The picture of a young model – just skin and bones- an image Meggie Sexton stared at every day, for years as a teenager.
“My screen saver on my computer use to be a picture of a very emaciated woman, but at the time I thought she was perfect…I just became obsessed….and when you see it every day you think that’s the ideal and normal and it’s not,” said Sexton who battled an eating disorder as a teenager.
Thinspiration: Ellie’s Point Of View
The already thin track star in high school loved the thrill of competition and wanted to be lighter, thinner and faster. Sexton found everything she wanted to know about losing weight online, but also discovered a dark, dangerous world of so-called pro-anorexia websites that reveal pictures of emaciated girls, extreme dieting advice, and even encourage girls to starve themselves to be thin.
“I sincerely think I lost seven years of my life to an eating disorder,” said Sexton who’s dieting turned into a full-blown eating disorder by college.
“What these websites do is lure them in, pull them in,” said Nichole Wood-Barcalow, a psychologist who specializes in treating eating disorders at The Center for Balanced Living in Columbus, where she is the Director of Outpatient Services.
As we head into swimsuit season, more people seek out diet and fitness advice to lose weight and get in shape, and come across these websites often called “pro-ana” and “thinspo” short for pro-anorexia and thin-inspiration.
“Over time if it takes a hold and has a significant impact, it can result in undesirable behaviors….extreme dieting, obsessive or compulsive exercise, trying to change the body to increase self acceptance…they will do whatever it takes,” said Wood-Barcalow who told NBC4’s Ellie Merritt that there is no shortage of these pro-ana websites, blogs and apps for smartphones.
The images of the ideal body are often under-weight, even emaciated young girls with features like a “bikini bridge” and “thigh gap.”
“Definitely having a flat, concaved stomach…having what’s considered a thigh-gap where there is no touching between the thighs,” said Wood-Barcalow sharing what is considered to be the ideal body type profiled on these websites.
It can be like playing with fire….a slippery slope into a deadly eating disorder.
National Eating Disorder Association
Sexton is a survivor after going through treatment for her eating disorder. She’s an example that recovery is possible, and speaks out sharing her story, hoping to warn others about the dangers of eating disorders.
Sexton is healthy, married, the proud mother of a young son, and the author of “To the Moon and Back: A Daughter/Mother Journey of Eating Disorder Recovery.”
“Your health and your happiness are so much more important than a couple of pounds,” said Sexton.
