Why is authenticity important in the pro-anorexia community?

pilferThe main argument that is advocated in this paper is reasoning(prenominal)ity vs. irrationality that maladaptive behavior can be justified, sought after and conditi aced by a process of groupthink and internal shifts of mightfulness. As a result, genuineness plays a vital part in this behavior as the group solelyow urge parts to be true to their own beliefs and practices in order to save the individuals search for a sense of concrete naive realism in a seemingly irrational world.IntroductionThis try relates to the spoken communication Beauty, Eating and Feminine Media which focuses on the embodiment of womanhood and its representation in the media. This is done by world-wide concentration on beauty and take in practices that be ex constringeed in media, and also ex supererogatorys some of the disorders that can appear as a result of these practices. It is argued that hegemonic femininity is non singular thus creating septuple femininities. With this in mind, t he paper depart explore the extent that femininities argon a product of patriarchy a process of intergroup promissory note in and of themselves, or a combination of both. The medias representation of disorders and problems associated with feminine beauty and eating habits can act as a establish of female othering and distinction from its counter gender. Consequently, just how much these categories offer valuable sites of resistance is examined. Moreoer, this search is related to the torso, Media and night club model, in order to examine the clay in society with a focus on the role of media in representing, stereotyping and medicalising the mortalate in society. It examines how loving structure and the body are inherently connected, how they interact and how that interaction impacts on both the body and society as a whole. The module draws on the disciplinary approaches of Sociology and Media andCommunications specific tout ensembley the sub-disciplines of the Sociology of the organic structure and medical Sociology.This essay focuses on pro-anorexia communities, and the reasons why legitimacy is most-valuable in much(prenominal) a community . These reasons give be died into respective paragraphs as suchCharacteristics of Anorexia NervosaExcessive weight bolshy Food relieverraint tutelage of gaining weight Obsessive vis-a-vis body image 10 multiplication more than likely in women Affects young women & teenagers especially A phantasmal heritage? Moral meanings Thin as sacred / fat as profane (Boero and Pascoe, 2012) nary(prenominal)ions of association redbrickity and community Stable, structured and physical (along class, gender, occupational or ethnic lines) Post newity and community Fluid and contingent, increased movement, virtual, viral, not reliant on modern mixer structures (class, gender, occupation, ethnicity). Is this a community at all?Pro-Anorexia Communities2001 Time magazine -Anorexia Goes High-Tech Identifies pro-ana websi tes Sites contain tips for weight loss, how to hide disorders from parents, lack diets 2008 youthfulsweek Out of the Shadow Pro-anorexia communities emerge Now interactive (Web 2.0) Appear on face throw, myspace, etc. (Boero and Pascoe, 2012 28) Media articles and commentary is critical of pro-ana communities, thus the relation to capital is negativePro-Anorexia CommunitiesNon-recovery center Weight-loss information Support (reinforcing anorexia rather than curing it) Non-judgmental towards the disorder (Boero and Pascoe, 2012 29) A passing contentious point Challenges the image of isolated anorexics and offers a view of anorexia build on interaction and, indeed, community (ibid) Women log in to share their struggles, goals, triumphs, and failures in living a pro-ana lifestyle (ibid)Where do Boero and Pascoe Direct their Critique?At traditional treatment most traditional forms of treatment do not emphasize developing a feminist identity or mix in feminist critiques of feminin e ideals that emphasize thinness and body perfection (ibid) At society at large constructions of femininity and the thin ideal fundamentally constitute the disorders themselves (ibid)Considering that pro-ana communities harbor modern and post-modern characteristics, it will thence be inhering that the research undertaken for this paper covers a longitudinal frame of the history of the body and specifically addresses the condition and the social representation of the female body in any given generation.To begin with, the paper explores the genesis of hegemonic femininity, dating stern to the 1800s when women were seen as others who were judged solely on their port, who were exiled for having any of the same attributes as a man. This social construct gave give birth to the instantly widespread opening of the female psychological disorder, after such movements as the witch-hunt, or the possession of the early modern witch (who were of course, younger women). Due to the nature of this construct, the social consequences saw a paradox emerging rationality vs. irrationality. young women were conflicted within themselves, and began processing the irrational fixations the world around them had constructed with wholly rational elements of the self. Pro-ana communities therefore could label justified blame on this ideology, as the process of othering had begun.This othering soon led to a feeling a hegemonic femininity that wasnt constructed by a universal form, but by the females themselves. Because women had already been distinguished and separated from their male counterparts, they began to slowly justify their appearance to a point of obsession in order to regain control over themselves and indeed, the communities around them. Authenticity therefore plays a key feature of this construct, as it implies loyalty to the cause, righteousness of women all over the world and reinforces the distinction in the midst of man and woman in favor of the womans wants, and not the mans.The Rationality vs. Irrationality argument also serves to explain the freewill vs. Involuntary argument. Involuntary actions such as weight loss are vindicated and sought after by pro-ana communities as the groups rationale is solidified as a result of the action. An element of craze defines this general attitude in Freudian terms, this means the wide miscellany of repressed and unconscious problems such as a sexual repression and aged abuse. Whether this idea is still relevant or not today will be discussed in this essay, and also subsequently whether pro-ana communities can be judged as communities at all given their ideological state rather than their bodily one. It could be said that pro-ana communities only really exist in members minds media plans such as the internet and gloss magazines give members the luck for collectivism, acting as mechanisms with which to forward their thoughts. (More on this later)To further the history of pro-ana communities, the e ssay will also look at where self-starvation originated from, and how it preserved itself through the ages. Whether it be for spiritual practice or a political act, the process stiff the same, and it is the authenticity of the act that gives it its weight. The essay will analyze why self-starvation implies power over the intended target (the opposite gender, governments, even God). Michel Foucaults opening of power and sack outledge will underline this deliberation, as will his book Madness and Civilization A History of Insanity in the epoch of Reason. In this book, Foucault defines the evolution of madness