I was 16 years old the first time I came across a pro-anorexia website, covertly looking at the web page in case my parents came in. Dozens of images flooded the screen—girls in underwear with jutting clavicles, the skin over their ribs stretched taut. Pictures of A-list celebrities and nameless models alike were plastered across a variety of other pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites. The websites fawned over these women, labeling them as “thinspiration,”or “thinspo,” for short. The forums proclaimed anorexia and bulimia were lifestyles and provided tips on how to lose weight.
