Thinspiration

So I'm not sure if any of you had a similar experience, but when I was in 8th grade going into high school there was a huge issue with eating disorders amongst my peers. Many of the girls became obsessed with blogs that focused on "thinspiration" sentiment (or in other words a blog which perpetuated not only the motivation but also the 'need' to be thin within today's standards). I remember all the girls in my 8th grade class had to have extra health classes focusing on eating disorders and such as this was becoming such a prominent trend amongst us. Remembering this, I googled "thinspiration" and sadly found that such blogs are more popular and abundant than ever. The one I chose to focus on (http://thinspiration-pictures.blogspot.com/) had picture after picture of rake-thin girls and makes a not so subtle statement that within American society today, skinny is considered pretty and there's very little room for anything else. After I got sick of looking at the pictures and subconsciously making comparisons between them and myself, I began to think about just how detrimental such websites are especially to young girls who are taught that every insecurity is a flaw that should be overcompensated for. The continued popularity of such blogs and forums just show how truly destitute American standards of beauty have become, and moreover these blogs perpetuate the pressure women today feel to be skinny in order to be considered beautiful.