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Fatal Trend
Pro-Anorexia Web Sites By Gwen Morrison
Natenshon says that the Web sites offer young girls a sense of community and acceptance. These pro-anorexic sites feed the onset of eating disorders and often act as a catalyst in strengthening their victims' commitment to remaining fixed in the actions that contribute to this serious illness.
It is often a search for help that brings young people to these sites reaching out for support, information and a sense of connection. What they are finding when they surf these sites are things like dieting tips, online journals and various types of dangerous competitions that feed the disease instead of support recovery. There have been reports of newsgroups and discussion boards online that encourage girls to fast and offer tips on how to achieve the results that can prove deadly.
While various sites claim to provide a healthy environment for support, many of the sites posted dangerous messages of advice that could help anorexics become even more informed on ways to improve on their skills. Some go as far as to offer tips to visitors on ways to hide their disease.
It's not just the tips and message boards that are threatening; visitors to these sites are bombarded with gruesome images of ultra-thin models, some of which have been altered for maximum effect. The immediate reaction for most visitors is to be repelled at first by the images of waif-thin women, but there follows a morbid fascination. At the click of a mouse, young girls are reading things like, "Thou shalt not eat without feeling guilty" and "Be yourself. It's OK to be obsessed." The messages are clear and ultimately life threatening for young girls suffering from anorexia nervosa or other serious eating disorders.