Cerulean Butterfly

[ellie]

Have you seen this website?! cerulean butterfly (http://www.ceruleanbutterfly.com)


I took dance and acted in a nearby theater for years and years, and I have seen a lot of girls with really bad eating disorders there. This one girl in my hip hop class was about 75 pounds, and probably 5'5". That's a pretty damn small girl. I was semi-bulimic for a little while when I was in 9th grade, but it was really just a call for attention and I saw a counselor for a little bit about it. I'm fine now, I'm 110 pounds and 5'6" and it's all good.

It scares me that some people care so much about being thin that they are willing to kill themselves over it. This Cerulean Butterfly person on that website idolizes skinny people, and even has a section called "Thinspiration". That's just sick. Idolizing Mary-Kate Olson and Lindsey Lohan for their acting skills is one thing, but idolizing them for becoming freakishly skinny is just sick.

I just wondered what y'all thought of this. I mean, this girl SOUNDS rational and sane, but yet she is killing herself by being anorexic, and even PROMOTING eating disorders and giving "helpful hints" to help others get skinnier and hide their problem.

I just want to give this girl a hug (or a cheeseburger!)

[Myrsilus]

Bulimia is a serious disorder that afflicts more people than you would think. Sadly, though, pressures to be beautiful make this a hard habit to break. Once it starts, it is very hard to stop.

My father currently has a girlfriend that is struggling with this. She is a model and the pressures to be thin are great. Sadly it is taking its toll as she is starting to damage her heart through the constant forced vomitting.

The only thing that can be done is counseling. Lots of it. And perhaps action by those that glorify this practice. I personally hope this dies down eventually. Sure humans will always strive to be accepted as beautiful or whatever else they must be seen as, but this extreme is far more harmful than it is beneficial.

[ChronoSphere]

Many a girl needs a sammich methinks. Its sad people do this to themselves. Maybe its my cultural background, but too-skinny girls look revolting to me.

[Benaire]

Its not cool to look too thin I find many asian girls look too thin. I watch alot of HK tv and its a real shame what they did to some real pretty women.

[akitaka]

Well...the only thing I can remark about is that she's making her own decision, for better or worse. The hatemail is uncalled for, I think. Natural selection is a curious thing, ain't it? I personally weigh 125 pounds and am 5'7''...and I don't even limit my portions. Funny how they say muscle weighs more than fat.
If it counts, I simple walk more, do random sit-up/push-up reps around the house, and throw kicking combinations whenever I feel like it :D I guess my point is that intake of food is not the way to build your body to the good stuff...it's physical effort, and often these people are simply trying to find an "easy' way to what they think is beautifle.
They can be as rational and medically knowledgeable as a doctor, but this is really a psychological thing that's being continuously tinkered with by the media, which in-turn influences a society to think in a certain, materialistic manner. It's totally selfish, I think.

[ellie]

My oldest sister is 5'7" and 100 pounds, but she eats a lot. Skinniness just runs in our family, I suppose.

But purposefully starving yourself, is just sad. I know some girls who follow the "2-4-6-8" diet. In which you eat 200 calories on day 1, 400 calories day 2, then 600 then 800, then start over. Some of them allow themselves to eat whatever they want on the 5th day before starting over with 200 calories. I would just HATE to live like that! There's too many rules to being anorexic. I like to eat when I want to! Plus, one starbucks mocha latte has like 500 calories, so there's no way I could do any of that craziness.

[koku]

why don't peple understand it's alot better to work on getting a faster metabolism so your body can burn off fat quickly. You know those people you hear about or friends that go, "Oh i pig out all the time. I can eat whaterver i want and I can't get fat!"

Yeah, those people. Alot of times it's genetics, but anyone can get closer to having their body work like that. One of the steps of that is EATING. When you diet or starve yourself, your body doesn't get used to burning off fat, and your metabolism get's slower, wich in the end just leaves you screwed.

Ah i'm not going to get into it but I have a very high metabolism and I just think ti's funny to watch all the people who want to lose weight do so by slowing theirs down and trying to do it by not eating. It's stupid, it's harder on you, and in the end a smart person can do it with eating so why the hell torture yourself??

k.

[akitaka]

I find it even more silly when people try to cleans their bodies by fasting; most of them really don't know HOW to do it properly. Next thing you know people are doing it for weight, and other are trying to disprove it because they think it has something to do with eating disorders. Screw television.

Also, gauging calories is redunant if you don't know how much energy you expend. Everyone's body is different. The same for carbohydrates. My point? Screw television. Fitness isn't a total physical thing; you have to feel good in the head, too.

