Abstract
“Pro-Anorexia” refers to the endorsement of anorexia nervosa; advocated as a lifestyle choice and not a disease, proponents create or visit websites that act as a resource for anorexic individuals who wish to decrease caloric intake, purge, conceal symptoms, be inspired by photo galleries and quotes, etc. The purpose of the proposed study is to assess the effects of viewing pro-anorexia websites on participant’s self-esteem, body image, weight perception, and perceived attractiveness. A content analysis of ten existing pro-anorexia websites was conducted in order to determine the most common components of these websites. Using that information a prototypical pro-anorexia website was created by the author, as was a control website on the topic of interior design. The study aims to compare the affect, self-esteem, perceived weight and perceived attractiveness of those who view the pro-anorexia website to those who view the control website; the ultimate goal of this proposed study is to examine whether viewing pro-anorexia websites is detrimental in any of those four measures.