Pro-Ana Sites and the Horror of Thinspo

According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, it is estimated that nearly eight million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. In adolescents, anorexia is the third most common chronic illness. Though these odds are staggering, and though eating disorders carry the highest mortality rate among all mental illnesses, only one in ten people receive treatment for their condition.

Most say eating disorders have been around for years. Those people are correct. However, a recent surge of "pro-anorexia/bulimia" websites has people on edge.

"They tell girls that thin is pretty," Conway High sophomore Devon Conrad said, "It's a sadistic thing, but it's taking over those with eating disorders." She later added that it was "as bad as encouraging suicide."

She wasn't kidding. On one Webs.com page, belonging to "superskinnymini," the first picture on the page is a dangerously thin blonde, smiling and gracefully moving in a very lovely dress. The caption? "Thin, Thinner, Thinnest. Thinspiration." Farther down the page, a disgusting picture of five pounds of fat. "This is what five pounds looks like."

The page contains many pictures of thin women, most of which are scantily clad. This is a new craze known as "Thinspo." Thinspo is a term that can be used many ways. Most often, it describes pictures of exceptionally thin women, which are used by people with eating disorders as motivation for self-induced vomiting and the abuse of laxatives for weight loss (purging.) Thinspo is also used as motivation for simply not eating.

The most gruesome picture on the page is a back view of an extremely thin girl, with pro-anorexia slogans posted on it, such as "A pleasure to the lips adds pounds to the hips," "Thin has a taste all its own," and "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

After another web search, this time specifically for Thinspo, a LiveJournal, belonging to "my-ana-secret" turned up. This page is worse than the last. This one is kept by an anorexic girl in high school, who talks poorly of "Wannarexics," girls who want to lose weight but "do not have the willpower to be anorexic." One entry contains hundreds of the same motivational phrases seen on the other page.

Those who are trying to pull away from Thinspo are still faced with temptation. In Lady GaGa's song "Fashion," she says, "I live to be model thin. Dress me, I'm your mannequin." Lyrics like these aren't unusual, just like the airbrushed photos in magazines, though most companies pursue anorexic models to begin with.

While most are attempting to make it clear that eating disorders are a put-0ff, some are passive and "accepting of the inevitable."

"My girlfriend's bulimic," freshman Dustin Warnock said, "I accept it. I can't change it. I invited her over for Thanksgiving and helped her escape from the food. She purges often, I know, but I don't bother trying to change her habits. She'll grow out of it."

Statistics don't make this seem likely. With the high mortality rate, paired with the high cost for the few who do receive treatment, recovery doesn't seem likely. Still, something-fishy.org offers hope for many, if those suffering are willing to accept it. Conrad is an example of someone not looking for help.

"There's no point in trying to change me," Conrad commented, "I've tried to get help, and it was no use. So I'm not bothering to save myself. I have it, I'll live with it. If it kills me, I'll die pretty. Pretty, and thin."

"Never Taken" - The Rocker Sensation Sweeping Conway High

Never Taken, a local high school band, is quickly becoming popular. With a MySpace fanbase of over 600, the band's fame is spreading like wildfire. Still, it doesn't seem to phase the five Conway High students.

"Parker Weatherly is on bass, Luke Angelo covers vocals, Matt Harmon on drums, Francisco Robles on rhythm guitar, and I cover lead guitar," junior Daniel De Togni said, "We've been together a bit over a year and a half, now, and we've made it through fairly smoothly."

To go so smoothly, the band seemed serious about the music. This doesn't seem to be the case at all. "We're in it for the fun," De Togni commented.

"We aren't even playing many venues. We've been focused more on school as of late."

"The current goal," Weatherly said, "is to record a demo, and to get it out there. Getting your music out there is a vital step. Once that's down, we can start hitting new venues."

The band doesn't just set aside work time. They like to have a bit of fun, too.

"At one show, Luke [Angelo] had guys jump on the stage and dance with him. It was really funny. The whole band was laughing, and so was the crowd," De Togni said.

"It really was memorable," Weatherly agreed, "I think it was after that when the band really started to loosen up. We lost the stage fright and stopped worrying about trying to look good. We started to have fun with the music."

With all the excitement and popularity that comes with being a high school band, there seemed to be no shortage of inspiration.

"I think we are definitely influenced by things around us. You can find inspiration for writing all around you. I don't know about any specific people [that influence us,] but people's general lives are very influential. We are influenced by other's feelings towards certain things and just general living," Weatherly said.

Of course, some of this inspiration seems to be the fans.

"I don't feel disconnected from the fans. They come and talk to me all the time. I even get raided by girls!" Weatherly added, "They're great inspiration."

"Our lead singer, Luke [Angelo] likes to interact with the fans. He's a pretty fun guy," De Togni said.

