More then 8 million American's suffer from an eating disorder. Of those girls and boys that deal with this disorder they have created a way to escape from the hatred of it and the "you are unhealthy" aspects. Over 93% of the images the media promotes are of very thin women. Pro Ana is a movement of empowerment among females and males that have an eating disorder and do not want to recover. Yahoo and five or six other web site providers have banned Pro Ana sites because the providers have misunderstand what it is and what it is for.

Pro Ana is a supportive site on the disease anorexia.These sites use personal gained knowledge about how to maintain their weight and their lifestyle without dying for it. In a quote from Ana's Underground Grotto, "You may not already know the difference between us rexies and anorexics! If you want sympathy for your "disease" you are anorexic. If you want respect and admiration for your lifestyle of choice, you are a rexi...Anorexics die, Rexies don't." This is a very common feeling amongst the Pro Ana sites. Their choice is to maintain the lifestyle of starvation, but to use their own self control to maintain their life and health. There are numerous lists of vitamins and the amount of calories you have to eat a day in order to maintain life and health, what to do if your period stops or if your hair begins to fall out. The people of Pro Ana do not encourage other girl or boys to get an eating disorder. The Pro Anas are often asked questions like, "How do I become Anorexic?" and are often answered with h harsh critisism and morality,such as the quote from My Ana, My Maker , My destoryer, "You don't f***ing get one! I curse the day I started on this path, but I can not get off, you don't want this, it'll kill you. You don't want one, this is not a diet, Be happy with who you are, Never let anyone tell you otherwise."

The media is the first thing to turn on Pro Ana when the media is one of the main causes and contributor of it. The media is a very important part of child's socialization process and it represents the American Ideal. The American ideal is that women are tall, with long legs and high manufactored breasts and arms that are sleek with no baggage. Every women that you see on television is rated by the pounds. On America's most popular show, "American Idol" a girl was told by the manager "You need to lose a few pounds, you're chunky", this girl looked to be about 135 lbs in weight, not very heavy, but the message was sent. This message is delivered by all kinds of media and even toys, the most well known toy, both for her controversy and just her wealth is Barbie. Barbie is a representation of the American Ideal, she is 6'0 and has nice long legs, perfect bust and perfect sleek arms. The media shoves more and more of the perfection of women down the public's throat and then in return the public decides it has to be more "beautiful". Pro Ana has a thing called "Thinsperation", long pages full of the most popular people in society today, and various supermodels, the Pro Anas use these pictures to remind themselves why they are not eating.

Pro Ana is a lifestyle choice which Pro Ana girls and boys have chosen and decided to follow. These websites do not encourage people to have this disorder and is only used as inspiration and as an out from all the grief they get during the day for being so. It is an escape for them to be with people who understand their thoughts and feelings and will help them encourage their lifestyle and maintain it. People are allowed to smoke cigerattes and there is a mandatory warning on each pack stating that it may cause cancer. There is a warning on each Pro Ana site stating that it may trigger the diease if the viewer is recovering from an eating disorder and that it is not for those who can not handle their choice of lifestyle. If people are allowed to smoke, drink, box and do other things that may harm themselves just as much or even worse than anorexia and the media and people allow commercials and websites that encourage such distructive behaviors and choices, why not Pro Ana?