[akitaka]

One of the steps of that is EATING. When you diet or starve yourself, your body doesn't get used to burning off fat, and your metabolism get's slower, wich in the end just leaves you screwed.

YES. There's a huge point that's missing from these type of people; they have no idea as to how badly they are braking their metabolism. In the end they just gain more weight, and the vicious cycle continues.

Instead of working their energy off they just limit it. Laziness.

[Myrsilus]

Indeed. More people should be focused on trying to become more healthy by engaging in fitness. Any kind would do. Their body would start demanding more and weight would not really be a problem. You all narrowed it down pretty well.

It is easier said than done, however. Manyople can't commit to such things like that. I know I had problems for a while trying to commit, especially with stress from school. It's not impossible, but it is hard.

[MaverickHL]

Yes, in most cases we are a creature of habit, once we start something it is difficult to break. Wheather that habit is good or bad, also from my observations it takes years to develop a good habit and only seconds to break it. This is true with a few things in our lifestyle.

[Myrsilus]

Yes, in most cases we are a creature of habit, once we start something it is difficult to break. Wheather that habit is good or bad, also from my observations it takes years to develop a good habit and only seconds to break it. This is true with a few things in our lifestyle.
Yeah, it's a sad fact of life. Which is why many people that go to those measures to become thin are hospitalized. It tears up the throat and hurts the heart, so they're slowly killing themselves.

Basically if the process brings results quickly, you won't want to stop usually. Like drugs, alcohol, and vomitting. Working out and developing an ideal body can take months, maybe a year. Even more if you're a perfectionist. Many people just give up.

[belladonna]

i am considered tiny by my family and my friends... to me i'm really not that small.... i'm 5'1" and 120 lbs... i eat pretty much whatever but i keep stuff rationed and i tend to run around a lot and exercise in weird sporadic activities... i especially don't like people that do that to them selves because a few months ago i got sick and lost 11lbs in 2 weeks... not good....

[Myrsilus]

I'm in the same boat. A lot of my family and friends are actually much bigger than me. I'm around 5'5 if I can remember correctly... and I weigh much less due to my build. I really don't gain or lose weight easily, though, even if I am ill.

Starting to exercise is very hard to do, but when you keep with it and start seeing the gains, it becomes a whole different story. I remember when I was really, really thin... I still am rather lean, but I can't change that. I started building muscle and running, and soon enough I began to develop muscle. I felt so proud that I never stopped again.

I believe women should exercise more as a means of dealing with weight. I find a healthy, toned woman to be very attractive.

[Jay]

Heh, I like the caution pop-ups when you first load the site. :D

[Y.T.]

Survivors claim that they did not feel hungry.. and that
they thought they were too fat. I kind of had problems
with my weight, because I was not really interested in
food. Had to be reminded to eat.
Never anorectic, just thin. When I was a kid, (12-13) I could make
some people sick by sucking in my belly.
They claimed they felt sick.. also
my waist circumference then was around..
15-25 cm.

I read about a study that debunked the link between
image and anorexy. That it also happens among
primitive tribes where is not much emphasis on thinness.

[Myrsilus]

Survivors claim that they did not feel hungry.. and that
they thought they were too fat. I kind of had problems
with my weight, because I was not really interested in
food. Had to be reminded to eat.
Never anorectic, just thin. When I was a kid, (12-13) I could make
some people sick by sucking in my belly.
They claimed they felt sick.. also
my waist circumference then was around..
15-25 cm.

I read about a study that debunked the link between
image and anorexy. That it also happens among
primitive tribes where is not much emphasis on thinness.
Smaller people always get more attention than they wish for. I know I did.

There are other theories that explain anorexia, but it does not change the fact that women in industrialized nations do it mainly to get thin. They aren't born to do it or anything like that. Problem is most people that go to these extremes are actually addicted to the practice. It becomes just like a drug, or like breathing for them - they need it to survive comfortably.

[MissTeenOhio]

Hi! I think that the Cerulean Butterfly site is horrible. I wish that we were able to shut it down. It is encouraging girls to stay in their eating disorders, like it is something to be proud of.

I suffered from Anorexia Nervosa for 4.5 years. Since I am fully recovered, I am working to help others reach health and happiness again too. I created a website that offers support, warning signs, treatment links, advice, prayers, a way to contact me, and much more. I counsel victims of EDs, anxiety, and depression, and their families via email, IM, and phone. If you have an ED or know someone with one, please visit my site at www.BriaRoberts.com .

I wish everyone the best. God bless!
Love
Bria

[DarkFire168]

I feel bad for that girl. Did you see all that hatemail she got? It's one thing if you're like a Nazi or something, but this girl is just misguided.

