20 April 2012

The Horror of Thinspo

To be honest, I feel a little weird writing this post because I have spent the last couple of hours looking into a world so far from my own that its hard to believe.
This morning I received an email from Pinterest letting me know that someone had tagged me in a pin on a board labelled inspiration. At first I was flattered, thinking it would be something to do with blogging or something similar so I popped over to have a look. I was shocked to find myself on a "thinspo" or "thinspiration" board full of photos of malnourished and incredibly thin women all being labelled as inspiration for people who want to lose weight.
My first reaction was, of course, to be offended that some bright young spark had thought it "helpful" to link me to such a board. As someone who admits that I am overweight and could perhaps do with losing a few pounds I find it incredibly offensive that someone who is aspiring to be something so unhealthy herself is trying to tell me how I should be.
But then I spent more time looking into the world of thinspo and that anger and offense was replaced with worry for the girl.
There are literally thousands of sites dedicated to thinspiration and they are all full of images that depict dangerously slim women with jutting bones, washboard stomachs so slight that you can see ribs through the skin and legs with "that gap" between the thighs. There are also numerous thinspo quote images which boast sayings like "KEEP CALM and the hunger will go away" or "Food will never taste as good at skinny feels".
Even after just spending a couple of hours looking through some of these sites, I can see exactly how someone could get sucked into that world which is full of pro anorexia supporters, especially those who are easily influenced, because the people who write the blogs or publish the "inspirational" photos are so passionate about what they are saying. They truly believe that what they are doing will improve them as a person.
Down the right of this post are just a few examples of the chilling quotes that I found on just the first couple of pages of a google image search and it saddens me that such harmful material is being spread so readily around the internet where anyone can find it.

I know it can be incredibly hard to see when someone has a weight issue, even those who are close friends or family, but what I do ask of you is to keep an eye on the ones you love. Maybe you've noticed that they have a pin board full of exercise tips and slogans similar to these. What we need to remember is that whilst the increase of internet and Pinterest use can be damaging, we can also use it as a way to help people and find out important information about the people we care about that we would not otherwise notice.

I wanted to share this post to raise a little awareness of what is fast becoming a big issue, especially with the success of Pinterest growing and the amount of people using blogging tools and Tumblr rising, making it ever easier to find yourself being drawn into a community like this.

And finally, I want to say that I promise you that you don't have to be skinny to feel happy. I am 5ft6 and a UK size 16 which makes me larger than what is seen as the perfect size, but I am currently the happiest I have been in a very long time. I look and feel good in what I wear, I have fantastic boobs and I have a partner who loves me just the way that I am. So rather than spending your life aspiring to be something that you will never be, or will drive your motivation into the ground, spend your time loving yourself the way that you are, because the time it takes you to slave away on body beautiful is time that could be spent doing something you really love. And in my humble opinion, people care a lot more about having a great time with you and seeing that you are a passionate, rounded person than what you look like. Try to relax and everything will be okay.

Annie xx

13 comments:

  1. That is utterly terrifying. I'd heard of "thinspiration" before, only in passing and I knew of the rough idea but I had no idea it was so widespread and awful.

    I'm guilty of constant dieting, but only 'cause I'm crap at it - not 'cause I can't see where to stop. Body dismorphia is one of the most worrying and awful things 'cause there's absolutely no cure.

    Good post and a very worthy cause to highlight.

    Clare x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Clare. I was terrified too, thats why I felt I had to share. xx

      Delete
  2. WOW!..so sad that life is so short and these girls spend theirs with allusions of what perfection is..they end up with kidney ,heart and liver issues and they wont be able to have kids cause they dont even have periods.i would put them all in a mental institute and feed them until they reach a normal weight..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quite a radical approach maybe, but it is scary how much danger some of these people are putting themselves in. Beauty doesn't come from being thin, it comes from enjoying life and enjoying yourself. xx

      Delete
  3. oh my god. that is terrifying - such damage! :( i'm sorry that this has to even be around, that young girls feel the need to buy into what society tells us we need to be. it's awful. thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know. Its so worrying that young people who are already insecure about their body due to puberty and hormonal changes can access such damaging material so easily. They need to be receiving re-assurance, not damaging information from peers. xx

      Delete
  4. How awful Annie that people actually collect all this stuff to help them achieve their 'supposedly' ideal image. You sound like you are perfectly happy with yourself and so you should be. You are extremely pretty and I am so glad you are happy with your size too. That girl is so sad and it is such a shame she will be wasting her life away just worrying over something that does not matter. Thanks for sharing. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its scary isn't it.
      Thanks, I really am happy and I think that healthy women (no matter what their size) are so much more beautiful than women obsessed with their weight. It radiants from within :) xx

      Delete
  5. It is shocking that such sites exist, and such a shame that people feel they have to go to such lenghts to fit society's idea of "beauty". My daughter who is extremely thin (although not anorexic) was actually spotted on her college campus by a modeling agency. They wanted her to come for some photos but told her she probably needed to lose a few pounds. She's 5'9" and weighed less than 8 stone and a size 8 was big on her. I suppose they were looking for skeletons. She told them to push off and get real. Thanks for your excellent article, more people need to speak out about this madness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your daughter is an inspiration Hannelore. Its sad to know that so many people wouldn't have been as strong willed as she was. xx

      Delete
  6. Your view of these sites as an outsider is very real, and it probably does scare you. But as an anorexic, these sites merely bring the people with real eating disorders together. The people who make majority of these sites have absolutely blown out of proportion the real origin of these sites (which were to connect the eating disordered community). Anyone with a real eating disorder doesn't need these sites to "become thin". People don't develop eating disorders from the internet. The people who do this kind of thing have taken it to a completely wrong level, and I agree that it's scary that girls think of themselves in this way, but to someone like me who is a recovered anorexic, these sites are all too normal to me. But when it comes down to it, these websites aren't causing eating disorders, they merely fuel those who would have fallen to the disease inevitably. Coming from someone who has experienced this the last 4-5 years of my life, these websites have helped me more than they have hindered me. Connecting with other people who experience the same things is extremely reassuring. There are some seriously messed up things that have come out of what used to be supportive sites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to hear from someone with your perspective.
      Its great to know that there is a supportive community out there for people looking for help but what scared me is how extreme some of these sites have become, like you say, there are some seriously messed up things coming from what should be a network of reassurance. xx

      Delete
  7. as a naturally slim girl i've been tagged on that thinspo tag a few times- i feel very bad for any of the girls who are experiencing anorexia and feel like they have no place to share it, but there are some innocent people who read these and get these obsessive thoughts in their heads. its not hard to come across these tumblrs and pinterests, and its truly terrifying knowing that some girls who weren't as prone soon have addictions and obsessions- I've already found myself thinking a few of these "quotes" which is scary considering I'm already considered underweight.
    What's worse is that tumblr and pinterest- and other forums too- do very little to remove these websites. I believe they are wrong- there's a marginal gap between a support group and encouraging unhealthy eating habits and mental placements.
    Sorry for the rant, but I have very strong feelings about this! lol xx

    ReplyDelete