25 February 2013

An Alarming Trend: Thinspiration

There is a new trend out there that hides itself as a "healthy" inspirational movement. It is something called thinspo, short for thinspiration. From the outside looking briefly in, it is a diet fad and a great motivator to young women to work out and eat well... right?


Here is what goes down in "thinspo" blogs, Twitter feeds, and Pinterest boards. Pictures are posted of severely skinny girls, often with so-called inspirational quotes attached to them.

"So stores always have your size"
aka - a more socially acceptable form of "anorexia." You may be thinking that it is a harmless trend, but when you search for "thinspo" or "thinspiration" on Tumblr, this message appears:


Just got a little bit more real right? "Oh please, that's just an overreaction."


Except - those are the types of posts you find when the girls stop posting the pictures and start talking about what they're really doing. The pictures are there for motivation and encouragement - to get dangerously thin and to stay there.


This post isn't a long winded story or rant, it is for awareness of a sickening and dangerous trend that could be affecting many of your friends and family members. If you see someone poring over these types of photos and "inspirational" blogs, let them know that they are beautiful the way their body is meant to be. If they are receptive, help them find someone to talk to.

Thinspiration is not okay. It is the new socially acceptable way to encourage young women to be anorexic and severely unhealthy. Don't let it take over.


P.S. One of my favorite YouTube girls made a video bringing awareness to thinspo as well. Take a look:







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