As lactivists continue to fight for the rights of breastfeeding moms everywhere, my husband over at It's Not a Lecture pointed out that while Facebook is banning photos of breastfeeding moms - and banning the moms themselves in some cases - they continue to let pro-anorexia members mingle and meet using their network. I don't want to get in the middle of a communications debate on this blog - I'll leave that to the PR experts (is that an oxymoron?). However, I do think the timing of this study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders is very interesting.
Researchers investigated the mental and emotional effects of three types of websites on 235 college women: a pro-anorexia website, a women's fashion website, and a home decor website. They found that compared to women who viewed the fashion and home decor sites, women who viewed the pro-anorexia site were more likely to feel negative emotions, to have poor social self-esteem, and to not feel confident about their appearance after 25 minutes of navigating the site. They also were more likely to feel heavy, to want to exercise more, to think about their weight, and to compare themselves to images of thin women on the site. Essentially, women who viewed the pro-anaorexia site felt worse about themselves, worse about their bodies, and worse about their appearance.
I don't know if the folks at Facebook care about the research. I do know the unfortunate reality is that young women looking for "pro-ana" friends don't need Facebook to find each other. There are plenty of pro-ana websites with chat room capabilities on the web - and you can access many of them without even registering. Ultimately, I think it's up to parents to protect their daughters: monitor what they access on the internet and on social media sites, and perhaps more importantly, love them and instill in them a sense of worth and self-confidence. Also know if, despite your best efforts, they develop the disease, there is help.
Researchers investigated the mental and emotional effects of three types of websites on 235 college women: a pro-anorexia website, a women's fashion website, and a home decor website. They found that compared to women who viewed the fashion and home decor sites, women who viewed the pro-anorexia site were more likely to feel negative emotions, to have poor social self-esteem, and to not feel confident about their appearance after 25 minutes of navigating the site. They also were more likely to feel heavy, to want to exercise more, to think about their weight, and to compare themselves to images of thin women on the site. Essentially, women who viewed the pro-anaorexia site felt worse about themselves, worse about their bodies, and worse about their appearance.
I don't know if the folks at Facebook care about the research. I do know the unfortunate reality is that young women looking for "pro-ana" friends don't need Facebook to find each other. There are plenty of pro-ana websites with chat room capabilities on the web - and you can access many of them without even registering. Ultimately, I think it's up to parents to protect their daughters: monitor what they access on the internet and on social media sites, and perhaps more importantly, love them and instill in them a sense of worth and self-confidence. Also know if, despite your best efforts, they develop the disease, there is help.
