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Wasting Away on the Web
Shocking Internet sites are encouraging Anorexia as a "lifestyle"
By Natalie Barrett
 It has been revealed that the number of pro-anorexia web sites is on the increase. On Yahoo! alone there are a staggering eighty-seven pro-anorexia sites for anyone to click on to. These sites have names like Dying to be Thin, Skinny as a Rail, Stick Figures and Starving for Perfection. The sites are mostly set up by groups of American teenagers but they are encouraging girls in Britain and around the world to follow suit.
They promote eating disorders as a lifestyle and not as a serious issue, using the Internet as a platform to push young people's bodies to dangerous limits. Girls as young as thirteen are swapping tips on weight loss and taking part in live chartrooms using names such as 'Puking Pals' and 'Anorexic with Pride.'
 One site disturbingly named 'Stick Figures' gives the impression that it is providing mutual support for its visitors. This is not the case when you browse through the pages and come across an almost aggressive instruction to follow the 'Pro-Anorexia Ten Commandments.' These include 1. If you aren't thin you aren't beautiful 2. Being thin is more important than being healthy. 3. You must buy clothes, cut your hair, take laxatives, starve yourself, and do anything to make yourself look thinner. 4. Thou shall
not eat without feeling guilty.
A 19-year-old student told about how she got hooked on the pro-anorexia site Anorexia Empress – www.geocities.com/empress_anorexianyc/page3.html. She said that she had stumbled across it when looking for help to get over bulimia. "I read personal stories that included "tips" they had discovered on the Internet, so I thought I'd have a look" This led to her being sucked in to exchanging information on what foods are "safe" and how to avoid having meals with parents.
When entering "pro-anorexia" into a search engine the results are astounding: hundreds of sites come up on the screen. The home pages of the majority follow the same agenda: each one states that it is not a good idea for a person recovering from an eating disorder to enter. They use this as a "Disclaimer" so no responsibility can be placed upon them if someone dies. The message is also clear to non-anorexia/bulimia sufferers that if they think that this is a sick site then they
should not look at it. They also urge people not to send in emails of disgust: an obvious admission that this has already happened.
The American Government made an attempt to restrict these and other dangerous sites in 1996. Their attempt was defeated after a campaign by the American Civil Liberties Union; which brings up the "Freedom of Speech" argument. In Britain there has been no attempt to address the issue - the Government claims that its hands are tied as most of the material on the sites is not illegal.
Some Internet companies have taken it upon themselves to block these sites. Lycos, one of the biggest search engines, has blocked all pro-anorexia material, although it is still accessible using other search engines or links from other sites.
It seems that without backing from the Government little can be done about these shocking web sites. The pictures of emaciated women and tips on how to starve and get thinner without anyone noticing will still be appearing on the Internet. All we can do is make people aware of them and encourage parents to keep an eye on what their children are clicking on to.
For more information on eating disorders, if you are yourself a sufferer or are worried about someone who is, you can contact Eating Disorders Association on 01603 621 414 (9am - 6:30pm weekdays
By Natalie Barrett
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