Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Say no to anorexia campaign


Every now and then this anti-anorexia campaigns come up who are promoting a healthy size and are trying to fight the pro-ana websites. A good thing one might say, but every time I come across these adds, this huge rage inside me rises and all I can think is: 'You campaign-makers have no idea what this whole disease is about!'

 When I read the title of the campaign 'say no to anorexia' I'm wondering how you can say no to a psychological disease! I have seen campaigns who tell you to say no dementia or cancer, but these are campaigns that support people who are suffering from them.
What happens with the anorexia campaign is that these is absolutely no compassion towards people who are actually suffering from anorexia.
I think by now most of us know that anorexia or any eating disorder of its kind is not about how thin you are. Becoming thin is one of the physical and visible outcomes of the disease, but in the end it is all about control or a coping mechanism.

So I would say, at least change the name of the campaign 'say no to pro-ana or thinspiration' but even then would this help? Would this add scare people off from pro-ana? I highly doubt so. These girls (or boys) want to look like the real-life models they see in pictures (which most of the time are photoshoped) who look glamorous and not like sketches.

To keep young people away from the pro-ana sites, I would say, focus on the issues they are facing (insecurity) and try to emphasize on it and put a positive spin on it. The Dove campaign which focuses on the beauty of each individual and which tells you that size does not matter!


My final message to those campaigns is: get your research right before you publish these kind of campaigns. To everybody who calls sometimes calls someone an anorexic: do some research about the disease to know what you're talking about. And if you still don't understand, experience it to finally know what it is about.
And finally to everybody who glamorises being thin: one day you will find out how much you have been fucking up your body and that life is so much bigger and more beautiful than that piece and size of flesh and bones you're longing for.

1 comment:

  1. The photographs you show are quite interesting, but you are right I don't think it is the best approach to help or to raise awareness. As for the dove commercial, I loved it :)

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