Stories Of Grief, Of Hope and Of Extreme Courage:
The World Of Ana Through Original Creative Works
I'm in the midst of writing a number of short stories about both sides of the eating disorders epidemic that is stronger now than it has ever been, and quite frankly, I am distressed and even angry about this unfortunate state of affairs. Childhoods are being interrupted by the spectre starvation, as forteen-year-old girls and boys feel they are overweight and unappealing. Driven by their constant quest for control and perfection, these youngsters are putting their lives at risk in order to resemble their favourite celebrities, many of whom have disturbingly whittled down their bodies to the point where thinness is "next to Godliness" and something for which to strive. Putting more emphasis on physical appearance, to the detriment of looking a certain way has wreaked havoc, as distraught parents watch their beloved children denying themselves food and the comforts of life that come when one is healthy and happy.
There are virtually no legitimate anorexics who insist that starvation and the relentless pursuit of emaciation make them feel good about themselves. Sure, the initial euphoria the body exhibits at the beginning of the food denial part of the eating disordered individual is actually a pleasant feeling. But, this comfortable buzz is shortlived, as the body gets into the downward spiral of starvation. It takes more than it gives.
Some of you might think that this site is contradictory in its examination of the anorexic phenomenon. After all, I am addressing those who view eating disorders as a positive thing, yielding all manner of perks. After all, what teenage girl doesn't want to look like painfully thin celebirities. And what better way to honour their adoration of the Lindsay Lohans and Nicole Richies that smile broadly from every fan magazine, Internet celebrity blogs and from gigantic movie screen than to take pains to resemble them. The ideal, bodywise, is to subscribe to the adage that to be thin is to win and to get fat isn't all that. Okay, that attempt at poetry is quite lame, but I'm certain you know of what I speak.
The stories I am writing run the gamut from the much-balleyhood "pro ana" faction and the belief that eating disorders are real illnesses and must be curtailed before they claim lives.
Not everyone is ready to begin the recovery process. So denying these individuals' wishes to pospone medical intervention and further explore the world of anorexia and bulimia on their own would be unfair and even meanspirited. Likely, the reason that Geocities has not pulled down my site is because I am balancing the pro ana movement with the pro recovery one. And as I have stated already, there will be no tips and/or tricks for young people to seek out assistance on how to kill themselves on this site. That is most assuredly NOT a responsible and sane thing to do. So those looking for step-by-step methods of hiding anorexia from parents so they can waste away in solitude will have to visit strictly pro ana websites.
The novel I am busy working on concerns itself with the world of the Internet, with all of its glory and its shame. I am writing as somone who has been online since early 1995 and who has encountered unimaginitive emotional abuse, while in the process of exploring the good and the bad that present themselves in the seemingly innocent art of web-surfing. There are dozens and dozens of online perils such as cyber-stalking, the potentally lethal relationship once forges with sociopathy and psychopathy of those who weild emotional axes and delight in manipulating and terrorizing unsuspecting cybernauts, all from the safety and anonymity of the impersonal computer monitor that renders everyone faceless and anonymous. Therefore, my method of of showcasing both the healthy and the unhealthy as it pertains to the electronic age will be explored and analyzed.
I am putting up two chapters on this site, because they both deal with the unsettling and somewhat frightening world of self-starvation and denial and also, hammering home the reality that your computers might be making us all sick.
