Fight To Live Campaign
The campaign was started by Meg and a few of her friends in Norfolk, UK. She decided to set up the campaign in August 2007, after reading a magazine article about a new craze called "pro-ana" sites.
The 'pro-ana' (short for pro-anorexia) and 'pro-mia' (short for pro-bulimia) websites that we are campaigning against actively promote eating disorders as a "lifestyle choice".
These sites contain dangerous tips on how to: hide the illness from family and friends, how to "detox" your body by starving yourself and, worst of all, pictures of very thin girls entitled "thinspiration" that encourage sufferers to become dangerously thin.
After talking to many people, Meg was shocked to discover that most people's understanding of eating disorders was generally poor and ill informed.
So, in January 2008 Fight To Live staged its first event. We had a great deal of support from local businesses and media. In total, 4 bands played at the event and the costs of the venue, box office, tickets and printing were all donated by local businesses. We raised over £400 at this first event and donated 75% to B-eat (the UK's leading eating disorder charity, based in Norwich) with the other 25% going towards our funds for more merchandise etc.
In October 2010 Meg felt that, due to her studies at University and other commitments, she was not able to dedicate enough time to the campaign and had to temporarily put it on hold untill after her exams. However, now with Hannah's help, the campaign is up and running again.
Hannah believes strongly that young girls need to be made aware of the dangers surrounding eating disorders and when she found the Fight To Live Campaign she decided to become involved and help make a difference.
Together, Hannah and Meg look forward to staging more events and raising money to promote awareness of the problem and raise the profile of everything that the campaign stands for!
What are Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia sites?
Pro-ana and Pro-Mia sites promote the following dangerous information:
*Tips on how to hide the signs of anorexia and bulimia from friends and family
*Pictures of girls (called "thinspiration" - to encourage people to loose weight)
*A number of ways to punish yourself for eating and prayers to "Ana" (Anorexia)
*Quotes that encourage people to lose weight and starve themselves.
(Left: An example of "Thinspiration" posted on a Pro-Ana website)
The disturbing reality is that anyone can access these websites (though some sites do have a disclaimer warning that it contains adult content) and with more children than ever using the internet, both at home and in schools, something needs to be done. Fight To Live wants to make people aware of the dangers surrounding these sites.
