I wrote this piece a year ago for a university assessment. It is on the online Pro-Anorexic/Bulimic movements which you may of heard about. I interviewed twenty different girls between the ages of fourteen to twenty-eight with the majority being sixteen to twenty. They were so candid and honest with me which was both beautiful and shocking. By now I have lost contact with most of them, but I hope they are still doing ok.
“Blogging for Ana”
Lucy* looks at me in disbelief as I place my caramel-latte on the table in front of us. She glares at it, almost frightened of the frothy sweetened milk. I can see her mind ticking over as she counts and converts calories. “350 calories that is.” she says pointing to it. “That's like 40 minutes running to burn off you know?” She looks up disapprovingly, attempting to drill guilt into me. She's right, I probably should know better. Yet being a recovered anorexic and her still in the depths of the obsession, I chose to ignore her comments and revel in the pleasure that is enjoying food. A practice so feared by those with eating disorders.
I can't blame her for being rude, she thinks she means well. She's trying to keep me in check. That’s what members of the online Pro-Ana/Mia movement do – encourage through fasts and discourage from food. The difference is that I am no longer a member.
The Pro-Ana/Mia movements are online communities used by mainly young girls with anorexia ('Ana') and bulimia ('Mia') to support each other not through recovery, but in their efforts to sink deeper into their disorders. Through websites such as 'Fading Obsession' and 'Ana's Underground Grotto', members share tricks on weightloss, how to hide their disorder from family and doctors, and how to avoid the '
