I just received this comment, in fact, and I do think the author of it makes some intriguing points (even if I don’t necessarily agree with her):

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!

Now, my only concern really is this whole “numbers” game.  Is a size 16 obese, even if a BMI chart says it is?  Is a size 2 or 4 or 6 ”perfect” even if Hollywood says it is? 

I suppose I can see using thinspiration to lose weight — healthfully.  But once you’ve lost the weight, do you feel better about yourself?  Or are you always striving to get just a little smaller?  I remember that slippery slope well… if I could lose two pounds, why not three?  Then four… then five… then…

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.  Perhaps I am too harsh regarding the whole thinspo debate?  Or maybe I’m not harsh enough.

Post from: Blisstree

And the debate about thinspiration carries on…

Have you heard of these sites?  What’s your opinion?  Can you be pro-thinspo (i.e., want to be super skinny) without having an eating disorder?

Post from: Blisstree

Pro-ana and pro-thinspiration — the same or different?

Today, Deceiver’s uber bloggers are kvetching about Victoria Beckham.  She’s claiming that it hurts her to have people say she’s abusing (or using in any form) diet pills. 

I’m not sure where to start with that one.

First of all, the woman is obviously too thin for her frame.  As one of Deceiver’s commenters pointed out, she has a “Pez Head” look (i.e., her body is much too small for her face.) 

(I had to chuckle wryly at this one — I don’t know that the “Pez Head” analogy is a very scientific indicator of anorexia, but it’s something I have noticed myself when looking at pics of ana’s victims.)

Secondly, she advocates eating barely anything.  She wants to be a role model?  How about NOT starting by basically saying, “Girls!  You can look like me just by starving your bodies!”

Finally, I just think she’s a bit of a loon.  I really believe she doesn’t have a clue, just a terrible body image. 

Okay.  Let me have it, all you Post Spice supporters!

Post from: Blisstree

Deceiver calls out Victoria Beckham for the thinspiration she’s become

But I’m starting to wonder if “thin” is still “in” the way it once was?

When I look through many women’s mags, I notice that the models are lean, but not scrawny.  Typically, they look pretty fit rather than pretty deathly.

Is this a new trend?  Has thinspiration started to slowly change to “fit-spiration”?

Post from: Blisstree

Is “thin” still in?

Thinspiration — also known as “thinspo” — is all over the Internet.  Really, if you want to find it, you can do so with a few simple keystrokes.

As the Breaking the Mirror blogger, I find myself regularly investigating images and videos that could be considered “thinspo” in the name of investigation.  But some nights, like this evening, I’ve had to deliberately stop looking at them even though I’ve found some provocative stories that I’d love to share with readers.

You see, if I’m to be perfectly frank (and I don’t think you’d want it any other way), those thinspo pics still have the ability to send me into a bit of a panic. 

As a 36-year-old woman, I recognize that the photos are horrible and I’d hate it if anyone I knew fell into the Ana/Mia trap.  But occasionally my mind reverts to a 16-year-old way of thinking and I find myself hating my body even more than I normally do.

It seems ridiculous that some of my thoughts when seeing pro-ana thinspiration include:  “Why didn’t I look like that when I was anorexic?” and “I wonder how fat I really seem to these pro-ana girls?”

Foolish thinking, but it goes to show you how sneaky Ana is — she can slyly remain in the background even when you think she’s gone.

Image:  Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

What does thinspo do to/for you?

I am kind of a blog statistics freak in that I love to see which Breaking the Mirror posts attract visitors time and again.

Consequently, I thought I’d share the top posts (as of today, May 31, 2008) by their month of origin:

May 2008:  Pro-Ana, Thinspiration, ED Stories — Break the Mirror Today! (went live 5/1/2008) 

April 2008:  In Mauritania, anorexics looking for love would be out of luck (went live 4/27/2008)

March 2008:  Is Adderall an Anorexic’s “Best Friend”?  (went live 3/16/2008)

February 2008:  The Challenge:  Fall In Love… with Yourself  (went live 2/1/2008)

January 2008:  If Renaissance Painters’ Muses Had Been Anorexic… (went live 1/14/2008)

December 2007:  “I know.”  (went live 12/21/2007)

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

A memory lane look at the most popular Breaking the Mirror posts

But I still had thinspiration.  It just came in the form of books and articles.

I’ve always loved to read and when I discovered there were fiction and non-fiction accounts of girls striving to be thin JUST LIKE I WAS, I greedily gobbled them up (instead of gobbling up food.) 

I learned a great deal from these thinspo devices… and what I came away with was not what the authors intended, I assure you.  In fact, books and magazines became my Ana bibles.  Certain passages have stuck with me to this day, and I often have to push them into the back of my head because they’re so embedded in my mind.

Ironically, images never really encouraged me to starve myself; however, the written word was powerful enough to help me get through many mornings when I felt faint from lack of nourishment.

Post from: Blisstree

My thinspiration, ’80s style

I’m not putting this here to offend anybody, so if you’re naturally thin, please know that I think you’re terrific.  I just think it’s ironic that so many non-ED people see Kate Moss as a “twig”, while those with EDs (and I would have included myself in this category once-upon-a-time) see her as thinspiration.

The photo is from Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures and I couldn’t resist sharing…

more cat pictures

Post from: Blisstree

If this is too snarky…

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?

Post from: Blisstree

Is “thinspiration” ever truly useful?

I came across an article on Zee News that suggests Indian actress Kareena Kapoor’s shrinking body is a kind of thinspiration to her colleagues/competition.  (Not familiar with Ms. Kapoor?  See previous Breaking the Mirror posts here and here.)

Says the Zee News Bureau (and remember that this is kind of tabloid-y material, so it’s certainly not gospel):

“…after the hot and sultry Kareena Kapoor flaunted her gorgeous size zero body in YRF’s ‘Tashan’, her contemporaries have taken notice of it… and are wanting to lose weight in desperation.”

But wait, there’s more:

“Vidya Balan…has… hired a special yoga instructor [and] a personal nutritionist appointed to get rid of that extra flab.  Balan, who has received enough flak for her supposed baby flab… is seriously looking at an image makeover.”

Wow.  I really thought Hollywood couldn’t be topped, but Bollywood seems to be well on its way to distorting women’s body images everywhere.

Post from: Blisstree

The Size Zero Domino Effect