[Arctic_Slicer]

You guys are just finding out about this website? This site has been one of the most controversial websites for some time. She is a total dumbass who obviously have no respect for her own life or anyone elses. Hell, I imagine there are more cases of people dying from "tips" from such websites than people who are exposed to "Violent" video games.

Of course on the possitive side people like her end up removing themselves from the gene pool by either making themselves too thin to concieve a child or by killing themselves.

[Scarletdeath]

Some people can't help but stay thin. I'm 5'8 and about 125lb and i can eat a cow. Physician told me that my metabolism is a little too high so i can't get fat no matter what.

People who can't stay thin shouldn't force themselves on diet. They just feels that fat=ugly, which alot of jerks prove it right when it's untrue. So much that their priority for their looks is more important than their health.

They should practice other alternatives like healthy food and working out. For lazy people even, all you need to do is walk alot. Walking can burn more calories than you might think. I once read a report on activities that burns calories fast, first was swimming, and walking was 2nd or 3rd.

[CNagy]

I find the whole Pro-Ana thing hilarious; the claim that some of these girls hold that anorexia is a life-style choice and not a problem.

Slight point to refute some of the stuff that has been said: eating more to get your body out of starvation mode and working off weight doesn't work when you are underweight and malnourished. If these girls ate more and worked out, they'd gain weight. That's not what they want, so starvation is their answer.

[Scarletdeath]

Well, to refute back, I did say healthy food and walking. Healthy food prevents excessive calories and walking won't get you tired till you crave more food.

[CNagy]

Healthy food and walking will still make a malnourished little girl gain weight. It's about goals. Healthy food and walking will eventually put you at a healthy weight for your height (assuming you don't undereat or extremely overwalk, and don't have a hyperactive metabolism.) These girls don't want to be at a healthy weight; that, to them, is fat.

The quickest way to crash diet would be a bodybuilder's precontest diet. I won't detail it here because, while healthy, it can be abused, but they go through short periods of protein only and then return to carbs shortly when their body would otherwise go into conservation mode.

[Idlethought]

Heres what i dont understand. How can you NOT love food? I mean shit, BBQ ribs alone are fucking gifts from god. FUCKING GIFTS FROM GOD. like seriously, the flavor, just melts in your mouth and....::drools::

...
what was i saying. oh yes food. and then you have your rice, which goes with just about anything. and cant forget potatoes which are little nuggets of joy, and pasta which is just beautiful. hell i love all carbs. and chicken, chicken which can become anything your heart desires. and your vegetables which complete the perfect meal. god. sometimes I wonder how im only 150 pounds lol HEIL METABOLISM!

[more cheerios]

" This site has gotten a lot of exposure because of the TIME magazine article that came out this week. Which, for me, translates into an inbox and guestbook riddled with angry messages: insults, accusations, and lawsuit threats.

I cried myself to sleep last night.

I'm only human, you know. Why do you think it's okay to try to hurt and scare me? If you're here, you must know that I have an eating disorder and struggle with self-injury. I'm a fucked-up, rather fragile kid with a lot of self-doubt and self-hatred. I take criticism too seriously and all the hugs and support in the world can't take the sting out of some of the things that have been said to me by people on this site.

Please, just realize that, just as my words have the power to make you angry or sad, your words have same power to hurt me. I'm not saying you have to like me or my site or what I have to say, but for chrissakes... I'm a human being. Not a punching bag. "

Oh boo hoo, poor you, you stupid bitch. This girl needs to delete her site and move on with her life. She is clearly struggling, but glorifying her problem is not going to help her. She's being stupid and ignorant.

[Scarletdeath]

These girls don't want to be at a healthy weight; that, to them, is fat.


I know about body builder's precontest diets. I have a body building friends. Belive me, the food he takes everyday, hell, every morning would make me puke. I won't state it here incase someone tries it out. Long term of that.. is bad for health.

And that thing you said, didn't cross my mind at all. That is just twisted.

Anyway ,there's only one way to counter these social issues. like what I always do: Don't act like I care and don't give a fucking damn unless it involves me.

[CNagy]

Like any subset of diets, there are healthy and unhealthy ones. So that there is a distinction between what I am talking about and what you are talking about, I'll go ahead and detail the precepts. It doesn't involve unhealthy food or unhealthy eating.

For two days, you have low or no carbohydrates. This means protein, be it in meat form, shake form, whatever. It takes about 2 days for a body to go into a real conservation mode, on average, so for these two days you are burning off what you would normally burn off normally plus exercise. The protein keeps you from cannabalizing your own muscles.