Though currently not planning any shows, the band makes it clear that it all could change.

"We're editing right now, so all songs sound as good as our updated version of 'Hungry for Hand Grenades.' It'll mean a lot of work, but I'm sure we'll get through it eventually," Weatherly noted.

"Right now we're focusing on school," De Togni clarified, "and other things that shouldn't be important."

"For the Sleeping" Giving New Name to Hard Rock

"We are all like blood," For the Sleeping's lead singer Keyton Gill said, "and that's what we have that some bands don't."

Indeed, For the Sleeping breaks all the 'norms' of the hard rock music scene. With Patrick McGill on drums, Brandon Kalz and Josh "Bitz" Watkins on guitar, Ben Hughey on bass, and Gill on vocals, they might seem like your average high school band, but they're working to change the stereotypes against the rockers.

"Well, we just want to show people that hardcore music really isn't angry all the time," Gill said. "We always have a positive message to all of our songs, and we are here to show people that you can be a happy person and listen to heavy music. What I want people to draw from [our music] is that you really shouldn't put a stereotype on something before you actually try it."

Though they're in the game for changing people's perceptions, they're also in it for fun. The fans "are the greatest," and the band says that it's the fans that make the show. If the crowd gets involved, it really brings the guys out.

"Their music is so real," a Conway High School freshman commented. "They have a really strong fan base, and it's not surprising. Everyone can relate, in some way, to their music."

A strong fan base is no understatement. For the Sleeping's Facebook fan page lists 225 fans, and that doesn't count those who haven't added their page, or lack a Facebook. Compared to other bands, that makes for a pretty strong group.

Even though the performances bring them fame, Gill reveals that the band is as human as any of us.

"This band has turned my life around and is helping me right now. We are all extremely close. I know I'd help another band member if they were in my position, and this band has helped me." Gill said.

Though their last performance left fans craving more, For the Sleeping is ready to try again. The band is sixth of ten to play at Soundstage for the Support Your Scene Fest. The show starts at 5 pm on December 4th.

"Admission price is $10," Gill noted, "We want to thank the fans for being there for us, and helping us through the changes soon to come."

Biting: The Trend that Isn't.

According to radicalparenting.com, a site overseen by Vanessa Van Petten, hickeys have become a thing of the past. The new thing? Bite marks, and plenty of them, in new places over the body. Now, the "love bites" appear on the chest, just above cleavage, or on cheeks. This seems like some petty trend, spawned by Twilight or True Blood fans across the nation, but that may not be the case.

"I think the prep crowd has started into it because of the Twilight scene," a Conway High sophomore boy said, "That crowd started having bite marks when the 'Bite Me' shirts came out. It's a stupid book trend for them, and will fall out as soon as the books go under. For the underground scene, it's been around for years. It's nothing new. People are just noticing it now because of the vampire craze."

A survey went around this same high school. At random, five 'goth' students, five 'jocks,' five 'cheerleaders,' and five honor students were selected and polled about the "love brands." Seventeen of the twenty had bitten other students. Fourteen had been bitten, and all said they had "worn them with pride."

"I bite my friends," one junior girl said, "As soon as we're friends, I feel the need to mark them. Most of the time, we're hanging out and cuddling or acting stupid, but I just want to bite them. It makes them a part of my life, and I can always prove it." She went on to say it was "even better if they returned the favor."

This widespread trend must have a root. Some students blame the vampire craze, while some say it's a display of affection. Either way, students aren't covering them up. Is it really about domination? Love? A violent occult practice sweeping the nation? The possible causes have been debated until those arguing are blue in the face.

"People bite other people. It seems like something a two year old would do, and it is. The strangest part is that it seems to be for the same reason. The fight for dominance," a senior boy commented. "I always bite my girlfriends, sometimes as early as the first date, to show that I'm the dominant one in the relationship. If the chick has a dominant streak, she'll usually do the same thing back."

A freshman girl countered this, saying, "It's never about dominance. It's about caring. If you can show these marks, it means at least one person loves you. Most of the time, the bites scar, and never go away. It's like a mark of love."

"I got into it after I saw my other friends doing it," a senior girl admitted. "It was stupid at first, but something about it drew me in. It's not seen as normal, and there's a bit of mystery to it. Parents flip about little [stuff] like that all the time, so a bit of risk goes into it, too. It's almost addicting, especially if you break skin." She said it "heightens the intensity of the moment."

As this trend spreads, so does the concern of parents.

"My daughter has come home with marks before," a Conway mother said. "She tells me not to worry, but it makes me wonder where else those mouths have been."

"She's right to worry," her husband said, "It's not normal. None of this is normal. I mean, we did strange things without our parents knowing. We drank, smoked, and had sex. It was teenage life. It's still teen life today. Still, parents should worry. Now, it seems that love really does bite."