New Delhi: ‘Looks that kill’ may not be considered a compliment in a world that’s growing increasingly conscious of the perils of anorexia.
After the organisers of the Milan Fashion Week banned underweight women last year and Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston succumbed to the disease, the focus is now on the websites that promote waif-like body structures.
Health experts have highlighted grave concerns about the image and advice of pro-anorexia websites that lure vulnerable young people into starving themselves.
According to Steve Broomfield of the Eating Disorders Association, these are the websites that are "literally killing people". "The danger of these sites is that often young people with an eating disorder don't understand what is happening to them," UK daily The Independent quoted Bloomfield as saying.
The reason for more and more youngsters falling prey to it is also obvious. "They are very scared of talking to their parents or teachers or doctors, so they turn to the Internet for information," Bloomfield added.
Some of the sites even offer tips on weight reduction and entice the youngsters with “attractive” images of reed-thin celebrities and models.
But the ill-effects of following the site style are too disastrous to be ignored. Bloomfield says those who resist treatment are also at risk of infertility and osteoporosis.
"About one in five people who don't get appropriate treatment die prematurely, so [these websites] are literally killing people, " he said.
A psychologist and counsellor from the National Centre for Eating Disorders, Amanda Hills, also believed that such sites 'keep people in their illness' instead of directing them towards required medical attention.(With ANI inputs)
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