On the third day, when you'd normally start undergoing the full effects of the body's tendency to conserve when it isn't getting carbs, you have carbs with every meal. Rice, potatos, whatever. This effectively kicks the body out of conservation mode and gives you another 2 days or so to burn off excess fat by once more restricting or eliminating carbs.

We aren't talking raw eggs, or crazy food of any sort, here. Egg white omelets, ground turkey, lean ground beef, chicken (hell, you could even barbeque it,) etc.

Obviously, you don't turn this into a lifestyle. You do this until you reach an ideal body fat % and then maintain it. Also, you take a multivitamin to take care of all the different things you miss while on the diet. In the long run, it's perfectly healthy.

[Scarletdeath]

I think my friend needs to see this.. He mainly takes raw eggs with some god-knows-what protein shakes, which is really lack of nutritions for him. He eats very little carb at these times as well. And he prefer not to take multivites before contests. Says he don't want to eat the wrong stuff that bans him from it.

[more cheerios]

Low carb works really well, believe it or not. :)
People bash it because they say it's a 'fad diet'. 'Fad diet' or not, if you follow the correct diet plan, it's a perfectly healthy diet.

[DarkFire168]

Yeah, but too much low carb dieting can damage your liver and cause thyroid problems though. It's all about moderation.

Also, MC, come on now, calm down. The girls who use that site have just as much of a choice as she does. It's not her fault. Everyone goes around pointing the blame stick, well ya know what? If the parents would monitor their children better, and give them positive and realistic self-esteem, then there wouldn't be this problem.

[Alphonse v.2]

So what exactly happened to exercising? I mean I bet you can a lot of weight faster with exercise and a lot less determination then with starving yourself.

[Idlethought]

i love food too much to starve myself

[Jon885]

I disagree with people starving themselves but I found the "negative calorie" food section to be very helpful.

[CNagy]

So what exactly happened to exercising? I mean I bet you can a lot of weight faster with exercise and a lot less determination then with starving yourself.

Generally, they both starve themselves and exercise. It is extremely dangerous, because without excess fat to burn the body starts to burn muscle, and when enough muscle is depleted the heart, itself a muscle, will experience a thinning in its walls as it is cannabalized.

[moo]

I think that it is a horrible thing for anyone to starve themselves and/or force themselves to throw up. I know some people who have done it, and oddly enough these are the same people who have cut themselves. So it seems to affect them badly in more ways than one.

[vic]

If you have never been caught in an eating disorder then you have no idea how alone and hopeless you feel. CB is a place where sufferes can can go to get support when they feel like there is no one left in this world that understands what theya re going through. Eating disorders are a very painfull thing to go through and usually leave you feeling alone, CB stops this. It helps us to know that we arn't the only one suffering from this. Many times ive been suicidal and talking to other butterflys put everything back into place. CB is not just a pro-ana site, it does not tell you to become anorexic or bulimic, it strongly reccomends that you stay the hell away from it! They person who created this site is npothing that any of you have said she is, they are a ledgend, no one like seeing other people suffering the same pain that we are.
If you done have an eating disorder thaen you will never understand how much being a butterfly on CB helps with ypur recovery.
Dont knock it if you dont understand !!

[MNJetter]

I agree with what people have been saying on this thread about eating healthy and exercising as opposed to dieting. I steadily gained weight in the first two years of university despite my best efforts to maintain/lose/etc. through dieting. I counted calories, did low carb, did low fat, did low sugar, tried various combinations of a lot of other things, and nothing helped.

In my third year, I gave up on the dieting, and ended up with a total weight gain of about 40 lbs (just under 20 kilos).

But, by coincidence, this was also the year I started doing aikido. No purpose beyond wanting to try a martial art. That semester, over a period of 4 months, I lost eight pounds. It was a complete surprise - back in my parents house for summer, stepped on the scale, and "wtf? Is this thing working right?"
I decided to give up completely on dieting and just look for forms of exercise that I enjoy, like biking and walking and stuff. I used to hate exercise, but now I really enjoy it. At one point I was at the same weight that I had maintained all through high school......granted, being in Japan has put three kilos (8 lbs) back on, but I don't seem to be completely yo-yo-ing back up, and three kilos shouldn't be that difficult to lose now that it's spring and I can bike outside again.

...That was a lot of personal-experience stuff. My point is, the thing that worked for me was to find exercise that didn't seem like exercise - aikido is as much spiritual discipline as it is physical, and teaches you self-defense, and biking/walking can be used as a mode of transportation, instead of just "exercise for the sake of exercise." That's what turns a lot of people off to exercise. If it's your hobby, it's not a problem, but a lot of people are busy with their own hobbies and can't find time for pure fitness training. My love of exercise really didn't start until I realized I could work it into my daily life unintrusively, instead of taking two hours out of my day to work out, shower, and get dressed again.

