Baby, the Stars Shine Brite
The secret life of a girl.the strange confessions and dirty little secrets of a girl.
25.2.07
While websites do not have the ability to screen who sees them and uses them much of the debate seems to revolve around pro-ana communities namely on LiveJournal. However, most participants in these communities tend to back away from those they know are not actually already suffering from an eating disoreder (refered to from now on as ED). Time and time again - there is a pretty elitest attitude among these communities. There is support to reduce the harm you are *already* doing to your body. Even if it is something as seemingly stupid as recommending a toothbrush on a string if you are purging with a toothbrush.
It may not be the kind of support those outside think these girls (some young men particpate, but it is mostly young women) need but that doesn’t make it not support. Support has to do with validation and recognition of an inidvidual’s personhood. Support has to do with maintaining and holding up a person, idea, or behavior - which pro-ana communities do.
Support is there in harm reduction as well as validation. Unfortuantely, a lot of girls in pro-ana communities feel like they can only control their bodies and food intake. Many are young women living at home with their parents who are unfortunately correct in assuming they can *only* control their bodies and food. The emphasis on hiding things from parents (or sometimes boyfriends) I think supports this statement. I think the real issue here is that the communities are the only place they are validated as people - even if in stupid and very dangerous ways.
Much of eating disorders are at their roots control issues. As an eating disordered person I *do* think it plays a HUGE role. More so than brain chemistry (which can be altered and the behaviours still persist), more so than a fashion industry in which a girl may or may not be interested…
But I think a root cause of eating disorders in the US (and Japan) and one which the communities address is this issue of control and oppression inherent in the ways American parents parent. Espeically true when it comes to daughters I think but more and more being the general over-protective-hyper-paranoid overbearing controling “norm” for how Americans parent. I really think as a culture we are simply loving and guiding our children to death: and pro-ana communities provide possibly the only affirmation that these girls are indeed individuals and support choices that are made: but the only actual choices are suddenly about food. he teenage years at all, and far more introspective and academic than is healthy - I do not think you can validate someone as a person if you do not *support* or at the least accept their choices: even when you know those choices to be absurd. There are “polite” ways of talking about those you love’s choices you don’t agree with - but very few families operate in this manner at all and even less operate so when the child in question is still seen as a “child.” No one, after all, can MAKE you eat. One way to combat this in culture would be to more accepting of our children's choices and less controling.
ED commitunites come into play because only if the behavoir becomes validated can one begin to make other possibly healthy choices or make choices at all. Using the choice of food individuals can learn that they CAN make choices and no one can MAKE a person do anything - including parents and boyfriends. If the person never learns how to enforce their choices - which they do in ED communities if they learn nothing else - there can’t be any hope of recovery at all.
As for the harm reduction that goes on in these communities, this aspect is important. A lot of emphasis is placed on hiding behaviors to parents as harm reduction. Even without this emphasis and these tips an ED happens to be very private in general. Most girls won't be discovered without them but they provide a safe barrier. Other consequences are generally more disaterous however such as death due to heart attacks. With little chance of discovery in general, harm reduction plays a large role in these communities for a reason. Without this kind of support many more young women would seriously harm themselves and it would result in death.
It may not be the kind of support those outside think these girls (some young men particpate, but it is mostly young women) need but that doesn’t make it not support. Support has to do with validation and recognition of an inidvidual’s personhood. Support has to do with maintaining and holding up a person, idea, or behavior - which pro-ana communities do.
Support is there in harm reduction as well as validation. Unfortuantely, a lot of girls in pro-ana communities feel like they can only control their bodies and food intake. Many are young women living at home with their parents who are unfortunately correct in assuming they can *only* control their bodies and food. The emphasis on hiding things from parents (or sometimes boyfriends) I think supports this statement. I think the real issue here is that the communities are the only place they are validated as people - even if in stupid and very dangerous ways.
Much of eating disorders are at their roots control issues. As an eating disordered person I *do* think it plays a HUGE role. More so than brain chemistry (which can be altered and the behaviours still persist), more so than a fashion industry in which a girl may or may not be interested…
But I think a root cause of eating disorders in the US (and Japan) and one which the communities address is this issue of control and oppression inherent in the ways American parents parent. Espeically true when it comes to daughters I think but more and more being the general over-protective-hyper-paranoid overbearing controling “norm” for how Americans parent. I really think as a culture we are simply loving and guiding our children to death: and pro-ana communities provide possibly the only affirmation that these girls are indeed individuals and support choices that are made: but the only actual choices are suddenly about food. he teenage years at all, and far more introspective and academic than is healthy - I do not think you can validate someone as a person if you do not *support* or at the least accept their choices: even when you know those choices to be absurd. There are “polite” ways of talking about those you love’s choices you don’t agree with - but very few families operate in this manner at all and even less operate so when the child in question is still seen as a “child.” No one, after all, can MAKE you eat. One way to combat this in culture would be to more accepting of our children's choices and less controling.
ED commitunites come into play because only if the behavoir becomes validated can one begin to make other possibly healthy choices or make choices at all. Using the choice of food individuals can learn that they CAN make choices and no one can MAKE a person do anything - including parents and boyfriends. If the person never learns how to enforce their choices - which they do in ED communities if they learn nothing else - there can’t be any hope of recovery at all.
As for the harm reduction that goes on in these communities, this aspect is important. A lot of emphasis is placed on hiding behaviors to parents as harm reduction. Even without this emphasis and these tips an ED happens to be very private in general. Most girls won't be discovered without them but they provide a safe barrier. Other consequences are generally more disaterous however such as death due to heart attacks. With little chance of discovery in general, harm reduction plays a large role in these communities for a reason. Without this kind of support many more young women would seriously harm themselves and it would result in death.
