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onlyyy
Thu Apr 17,2008,
18:10 GMT
You Can't Ban Peep: France to outlaw promotion of thinness
Posted by Hal
The news is reporting that the French government has called for "stiff penalties of up to three years jail and heavy fines against 'pro anorexia' websites and publications that encourage girls and young women to starve themselves."
This is a silly, largely symbolic law. These "pro-Ana" blogs, chats, and websites are everywhere and nowhere and largely consist of stories and personal testimonials. How can you tell if someone is promoting anorexia or just trying to talk about how they feel and what's going on in their life?
This, of course, is the problem with a peep culture in which we derive our inspiration and knowledge from our peers and our uber-peers (in this case stick thin models and their movie star counterparts). Who cares what the French government says? The way to stardom is to make myself throw up. There are a million ways you can spread the word about lying to parents and doctors, making it look like you're eating when you're really not, etc. etc. Is the French government going to have special constables in charge of reading the chats, emails, uploads and instant messages of every teen girl in their country?
At least part of the appeal of being anorexic is that it makes you feel special, part of a community of outlaws pursuing your own agenda. By banning it, you actually make it more appealing, heightening the transgressive element and the sense of it being a case of shared values and ideals that society just doesn't understand. Wow, that's amazing, tell me how long it's been since you ate again?
You can't ban peep.
The Bloggist
Hey, I’m Hal Niedzviecki. I’m a writer/thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with my wife and daughter. Up till now I’ve always considered myself a private person. But at the same time I’m fascinated by people who effortlessly open themselves up to the whole world. So I’ve… more...
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