This whole post is a little off topic, I guess. On the topic of the website, I looked at it, but I really didn't see it as an advertisement for eating disorders as a lot of people here seemed to have interpreted it. I can see where it would be sort of a support system. When the whole world is looking down at you for having a disease because many of them still think it's just a matter of willpower to fix it, it's comforting to know that there are people in the same situation. I've never had an eating disorder, but a lot of people still look at depression in the same way, and I've got seasonal affective disorder, which led to a couple depressive episodes before it was discovered and I was put under treatment. So I can kind of relate.

[Kiari]

Okay, the page creeps me out... but it also really doesn't seem to glorify anorexia or bulimia. I'm reading through it and all I keep seeing is her talking about how you shouldn't do it, it's bad, it'll kill you, etc. ... and at least her tips tell you which myths people might try will kill you right away instead of starving you... which might just be enough of a delay to get some of them the help they need.

Yeah, she has some stuff on there that people who are already anorexic or bulimic could use... but I don't think a webpage makes someone anorexic or bulimic if they aren't already. We're talking about really deep seated issues here, not stuff that people look at a webpage, say cool, and start doing.

[Lisa M]

The problem isn't with this site. The problem is with society.

When people are going through anorexia and bulemia, do you know what happens if they try to get help? If they let it slip to someone that they haven't been eating?

"God, you're such a freak! Eat a fucking sandwich!"

Rejection.

If more people were able to say "That must be really hard for you. Would you like me to help you find a hotline/therapist/supportive service?" imagine how many more anorexics and bulemics could be helped.

Just a thought.

[Kannon]

Maybe my train of thought is too harsh, but why do these people have eating disorders? Fear of rejection. You then say they get rejected if they tell people about their disorder? Wouldn't that be motivation to stop? I'm not saying run around and put people with eating disorders down, I'm just tired of the touchy feely state of the world. Nobody's life is perfect, we all have our demons, and getting a fucking clue is the first start to getting over them, or at least living with them.

[Jay]

Disorders are quite often due to mental imbalances, though.

[Kannon]

As a psych major, no doubt, I know. I've got mental imbalances due to my childhood. I live with it everyday. I'm very emotionally weak. No, I don't have an eating disorder, but a weakness is a weakness. In my opinion, some harsh reality would help more than tiptoeing around the tulips with eating disorders.

Another problem of mine is the ease of looking out, and not looking in, so if I sound like an ass I don't mean to be. I'd just prefer these people didn't have their disorders and after reading account after account of people going into rehab centers for this and coming out and nothing changing in their life, I just want to scream.

[darje]

I considered stopping eating altogether about four months ago. I was 18 kilos over my ideal weight, depressed and blaming myself for letting my body go to waste so much (because of a period of time of more or less a year I did nothing, I just played online games, ate, slept, repeat). I thought that to stop eating would be the fastest solution to my problems, but like with everything I plan on advance, I started researching what it'd do to my body.

Needless to say, the prospects were scary. If I had let my body go to waste by getting overweight, I was not about to let it go to waste by killing it slowly. It took seeing people like this little dumbass to realize that I was happy with my current life (and just had to fix what was wrong) and that I didn't want to be in the same cathegory of pathetic they are.

I started exercising, eating smaller portions of food every meal, and eating slower. Not only did I build up the muscle I lost in that lazy year, I also found a new way to enjoy food and I'm cooking new and interesting recipes for myself and my family every day. It was a good change.

It took patience, but I'm just 7 kilos away from my goal and steadily decreasing without risking my health.

Most victims of these disorders either do it for attention (because many of them wouldn't hate their bodies if somebody hadn't criticized them beforehand) or have no patience and the will to keep themselves straight in a healthy diet. Both of these motives are incredibly stupid, in my eyes, so 'scuse me if I seem rude.

[Lisa M]

I am amazed by how many psychology majors I know don't understand eating disorders.

Edited for clarification.

If rejection causes anorexia and bulemia, how is MORE rejection going to cure it?

Truth is, no mental disorder is that simple.

Anorexia, for instance, has shown to be more a matter of control than anything else.

[Kannon]

I'm assuming you are referring to me (not that we know each other). Or the fact that I reminded you of pysch majors you know. If you're referring to me, what did I say that makes you think I don't understand eating discorders?

