What does it mean? Pro-ana stands for pro-anorexia and pro-mia for pro-bulimia. The phrases are in reference to websites that advocate eating disorders as a lifestyle choice or encourage people to avoid treatment or gain ideas about how to maintain their disorder. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, such websites have been in existence since the internet started, but they have grown significantly in recent years and are now available on social networking sites.
Another word used in this context is thinspo, an abbreviation of thinspiration, which refers to pictures of very thin women that some girls with eating disorders use as inspiration.
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