“Spit it out.” Exhorting users to regurgitate the food they eat as a way to starve themselves, the Pro-Anorexia community has recently faced an uptick in membership across social media platforms such as Twitter. Mainly consisting of women in their 20s, this grotesque movement heralds anorexic behaviors. Indeed, as users share their journey towards their rather unsustainable and life-threatening weight loss goals, they are applauded and congratulated by many, rendering it similar to a cult.

Pro-Anorexia, otherwise known as the “Pro-ana” movement, supports the rather life-threatening eating disorder, as the title itself suggests. On Twitter, these movements have gained much traction, with websites and online communities offering a guidebook of horrors to their members on how to starve oneself for inordinate periods of time. One anonymous user wrote that the maximum fasting period was 10 days based on his personal experience, recommending his users to drink two liters of water a day to deal with constipation.

Though users seem to be aware of the dangers that come with anorexia – pancreatitis, bone loss, and even death – they are willing to endure these consequences if it means they can achieve the beauty ideal of skinniness. One account operator dismisses criticism, noting how “sad it is to see that the same society which promotes skinniness also criticizes the Pro-ana method.” This statement has much merit, especially in nations like South Korea, where dieting culture is heavily ingrained in its citizens.

Indeed, bombarded with images of K-pop idols who are underweight and with advertisements promoting dieting supplements, women and men alike grapple with beauty ideals. Moreover, there seems to be an emphasis on looks, with those who are more attractive more likely to land a job. According to a study carried out on the job portal Saramin, over 90% of 760 companies surveyed required a photograph, with 34% of the 312 human resources managers accounting for appearances in their recruitment — the implication here being that the more attractive one is, the better. Indeed, applicants often airbrush their photos, removing any blemishes and slimming down their jaws to appear more attractive. In this way, it is understandable why individuals strive for skinniness, especially in a nation where beauty is accounted for, even if small in degree, in the workplace.

Thus, as all cultural shifts require, it will take significant time for beauty ideals to change. What social movements fighting anorexia can do in the meanwhile is to recognize individuals’ desire to be skinny and provide appropriate health guidelines for losing weight. Indeed, instead of promoting a “you’re beautiful” mindset that completely discourages weight loss, social movements can set realistic standards of weight loss per weight category and provide thorough recommendations, equipping users with healthy eating habits and exercise so as to foster healthy ways of losing weight.

Moreover, social media corporations such as TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter all have their own roles to play. Tech companies must invest more time and effort into removing pro-anorexia content, altering their algorithms which often fail to consider the moral consequences of the kinds of content they recommend (e.g., if one enjoys watching potentially harmful content, the algorithm will provide it). In this way, social media corporations must provide recourses when such harmful content is being sought. For example, Pinterest has blocked self-harm pins, showing users a list of well-being exercises instead.

Thus, to reiterate, the point of the article is not to suggest that anorexia is acceptable but to acknowledge the desire to be skinny. Instead of decrying skinniness, it is worthy to note these Pro-ana users’ desires, providing realistic expectations for weight loss as well as healthy weight loss methods. After all, hasn’t everyone wanted to be skinny at some point?