EDIT: That statement was based on the post before mine. Notice I said I didn't want people to just run around putting people with eating discorders down, I realize that isn't going to solve anything.

[Lisa M]

I edited the last post.

And the fact that I often starved myself in high school (for sports, not for anorexia, though I feel it's helped me understand eating disorders better), and just did a report on anorexia and bulemia for my own psych class that indicated it often has nothing to do with fear of rejection.

[darje]

That's true, rejection only creates more rejection, it isn't a way to fix it.

Then again, it's a whole culture of young people that do it. They know they do it, and they have friends that do it. How does watching someone else's misery not give them a good scare?

[Jay]

People thrive on seeing misery because it means that they've got it better than at least one person.

[Lisa M]

It's the group-mentality. Having other people to suffer with makes the anorexics part of an "in-group". The belief that the outside world will reject them only strengthens the mentality that they need to stay anorexic or bulemic - not only for themselves, but for each other.

[Kannon]

Yeah, I read my first post on this page, the first sentence was too cause and effect, I know that isn't how it works. The point was more... You stated that when people try to get help they get rejected, and one reason people with eating disorders continue to eating irregularly or not at all is because of a lack of self image, or fear of rejection from the glamour of the hollywood society. I'm not saying this is a blanket cause, either. Every case is different, but as far as the cases go where is mainly based on their personal image and how they aren't good looking enough for todays (bullshit, in my opinion) requirements for you to be considered beautiful, the harth truth about the damage they are causing to their body and threat to their life would be quite a bit more powerful than lumping them in with the group that has actual mental problems, or chemical deficiencies.

[Lisa M]

Anorexia and Bulemia are serious mental problems.

Most anorexics and bulemics KNOW how much damage they are doing to their bodies, but they rationalize the damage and view the weight loss as more important than life itself.

If that's not a mental problem, then I don't know what is.

With six to seven years of treatment, only 70% of anorexics and bulemics recover. Most of them have relapses, either during the treatment or afterwards. Within twenty one years of having been diagnosed as anorexic, and treated, 16% die of anorexia-related complications.

Something tells me that treatment for anorexia does inform people of the possible consequences (i.e. death), so saying that knowing they might die will cure anorexics is hogwash.

Hell, people know that attempting suicide has a pretty high risk of death, but people do it anyway.

[Kannon]

I didn't say it was a 100% cure, either. All of the statistics you give are correct as well. I know of the background of anorexia and bulemia, I guess without first hand experience with it I struggle to see the lack of common sense used when someone says if you keep doing this shit, you're going to die.

[Kiari]

Kannon, I imagine it's one of those things you can't really understand unless you have experienced it.

You can't just tell someone with Bi-polar to act normal, even if they know what the problem is and how taking their medication would help, most still bounce on and off of their medication. You can't just tell someone with clinical depression to look on the bright side of things and be happy. You can't just tell someone with obsessive compulsive to stop washing their hands or whatever their tick is.

You don't see the motivation behind it, and chances are, they can't understand it either. But just telling them to stop isn't going to work. Harsh truths only work when they're ready to hear them, and even then the compulsion will still be there.

On an aside, in no way directed at Kannon, but about psych majors. I'm taking some psych classes over the summer to fluff up my transcript... and gosh, some of them are creepily sheltered/niave. Maybe I'm expecting too much from them, given that I've got enough nuts in my family to have moderate knowledge of a lot of things we're covering. Kannon, do you find that amongst some of your classmates?

[ZaichikArky]

Some people can't help but stay thin. I'm 5'8 and about 125lb and i can eat a cow. Physician told me that my metabolism is a little too high so i can't get fat no matter what.


Careful. Your metabolism probably will change if you get pregnant. Often, after pregnancy, women's metabolisms slow down a lot. Consider yourself lucky for now though!

Anyway, that site wasn't graphic enough for me. I didn't find any of these skinneygirl pictures that this girl idolizes. The hatemail is just stupid though. It's one thing to proliferate an eating disorder, but it's another thing to continue the damage by sending her all kinds of hate mail. She really needs to seek psychiatric help.

Actually, I've known no one who has suffered though an eating disorder. How many of you have? So I don't know how it's like.

[Kannon]

First off, people that attempt suicide want to die, people with anorexia or bulemia don't want to die from it. If they want to die this would be one of the slowest most painful ways to choose... Anyway, yeah Kiari I agree that the psych classes I've taken to date were, one might say, "Psych Lite", or the teachings of those who know everything that books have to teach them but nothing of real world experiences. Also, I understand that those with deep emotional or mental problems causing the anorexia/bulemia can't be cured by the harsh truth method, I misinterpreted what Lisa M said in another post and was more aiming at a group of people that simply use the eating disorders as a way of weight loss to look glamourous, and have a fear of rejection for not looking Hollywoodesque. Those are the people in my eye that need a slap up side the head... (figuratively speaking...)

