of them show nothing but "perfect" bodies, which does nothing brainwash people and make them think that they need to look like what they are seeing or else they aren't attractive. Then, they start eating like shit and starving themselves, which is the beginning of a major problem.

Seriously, look at how many pictures are edited and airbrushed in order to make people look "perfect". I guess it's ironic, because we're getting sold an image that doesn't even really exist in the first place, yet, a lot of people are buying into it.

I don't know...I have a huge dislike for society and how it fucking ruins people. This is just one of the many issues that I have with how our society works and how fucked up it is. Even if a million people tell a girl how beautiful she is, she's probably not going to listen. She's only going to pay attention to the magazine covers and TV ads that are telling her (through images) that she's not pretty enough.

It's all bullshit and I wish people would wake up the fuck up and do something about it.

/RANT

 

[Mad4Chillas]

The reason that a lot of people have eating disorders in the first place is because of how society forces this unrealistic expectation of physical "attractiveness" onto the whole world. It's force fed down our throats and people actually start to convince themselves that that's how they are supposed to look. When, in all reality, everybody with a mind of their own knows that the majority of people don't look like that.

I know you have your point of view, having battled with an eating disorder yourself, but, from an outside perspective, our media and our society are the two main contributors to the problem.

Advertisements, TV shows, movies, video games, internet websites, magazine covers...the majority of them show nothing but "perfect" bodies, which does nothing brainwash people and make them think that they need to look like what they are seeing or else they aren't attractive. Then, they start eating like shit and starving themselves, which is the beginning of a major problem.

Seriously, look at how many pictures are edited and airbrushed in order to make people look "perfect". I guess it's ironic, because we're getting sold an image that doesn't even really exist in the first place, yet, a lot of people are buying into it.

I don't know...I have a huge dislike for society and how it fucking ruins people. This is just one of the many issues that I have with how our society works and how fucked up it is. Even if a million people tell a girl how beautiful she is, she's probably not going to listen. She's only going to pay attention to the magazine covers and TV ads that are telling her (through images) that she's not pretty enough.

It's all bullshit and I wish people would wake up the fuck up and do something about it.

/RANT

I completely agree with you. I'm not saying my way of thinking is right or by any means justified I was just trying to show a different perspective. Society in fact contributes to many falices about any population, and it end makes people strive for the unattainable. Its not right, its not normal, its not beautiful. But its going to happen regardless, until society changes they way they are. And that is in fact Bull shit.

​

 

[ChristyP]

LoL ChefChitown.... This is the top reason stupid men should not look at PlayBoy and Dirty Magazines.. They will only be disappointed when face with the harsh reality of the real "thing" lol

 

[ChefChiTown]

I completely agree with you. I'm not saying my way of thinking is right or by any means justified I was just trying to show a different perspective. Society in fact contributes to many falices about any population, and it end makes people strive for the unattainable. Its not right, its not normal, its not beautiful. But its going to happen regardless, until society changes they way they are. And that is in fact Bull shit.

​

It just sucks that nobody tells these girls (when they're growing up) that they're beautiful just the way they are. People just let their kids do whatever the fuck they want to and it's ruining them in the long run. Just look at some of the things that parents will buy for their kids and how sexually charged they are (not to mention the "perfect" image they are portraying). Seriously, kids now-a-days are growing up to worship the images of Bratz Dolls, Barbie Dolls, Hannah Montana, Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls (etc). They're being force fed an image from the time they are chidren and it only gets worse as they get older.

When I was in high school, girls would dress pretty conservatively. Sure, there were a few slutty girls who would wear mini skirts and low cut shirts, but, for the most part, girls were pretty decent. But, when I look at my high school now, and the kids who are in it, the girls are WHORES. There's a bunch of 14-16 year olds dressing like sluts and it's fucking disgusting. And, it's all because of this life long brainwashing that society puts on them. They're all super skinny, bleach blonde skanks who idolize bitches like Britney Spears and our parents are just letting them get away with it.

Eh, it sickens me. It really, really sickens me.

