Thinspiration is a term that is used to describe the sort of inspiration in people, in particular women use to trigger their eating disorders and to keep themselves motivated to eat less, purge more and generally do whatever it is that they do to become or remain thin.
According to Dina L.G. Borzekowski, EdD, of Johns Hopkins, and colleagues there are websites that encourage teens to continue their eating disorders by way of Thinspiration. Thinspiration is typically in the form of ‘Thinspo’ – ultra thin women and oaths and pledges that one is required to take to be true to the cause of Ana (Anorexia) and Mia (Bulimia).
These websites form communities that are interactive and offer encouragement to users to post their photos, artwork as well as comments.
There is also the feeling that these are somehow ‘exclusive’, in that everyone cannot hope to have a eating disorder that you are somehow fortunate if you do have one!
Where these sites are really sinister is that they also give suggestions on how to develop eating disorders and even offer “tips and techniques with suggestions and strategies to achieve rapid weight loss and even hide one’s eating disorder from concerned parents and friends.”