[pangloss]

I am amazed by how many psychology majors I know don't understand eating disorders.


I understand what you mean, out of the illnessess we cover in my psych. classess, there are some that warrant more understanding and sympathy than others, the rest are ridiculed.
Even being educated doesn't stop people jumping to conclusions or stigmatizing a certain illness.
Eating disorders are still taboo, even though it is very common.
It's just one of those things.

[vic]

[QUOTE=Kannon]First off, people that attempt suicide want to die, people with anorexia or bulemia don't want to die from it. QUOTE]

Just because someone attempts suicide doesn't mean they want to die, usually it means that they want the pain they are suffering to end. People suffering from anorexia and bulimia dont want to die from it, but sometimes we do want to die..

vic..

[justme]

hey.... i'm new here and i joined for one only reason - to tell u guys what i think bout this comment.

i thnik it's mean and insulting. how can u say things like this????? that girl saved my life. everytime when i was depressed SO close from cutting or killing myself i logged on her page and talked to my fellow butterflies. and to say she's encouraging people to become anorexic.. PLEASE !!! get a life the only reason i am the way i am is cuz of people like u who judge someone before even get to know him. the first thing i read bout the page is how dangerous this thing is. i know okay. everyone does. but u can't understand how we feel. u can't feel our lonelinees. we can't share this world okay?

so don't tell me to shut the site down or that she's weird or mean.

u don't understand

noone does

SO LEAVE US ALONE TO ENJOY OUR ONLY FRIENDS WE HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Soli]

but u can't understand how we feel.

That's why the thread was made, I believe. :blank: Because we don't understand the feelings of it. I don't think this was ever a anorexic bashing thread...

You're sort of a hypocrite. We ARE leaving the girls/guys of that site alone. No one went to the site and spammed people about their habits. But you're here getting into our business about how we feel about what you do. It's disapproved, but what? We aren't allowed to have our own opinion?

I think it was rude of you to join a perfectly nice forum just to yell and complain. Let me warn you: it probably won't be taken very nicely. :meh:

[Stephy]

:P Just take it as spam, Soli. No need for a big reply. Who knows if that person will even log back in. No point in arguing.

[NERD]

What's with new members resurrecting old threads... Halloween was like a month ago.

I tend to ignore anyone who spells 'you' with 'u'.

[PopCulturePooka]

Holy shit. Soli laid a smackdown and it was GOOD!

[mawande]

This Cerulean Butterfly person on that website idolizes skinny people, and even has a section called "Thinspiration". That's just sick. Idolizing Mary-Kate Olson and Lindsey Lohan for their acting skills is one thing, but idolizing them for becoming freakishly skinny is just sick.

I just wondered what y'all thought of this. I mean, this girl SOUNDS rational and sane, but yet she is killing herself by being anorexic, and even PROMOTING eating disorders and giving "helpful hints" to help others get skinnier and hide their problem.


Did you actually read the website?

Here are her notes about Mary-Kate:
Mary Kate publically announced that she was going into treatment for her recovery. Unlike many thinspiration models, she acknolwedged a problem and sought to fix it. Personally I don't think it's fair to use her as thinspiration. I admire her skinniness, but more than that I admire her strength. Recovery is unbelievably difficult and I can only imagine how compounded that difficulty must be when you're in the public eye so much. She wants to get better. Please, do not use her to keep ourselves "sick."

Here are her notes about Lindsey:
Then came the "new" Lindsay of 2005, seen on the right. I'm sorry, but she does not look good. She does not look healthy or womanly anymore. And I've lost any respect I once had for her. She gave in; she caved; she let them get to her. She took her beautiful woman's body--a body which should be cherished and celebrated, not starved--and transformed it into THIS. You may think she looks great now, all skinny and pale, but I don't. That must sound weird coming from an anorexic, but I don't think she looks good at all.

"Breaking the binge cycle" "Stopping a purge" "Dangers". Sheesh. She doesn't want people to be anorexic. She doesn't want to be it. She's working on it.

[ZaichikArky]

Why'd we revive this thread? >_>. Yeaaah, the site is pretty damn messed up! It's one thing to suffer from anorexia/bulemia, but it's a complete other thing to encourage it, and to me, the girl isn't that extreme. She wants everyone to know how being anorexic SUCKS... I don't see why everyone thinks the site is built to encourage girls to acquire an eating disorder. It seems like her site is more of a blog to discuss anorexia, not so much of an encouragement. That's IMO... I feel sorry for her and I wish everyone should stop flaming her. Obviously she has an eating disorder, and eating disorders are serious and very harmful.

