Abstract
Pro-anorexia is an internet-based movement that hails eating disorders as a lifestyle choice. This article aims to reveal pro-anorexia members’ underlying conceptualisations of anorexia that contribute to the maintenance of the disorder. Cognitive linguistic analysis was undertaken on a corpus of data collected from systematically selected pro-anorexia websites. The findings show that the members structure their eating disorder experiences through two central conceptual metaphors: ANOREXIA IS A SKILL and ANOREXIA IS A RELIGION. It is argued that these structures represent an extension of, rather than a radical break from, the accepted conceptualisations of female beauty in Western society. This view challenges the legitimacy of public anger that has been directed towards the pro-anorexia movement and its members.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 461-477 |
Journal | Discourse and Society |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 8 May 2013 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2013 |
Keywords
- adolescents
- cognitive Linguistics
- conceptual metaphor
- Critical Discourse Analysis
- eating Disorders
- feminism
- gender
- mental health
- online communities
- pro-anorexia
- websites