Thinspiration Discussion

Thinspiration (or thinspo) are pictures of thin girls and women posted on proanorexia websites to 'motivate' and 'inspire' anorexics to lose weight. Pictures include naturally slim people, anorexics, celebrities, models, photoshop manipulated images (manipulated to make the person look thinner than they really are), thin boys and men (for the minority of pro-anorexic males) and reverse thinspo (pictures of obese people to remind anorexics of what they don't want to be). 
There is also a subtype of thinspiration where pictures of different things are used, such as animals or food, and also motivational quotes, lyrics and poems.

The concept that thinspo motivates anorexics to lose weight is quite bewildering to the majority of anorexics because they're mindset is so strong they wouldn't even consider eating anything they'd regret. The only exception being binge-eating, but that is often uncontrollable. An anorexic is usually so fearful of weightgain that she struggles to eat normally, and has to motivate herself to eat, not to resist eating. 
It is therefore a generalisation that thinspo is only used by extreme dieters who visit proanorexic sites, because dieters do need motivation, especially when on an extreme starvation diet. 1 in 4 college-age girls uses inappropriate methods of weight-control (starvation, laxatives, purgeing, etc), and obsession with weight/food is extremely common, so many people believe they have an eating disorder when in fact they may not. These extreme dieters are often labelled 'wannarexics' in proanorexic communities.

Despite thinspo generally not being used for motivational purposes by anorexics, anorexics often still view the images anyway for other reasons:
- the girls displayed in the images are often a combination of very attractive, happy, popular, romantically melancholy (being sad and/or suicidal has become glamorous and somewhat fashionable; this is probably due to people who get praised for doing amazing things often have difficult backgrounds, and it implies a person is 'deep' and thoughtful), interesting, healthy-looking and glamorous. These images fool an anorexic into believing her anorexia will make her acquire these traits, and if she does come to the realisation that it is false she may continue to view the images as an escape from the harsh reality of her life.
- they find the bodies of other people fascinating to look at.
- they find the images aesthetically pleasing (anorexics are often very creative) because thinness is their idea of perfection and beauty.
- to look at fashion - pictures of models, celebrities and rich fashionable girls are included in thinspo.
- to challenge themselves to become thinner than the thinspo girls (anorexics tend to be highly competitive and perfectionist).

 anorexia = happiness
 anorexia = attractive

 anorexia = popularity

 anorexia = romance/melancholy

 anorexia = healthy-looking

 anorexia = glamourous
 anorexia = fashion

 anorexia = competition

These associations people make with the images can of course be very harmful, especially if the associations are genuinely believed, which is quite possible due to the glamorisation of thinness and anorexia in the media.
Anorexics tend to have a very obsessive nature and it is not uncommon for anorexics to become obsessed with thinspo and proanorexic sites. Over time the anorexics perception of a normal body may change, and thinner and thinner bodies become acceptable to her due to the continuous viewing of these images, coupled with the social isolation many anorexics face. This then reduces their self-esteem and may in turn make them sicker.
Thinspo damages the perception of others too. It makes people who do not have anorexia see the disease as glamorous, beautiful and interesting, and come to believe anorexics are vain and genuinely motivated by these images. This is a huge factor in 'wannarexia'.

There then becomes a tendency for all people to forget the harsher realities of anorexia which are not displayed in picture (and therefore more memorable) form:
 force-feeding

 sickness

 death

 the impact on loved ones

 hospitals

 loneliness

pain, anxiety, confusion, depression, loss, medications, lanugo, hunger... the list could go on a long time, and these associations are real. The ugliness of many anorexics appearance is rarely included - body hair, bloating, palor, bruises and sores.

There is often a impact upon the people whose photos are used as thinspiration. People don't tend to want to think that their appearance makes someone elses self-esteem suffer, and rarely want to be an image associated with the proanorexia movement.
Keira Knightley often appears in thinspiration and gets blamed in the media for many body image problems and eating disorders, when Keira claims she is naturally slim and want to gain weight to escape the blame.

 a popular thinspo image of Keira Knightley
Pictures of anorexics who are very sick or who have died are included in thinspiration images, and this can be extremely distressing for them and their loved ones.
Those whose pictures are displayed as reverse thinspiration are at risk of feeling extremely hurt due to their pictures use.