LoL ChefChitown.... This is the top reason stupid men should not look at PlayBoy and Dirty Magazines.. They will only be disappointed when face with the harsh reality of the real "thing" lol

I'll never own a dirty magazine and I never will.

It's kind of sad when you think of how many men actually think that all women are supposed to look like Playboy sluts, er, models. What they don't realize is that 90% of those girls have had multiple plastic surgeries to look the way they do. And, even with all of the "work", 99% of them are still gross looking. BLEH!!!

I'll take a Kelly Clarkson over a Playboy model any day of the week.

 

[A_CRUCE_SALUS]

The reason that a lot of people have eating disorders in the first place is because of how society forces this unrealistic expectation of physical "attractiveness" onto the whole world. It's force fed down our throats and people actually start to convince themselves that that's how they are supposed to look. When, in all reality, everybody with a mind of their own knows that the majority of people don't look like that.

I know you have your point of view, having battled with an eating disorder yourself, but, from an outside perspective, our media and our society are the two main contributors to the problem.

Advertisements, TV shows, movies, video games, internet websites, magazine covers...the majority of them show nothing but "perfect" bodies, which does nothing brainwash people and make them think that they need to look like what they are seeing or else they aren't attractive. Then, they start eating like shit and starving themselves, which is the beginning of a major problem.

Seriously, look at how many pictures are edited and airbrushed in order to make people look "perfect". I guess it's ironic, because we're getting sold an image that doesn't even really exist in the first place, yet, a lot of people are buying into it.

I don't know...I have a huge dislike for society and how it fucking ruins people. This is just one of the many issues that I have with how our society works and how fucked up it is. Even if a million people tell a girl how beautiful she is, she's probably not going to listen. She's only going to pay attention to the magazine covers and TV ads that are telling her (through images) that she's not pretty enough.

It's all bullshit and I wish people would wake up the fuck up and do something about it.

/RANT

Couldn't agree with you more!!! Nufff said!

 

[LoveFool1]

and your going to have extremes on both ends.....Severly underweight people who think they are beautiful and perfect and morbidly obese people who believe that they are equally beautiful, perfect, and healthy.....

That's very true. If you pick on a Pro-Anorexic site wouldn't you have to pick on those sites dedicated to the "Big Beautiful Women" out there? It's just as disturbing to see someone that's 400 lbs who honestly thinks they're healthy and fine the way they are as it is to see someone who is 80 pounds and think they're healthy and fine the way they are.

These things are learned in grade school. I knew kids that were on "diets" when I was 8 years old. Physical Fitness programs at school completely suck and I think it contributes to a lot of the crap kids go through.

 

[ChefChiTown]

That's very true. If you pick on a Pro-Anorexic site wouldn't you have to pick on those sites dedicated to the "Big Beautiful Women" out there? It's just as disturbing to see someone that's 400 lbs who honestly thinks they're healthy and fine the way they are as it is to see someone who is 80 pounds and think they're healthy and fine the way they are.

These things are learned in grade school. I knew kids that were on "diets" when I was 8 years old. Physical Fitness programs at school completely suck and I think it contributes to a lot of the crap kids go through.

Of course those classes all suck. How fit do you really expect children to get when they toss a bunch of balls up and down on a parachute? Phys Ed classes in school don't push "perfect", unrealistic images in your face though. Those classes are designed to promote activity in children, even though not much activity is actually done in those classes.

 

[Amiba]

It is pretty dis-heartening. Especially for those girls and guys that don't have anyone at home to give them instruction, or structure, or healthy ways of expressing themselves. They'll look up to other girls/guys on there and be-friend them. They're usually too young to understand that they're playing victim. Some adult's don't realize they're playing victim. It's just makes everything harder.

I thought that alot of those sites were being banned? About a year ago I did some personal research on trying to find pro ana sites, and really couldn't cross any. Alot of them seemed to say, site is no longer here, something along those lines.

