Becoming A Member of A Secret Society

Gaining access into the Pro ANA community is not as tricky as it may seem. In fact, you are not even required to medically be diagnosed with an eating disorder. That being said, of course you do have to have an eating disorder in some capacity. The only requirement is to accept your eating disorder as a lifestyle.

Which is to say that you choose to continue your eating disorder without actively trying to recover. Although, recovery never holds a negative connotation. In fact most websites have at least one link that offer information on recovery. In chat rooms and forums, should you mention that you are recovered, you get support for the path that you choose. In this way, gaining access into these communities is incredibly simple.

I was able to gain access for this project.  It was not neaarly as difficult as I feared.  Although I do not actually identify as Pro ANA, it was assumed that I  did.  It is not expected that anyone be involved in the chat rooms otherwise.  In fact, in the several weeks I spent there no one entered the chats unless to conviene with other members to talk about Pro ANA.

Below is a clip from a chat room I enrolled myself into. A few faithful members, who know each other by their own nicknames, were speaking of a fast they are going to start. You'll see another member ask about her recovery, and hope that she does well in recovery. This a a mannerism that would not be expected in these online communities, because at face value they appear only self-destructive.  However, this overwhelming support is an example of how easy it is to join this community.  This member is recovered, and they support her and accept her as Pro ANA regardless.  This could be thought of as "Once Pro ANA, always Pro ANA".

Now the question remains, is this a good thing or a bad thing? That is ultimately left for you as an audience to decide throughout this blog. In one aspect, these websites offer a safe haven of support for young people who suffer from eating disorders. In another aspect, they often breed self-destruction with the content offered on the websites, such as thinspiration. Also, the chat rooms and forums are filled with people encouraging Pro ANA members to continue their dangerous disordered lifestyle, and membership is almost too easy to gain.