Ten years of Ana: Lessons from a transdisciplinary body of literature on online pro-eating disorder websites

Abstract

This paper is an argumentative review of the scientific literature on online services advocating anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (‗pro-ana' and ‗pro-mia') of the last decade. The main question is whether these studies reproduce the traditional divide in the study of eating disorders, between clinical and social science perspectives, with limited mutual exchanges.The article identifies a body of literature of which it investigates contents, methods, and approaches; it also analyzes the network of citations among them. On this basis, it argues that the scientific literature touching on pro-ana websites can be regarded as a single transdisciplinary body of knowledge. What's more, it shows that the literature on computermediated sociabilities centred on eating disorders displays different structural characteristics with respect to the traditional, non-Web-related research on eating disorders. In the latter, the social sciences have counterpointed the development of a health-sciences mainstream; in the former, instead, they have played a major role in defining the field, while the health sciences have followed suit.

How a moderated online discussion forum facilitates support for young people with eating disorders

“…This paper is concerned with online support for young people (10-19 years 1 ) with eating disorders. European data suggest a prevalence for eating disorders of up to 0.9% in [14][15][16][17] year olds. 2 This is probably an underestimate 3,4 but is consistent with data from the World Health Organization.…”

“…Within the eating disorders community there have been attempts to promote an ideal thinness amongst individuals with eating disorders. This is evident in ‘pro Ana’, ‘pro‐Mia’ and ‘Anamia’ websites, which equate thinness with self‐control and beauty, often using pictures of celebrities and quasi‐spiritual messages to encourage users to strive for weight loss, no matter the consequences . Such ideas may be presented as having moral currency, in that the pursuit of thinness is sold as a valid philosophical and moral position …”

“…This is evident in 'pro Ana', 'pro-Mia' and 'Anamia' websites, 12 which equate thinness with selfcontrol and beauty, often using pictures of celebrities and quasi-spiritual messages to encourage users to strive for weight loss, no matter the consequences. [13][14][15][16] Such ideas may be presented as having moral currency, in that the pursuit of thinness is sold as a valid philosophical and moral position. 17 Developmental theories present adolescence as a phase of growth and exploration, moving towards a sense of identity.…”

Online networks of eating-disorder websites: why censoring pro-ana might be a bad idea

“…In media narratives, they depict their life experiences posing as heroic sufferers, and go as far as calling their eating habits a lifestyle "choice" rather than a disease 2 . Recent research unveils a more complex picture 3 . Although these websites offer everything from tips on starving and purging to airbrushed photos of celebrities, they also act as tools for the self-help and empowerment of persons with eating disorders.…”

Neoliberalism, Pro-ana/mia Websites, and Pathologizing Women: Using Performance Ethnography to Challenge Psychocentrism

“…As Kendall (2014) noted, even though anorexia arguably represents the most "successful" control over one's appetite, women with anorexia are portrayed as having lost control, and told they need expert intervention and force-feeding to gain control over their lives. Some feminist critiques highlight the potentially positive functions that pro-ana/mia websites serve, such as providing multiple forms of support, catharsis and coping mechanisms, reducing feelings of isolation, encouraging recovery, and offering a safe space to promote or challenge disordered eating ideologies and behaviours (Casilli, Tubaro, & Araya, 2012;Gailey, 2009;Schott & Langan, 2015;Tubaro & Mounier, 2014;Wooldridge, 2014). From this perspective, the censoring of pro-ana/mia websites is seen as an extension of the patriarchal control of women (Schott & Langan, 2015).…”