Agreed.
I believe now more than ever a lot of young girls and boys are growing without proper guidance, and what you see and hear- tv, magazines, friends.. it really adds up. in the end you feel something has to change and places like this can give them the wrong idea.
I think many pro ana and mia sites are on again. I don't think they have to be shut down but they should always have a warning sign at least,it can be pretty confusing

 

[Amiba]

Ok I may just have to throw some rocks in the pond and cause some ripples...But coming from someone who has had an ED for a very long time and still struggles with it. I used to belong to a pro-mia and pro-ana forum and honestly people like me would go to these websites to "normalize" their life. It was like if they could belong to a community where everyone was doing what they were doing then they weren't considered a freak, etc...

I know a lot of people think those websites are disgusting and immoral etc...but you have to realize that people with ED's are clinically ill and what they percieve as beautiful and normal is very different than what a normal person might percieve someing. Some of the images are even disturbing to others, but you have to realize having an ED is not a casual thing it completely consumes your life where theres nothing you dont think or breath that doesnt pertain to your ED.



You become compleletely obsessed and detached from the real world, and hang onto unrealistic ideals because they re the only things that your able to control.

**Sigh** I myself was digging through my old external harddrive and have a huge folder of "Thinspo" of internet pictures of celebrities, pop secrets, and just strange images that I felt related to me. A lot of these images were some crazy motivation for me to try and accept myself. Why I havent deleted this folder? Well I still deal with these thoughts and perceptions and havent yet thrown away my comfort blanket.

It seems strange and disgusting to some individuals, but its mostly because theres a lack of understanding of the thought-process of a person with an ED. Now Im not trying to say what we do is right and how we think is normal--because its not. But its going to happn regardless, and I honestly think if you dont want to see it---turn the other cheek.

Its extrememly hard to live in a society where underweight is considered beautiful to the majority and well sometimes it just gets pushed too far, and your going to have extremes on both ends.....Severly underweight people who think they are beautiful and perfect and morbidly obese people who believe that they are equally beautiful, perfect, and healthy.....

I guess thats all I have at the current moment

*sorry if this offends anyone*

oh hun, you are by all means entitled to think and feel what you want to feel and it is ok. I respect your beliefs and actually I don't think those places are immoral, just potentially damaging. not to people with ED but who are dangerously walking on thin ice- and I am one of them.

Also I don't think anyone should feel like a freak or an ''outsider'' just because you are struggling with an ED. if young girls and boys don't address the issue with their loved ones, then hiding it and talking to others with the same issues helps in the short term only.

I couldn't agree more on what you've said about society. we've all struggled and I've been close to taking extreme measurements, now thankfully I've learned I have to follow the path of health and learn to love and accept myself at any weight- even if I want to lose some.

by the way I find you beautiful!
let's poke some society's eyes!

 

[Amiba]

I'll never own a dirty magazine and I never will.

It's kind of sad when you think of how many men actually think that all women are supposed to look like Playboy sluts, er, models. What they don't realize is that 90% of those girls have had multiple plastic surgeries to look the way they do. And, even with all of the "work", 99% of them are still gross looking. BLEH!!!

I'll take a Kelly Clarkson over a Playboy model any day of the week.

someone has a crush on kelly clarkson!

It is funny because I never liked really short skirts. I was the chubby girl that dressed differently so I was the ''weird one'' but heck, at least I didn't look slutty! I've never had and I'll never will.
those dirty magazines just fasten the odd connection between little or none clothing and beauty-sexiness. I don't find those women appealing at all!

 

[stancel]

If you just want a peek into the minds of many of these people, you can go .

it's too bad they don't realize they are not fat at all. one of the posters on there has a goal which would put her at a BMI of 16

 

[wishes]

why is everyone obsessed with trying to be the odd one out?

 

[Mad4Chillas]

why is everyone obsessed with trying to be the odd one out?

Care to elaborate?

 

[JoyAnderson]

It all comes down to avoiding extremes. Being grossly underweight is as bad (in all ways) as over. Impressionable kids may not have realised this yet - that's the problem.