There's Nothing Quirky About Pro-Ana/Mia

I found myself on a Pro-Ana/Mia board last night. (And no, I won't link to them....if you want to see what I'm talking about, you can search for yourself). For those who aren't sure of what that means, it's a site where people who are anorexic, bulimic, or have other eating disorders, come together and discuss their methods and give each other support on continuing. I found myself flip flopping back and forth between sheer anger and sheer sadness, both involving tears. If you're not that familiar with the disorders, don't jump to conclusions or start saying how stupid it is....for those girls (and occasionally guys), this is a constant battle. I could go on and on about what I think about the sites who 'support' continuing the battles. I could give you links to article after article after article of different places like Oprah where this stuff has brought national attention. I could help explain the inside workings of 'why' they feel the need to do such things to their bodies. I could even tell personal stories of how I've been there when people were going through it (I've never done any of this stuff myself, nor have I ever had the desire to).

But honestly, none of that mattered last night. All that mattered was that I was reading about 'real' girls. They weren't statistics. They weren't text book cases. They weren't national headlines. They were real people with real problems with real feelings....and I was reading their real words. It was truly heartbreaking....and it's not going to just go away. I've seen a lot of things, and heck, I've even seen 'this' stuff before. I've been to the sites before. But last night, holy cow, people. I know many of my regular readers are my own age, but I feel the need to reach out to you guys anyway and say "hey, if you notice something, help them!" And for those parents out there, pay attention. Seriously....these girls are doing it right under your noses and you don't even see you. You may think of an anorexic girl as just an insecure twig with a body like the one above, but some of these girls start when they're much heavier....some of them will never achieve the body they want, but they're hurting themselves trying anyway. They'll never be "cured," but they *can* be helped....not without people paying attention, though. And certainly not when their only support group is a family online that is 'furthering' their disorder when no one else knows about it in person. Don't think you can help them by yourself either....it won't happen....and you could make it worse even....but if you're the first person to reach out, that's the important part.

I feel myself getting ready to head into a full blown ramble about this, and I don't want to do that to you. I have quirkier things to discuss....but this falls into the same category as my AIDS/HIV/poverty post and how to stay warm without a heater....and even the brief blurb on chemo. It may not make any difference to 'you', but to someone, it's everything....whether it's an eating disorder, AIDS, cancer, poverty, or something you can't even put your finger on, it's there.....and unless you're paying attention and keeping yourself open, you're not even going to notice....

(Oh geez...I was going to leave it at that and add a couple pictures, but it's hard to look away or not get angry when you see the things they have for inspiration.....the videos and the posters that tell them how wonderful it is. There are a few that I really want to post, but I don't want to promote this to anyone or give resources to someone that has struggled with it before or is currently struggling with it now. One of the things on this particular poster, though, says "Thin is always in. Those who say otherwise are usually fat, aren't they?". Or how about "It is always better to fade away into nothingness than to have a cheeseburger clog your arteries." (You don't have to 'starve' yourself to be healthy....grar!). The thing is, this particular photo isn't even of those stick thin girls with bones poking out everywhere. It's of a perfectly healthy girl with curves and all. She doesn't look 'sickly' or 'ill' at all.....but there's no way that starving yourself will ever give you a body like that....none.....)