[japanat]

Why'd we revive this thread? >_>. Yeaaah, the site is pretty damn messed up! It's one thing to suffer from anorexia/bulemia, but it's a complete other thing to encourage it, and to me, the girl isn't that extreme. She wants everyone to know how being anorexic SUCKS... I don't see why everyone thinks the site is built to encourage girls to acquire an eating disorder. It seems like her site is more of a blog to discuss anorexia, not so much of an encouragement. That's IMO... I feel sorry for her and I wish everyone should stop flaming her. Obviously she has an eating disorder, and eating disorders are serious and very harmful.Good comment! Someone who actually read the site. I agree: The girl doesn't encourage anorexia at all, she just provides a site where sufferers can get together and discuss/support.

I knew a bulimic in college. She wanted to stop, but couldn't. In her case, it was almost OCD; she would run 10mi/day, eat huge salads, then go down the dorm staircase and vomit in the basement. Her teeth were rotting out of her head from the stomach acids, she had acid damage to her esophagus, she hadn't had a period in years, she was depressed at not being able to stop. I really don't think Cerulean is encouraging that!

[Masa the Masta]

I second Japanat, cause I read the site and it didn't occur to me as some pro-ana site.

Maybe the site changed it's intent or purpose sometime in the past?

[Stephy]

When Ellie first posted the link it was a lot different. The site has not only updated quite a bit, but also seems to have changed its purpose. And its now on my favorites! \o/

[ellie]

Steph's right, this website has apparently undergone a lot of changes since August when I started this thread. In fact, the first page states
Welcome to the newly redesigned Cerulean Butterfly.
And goes on to say on the second page
This site does not exist to say, "Look! I have an eating disorder! Aren't I cool? Don't you want to be like me?" Eating disorders are a living hell, and anyone who has suffered from one will tell you the same. I am not going to "teach" anyone how to be anorexic or bulimic. Eating disorders are not a cult; you cannot teach someone how not to eat

It USED to have sections about "Thinspiration" which included photos of dangerously skinny girls obviously suffering from severe eating disorders. It USED to give methods of hiding your eating disorder.

CLEARLY the site has changed since I created this thread, so please quit saying that I "didn't even read the website", because I can assure you, I spent a LOT of time looking at it.

The website is obviously changed. The original intent of this thread was to discuss eating disorders and the dangerous effects of "pro-ana" sites (such as the way this one was in the past) on girls. Cerulean Butterfly has changed it's direction.

I would like for this thread to be closed. I am aware that the Cerulean Butterfly website no longer promotes eating disorders but is instead for helping people. So please quit telling me that I "didn't read the site", when I did. This thread is useless. This thread isn't helping anyone, with or without eating disorders. If you want to discuss eating disorders that's fine, but the original intent of the thread was to talk about the negative effects of "thinspiration" etc inspired from the Cerulean Butterfly website, and since the website has now changed, this thread is pointless.

[japanat]

Steph's right, this website has apparently undergone a lot of changes since August when I started this thread... ...If you want to discuss eating disorders that's fine, but the original intent of the thread was to talk about the negative effects of "thinspiration" etc inspired from the Cerulean Butterfly website, and since the website has now changed, this thread is pointless.
I'm sorry, ellie, if it seems that we were ragging on you. I assure you that it wasn't intended.

However, I don't think this thread is pointless at all. It (you!) apparently got enough people concerned to make 'Cerulean Butterfly' change her website's focus. This is a good thing, isn't it? And anyone on this board with an eating disorder who reads this thread, and then sees the new Cerulean, or who then seeks help, would make this worthwhile.

[mawande]

Steph's right, this website has apparently undergone a lot of changes since August when I started this thread.
It USED to have sections about "Thinspiration" which included photos of dangerously skinny girls obviously suffering from severe eating disorders. It USED to give methods of hiding your eating disorder.

I would like to suggest including, when people start threads like this, actual quotes from the sites. It doesn't help because weblinks can expire, disappear or update.

I don't think it's you or people like you who caused her to change the site. I think it's her own life that caused it.

[ellie]

I didn't say that I was the reason her website changed, nor was it other people like me. I said nothing like that. I just said that it HAS changed.

[Stephy]

People like to take ellie's very OLD post and scold her and then take her recent posts and twist her words. How annoying.

Reading comprehension people!

[MeneerDijk]

Thread closed. User request.