through the Renaissance, the Classical maturate and the Modern Age, suggesting that in the first phase (the Renaissance) mad people were represented in art as possessing wisdom and knowledge of the limits of our reasoned world. This gives reason for the birth of pro-ana communities. By othering themselves from the rest of society, perhaps they feel that they harbor more powe r and knowledge over sociological conformities.Foucault also argues that the conceptual distinction among mad and sane people was the forefront to what he has dubbed The Great working class which saw mad people being locked a office in institutions and exiled from the rest of society. They were separated completely. But here we see pro-ana communities existing in plain sight, in media representation and even the wilful acts of its advocates. They wish to be separate but in a way that renders them safe from total banishment, in a way that still awards them power and distinction through the authenticity of their actions.This feeling of confinement seems to be also felt in schools. exuberant and Miah (2010) examined how school life can affect female self-surveillance by distorting it and separating the person as a result. The ability to self- govern is also directly weaken by these public perceptions. Thus, this section of the essay will also foreshorten on the distinction amids t the mind and the body a hypothesis first introduced by Descartes.The essay will then move on to more contemporary matters such as the depiction of women in media and advertizing, and specific problems caused by these perceptions such as the yummy mummy label that has seen rear in recent years (Notably in 2007, with the creation of Liz Frasers The juicy Mummys Survival Guide). This wave has seen even new gos going to extreme lengths to make sure they look as attractive as possible after giving birth. Easy-to-read books like this that are clearly aimed at housewives propel the attitude that pro-ana communities share. It is an obsession over appearance and an empowerment as a result of buying in to the modern life. What makes this matter more widespread and significant is its habit of monomania over people For instance, when the press made Sarah Jessica Parker into public property, the general consensus was that she was allowed to be criticized, judged, labelled or complimente d by anyone in the world that knew her name. In this scenario, the press are the ones that benefit, the population bring into being uniform in their opinions and Sarah Jessica Parker is seen as sub-human not real, not authentic a picture in a magazine. The benefits of pro-ana communities therefore is that women can see each other for real, talk to one some other and second-handedly urge each other to carry on the habit.Pro-anorexia communities have since appeared all over the internet on mediums such as Facebook, Myspace, etc. This platform has enabled a new breed of networking that has never been seen before. Members of a community now have the ability to share and discuss their thoughts, struggles and even brag about(predicate) their condition to other women in a similar situation. Pro-ana communities have become interactive as such, and owing to negative media attention, members have become more and more disassociated from the rest of society as they believe that they are the empowered ones struggling with being misunderstood. Their mal-adaptive behaviors therefore become real, authentic actions because rationality has been united to them in the sense that they are now fighting for something against someone.What makes these communities more disassociated and reasonably mad themselves is that the websites they use have developed hierarchies of eating disorders, with anorexia at the top. Whether or not these hierarchies imply an order of power relations remains to be discovered, and will be something that will be un-veiled in the essay. Something that is clear however, is the particular that the online communities do seem to be heavily connected to a form of gender capital in favor of hegemonic femininity.To demonstrate how important authenticity is to pro-ana communities, the essay will also focus upon the wannarexics. These are the frauds of the online communities the ones that present pictures of themselves that do not correspond to their real-life bodies. They are the subject of ridicule in a pro-ana community, and show an apparent lack of respect for those that are truly anorexic and have chosen to be as a lifestyle choice. in that location are policies and rules that these communities have (like any other community) to police their membership. For instance, photos must be posted of members bodies, and so must they post nutrient reports of what they have eaten on any given day. Group fasting is a growing fad too including surveys and weigh-ins. This proves that being able to relate to one another is essential in a pro-ana community, and that authenticity is the key to their survival.self-importance-policing is congruous a more wellhead-known and collected movement as well (as it has been under the radar for many years before). Self-hatred is described as being as great motivation tool, as well as recounting such bodily effects as hair loss, the loss of a period and motivational insults (calling one another fat). This int eraction, together with the previous point, makes up the primary points of why authenticity is truly important to pro-ana communities, and will culminate the main body of the essay.These communities are also non-recovery found meaning that the disorder is looked upon with sympathetic, understanding eyes and in a way that does not accept that anything is wrong. Cure is not an option, or even something that should be sought out. However, the pro-ana community does accept the glamorization of thinning, and this is what brings about the immenseness of authenticity for members. Women depicted in the media are not as real, not as flesh and blood as the people you personally know in a pro-ana community.Whilst identifying the attributes of these communities, the essay will also examine the compound of eating disorders in the late 20th Century, and define the extent of social construction of such disorders. soundbox dysmorphic disorder for instance, could be argued to be a social invent ion put into womens minds by the effect of media advertising whilst on the other hand, anorexia nervosa could be deemed a legitimate medical condition.To dissolve a previous point that considered whether or not pro-ana communities could be judged as communities at all we see huge differences in the definitions of modern and post-modern societies contemporaneity and Community Stable, structured and physical (Along class, gender, occupational or ethnic lines) Postmodernity and Community Fluid and contingent, increased movement, virtual, viral, not reliant on modern social structures (class, gender, occupation, ethnicity)The essay will conclude that pro-ana communities cannot be defined as communities in the modern sense of the word, and will deliberate on how this came to be through the introduction of the internet, worldwide media etc. Furthermore, after listing the previous reasons as to why authenticity is incredibly important in pro-anorexia communities, the essay will reach a lo gical conclusion that authenticity reinforces members power and knowledge of their gender and their gender separation thereby allowing them to march on their hegemonic culture.BibliographyAdler, K. and M. 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