Disturbing Pro-Anorexia Content Banned on Pinterest

Pinterest has taken up a united front against Thinspiration/Pro-Ana (common terminology for Pro-Anorexia) pin boards on their website. “Thinspiration” blogs, tumblrs, and group sites outside of Pinterest have been around for years. They often consist of women posting images of sometimes buff yet more often severely underweight role models to encourage its viewers to aspire to look like said women.

No doubt everyone points fingers at advertising and the fashion industry for negative body image issues that women of all ages develop. Photoshopping is rampant in our industry and rarely does anyone deny it anymore. However it is difficult to say how well this ban will hold up – though it is a nobel movement against unhealthy eating (or lack thereof) and lifestyle habits, it comes down to this: Pinterest is user-generated. It is nearly impossible to regulate something that isn’t illegal when millions of users are uploading millions of “pins” every minute.

If nothing else, users may get a slap on the wrist or suspension of their account, but how can EVERYONE possibly be monitored?

Images like the one below are more common than the one above; showing a very skinny girl in a comely setting, a source of inspiration for those who wish to be thinner.

Source: Mashable