Is “thinspiration” ever truly useful?
May 18, 2008 by angelique
Filed under Women's Health
First of all, thinspiration (or thinspo) is used by pro-ana and pro-mia advocates around the world and provides vision cues to them to stop eating. Pictures of rail-thin women and guys are plastered around the web, ostensibly to give willpower to anorexics and bulimics.
Of course, all pro-recovery sites like Breaking the Mirror talk about the dangers of thinspo. That’s nothing new.
But could thinspiration be truly useful in some situations? I mean, people without eating disorders tend to use “thinspiration”, too.
For instance, a gal who wants to return to her pre-pregnancy weight may put pics of her years ”before kids” around the house as a reminder to curb her snacking tendencies.
Or a clinically obese man may turn his refrigerator into a collage of thinspo images just to prevent him from eating another helping of spaghetti or reaching for a tub of Haagen-Daas.
These people are using “thinspiration” in what seems to be a legitimate manner. After all, plenty of diet books encourage people to use images as guides.
Personally, I think it’s terrible.
First of all, thinspiration in any form is downright demeaning. It’s basically saying, “You are hideous now. If you look like this, you’ll be perfect.” Thinspo makes everything about appearance only.
Secondly, thinspiration provides only a temporary boost. After a while, more is needed for it to make any lasting “dent”. (I think it can be addicting, too, but I have no scientific reports to back me up.)
Finally, using thinspo is a lot different than making an actual lifestyle change. Being healthy isn’t about photos — it’s about how you treat yourself, inside and out. It’s holistic, not one-dimensional.
Consequently, I think “thinspiration” in any form is disastrous in the long run. What do you think?
What about using ANY image to improve your life? For example: wearing a cross to remind you of it’s spiritual meaning, framing a picture of Martin Luther King Jr to remind you of his message, or a photo of a past relative who had made a difference in your life?
Although proana and promia have different goals, those people use the same method for inspiration and guidance as many typical people around the world. I think we should focus on the objective rather than their means. If overweight people can’t use an image of themselves for inspiration; that’s leaning towards censorship and freedom of speech.
thinspiration is extremely useful for me… it shows me just how I want to be.
but of course everyone will have different opinions.
I like reverse thinspo the best, I don’t feel as bad about myself and remember how I don’t ever wanna be again..
Wearing a cross will remind me how much Jesus hates me…
In all honesty, do we even have a choice about wether or not we want to look at thinspiration? I have had an ed of varying degrees for years and still cann’t lose the weight I put on whilst giving up smoking 2 years ago.
Everyone seems thin in the media. So, there you go, thinspiration wether you want it or not. Does it help me lose weight? No, it just makes me feel worse about myself.
thinspo has never done anything to fuel my disorder. sure, the models or whoever look great, but have never made me want to purge or starve. i’ve been bulimic for over five years and not once has an image caused any change in my disorder other than making me feel uglier.
I think calling it demeaning is incorrect, in my opinion. Obviously your entitled to yours. I don’t get the feeling from it that anyone who looks at thinspo is supposed to be made to feel discusting or of less-worth then those in the pictures, if those viewing it have low self asteam they might… I don’t. To me it is useful.
I don’t hate myself now nor do I absolutely love my body, I just need to lose weight to be healthier and obviously being slim is more attractive then my overweight frame now. Hense why all actresses and models are slim…no matter what anyone says about it, no one wants to see an overweight woman, even a little bit chubby woman prancing about in a movie or showing their lumps and bumps on a catwalk. That would ruin the illusion, the fantasy even. If I was of a healthy BMI I would be a size 10/8… yes some people you see in thinspo are smaller then their healthy weight. If I was a size 8 though, I’d be concidered the most healthy I could be, via doctors, and could probably sit next to some of those thinspo models and not be too far off them! Seeing images of women who have thin bodies simply encourages me not to eat that danish pastry brought in the office or to have diet coke at lunch instead of regular…to achieve my goals.
I’m fed up a little of all this, celebrate normality and womans curves etc…yes, curves are good..but the women displayed and talked about in this arguement are normally overweight or even obese! You know, currently the average size in the UK is a 16, most women of that size would be at the top end of the Overweight section of a BMI chart!! These are the women to be celebrated?? Thats just as unhealthy as someone who eats less then 900 cals a day to maintain a size 6 body, but they are critised. I say stop the critism and help those who need it.
I like thinspo, I am a size 16 and concidered Obese. It helps me. Encourages me.
Help the girl who’s taken it too far and has a ED, but don’t critise something that has been previlant as a weight-loss tool for countless years!
I see how they use it on xanga as support http://celebritythinspo.xanga.com/