ABSTRACT
The `pro-eating disorder' phenomenon on the Internet ®rst came to the media's attention in 2000 (Bell, 2007). Conservative estimates over ®ve years ago put the number of operational sites at around 400 (Dolan, 2003) and these are said to be maintained and accessed mostly by girls and women aged between 13 and 25 (Fraser, 2003). The sites often emphasize the bene®ts of anorexia and bulimia,1 for example as ways of coping (Norris et al., 2006), and may provide advice such as `tips and tricks' on how to maintain a low body weight. There are, however, a number of ways in which these websites vary. Csipke and Horne (2007), for example, make a distinction between `moderate pro-ED' sites (e.g. Blue Dragon¯y) and `more uncompromisingly pro-ED' sites (e.g. Starving for Perfection). The creators of `less extreme' sites claim that they avoid providing advice that may be harmful to visitors, such as tips on how to hide an eating disorder (see Mulveen and Hepworth, 2006), a characteristic of some of the more `uncompromising' sites. Instead, `moderate' pro-ED sites often concentrate on `safe' or `healthy' practices for those with an eating disorder, such as the use of multi-vitamins to supplement an anorexic diet (Fox et al., 2005).
