Awareness bracelets for anorexia, a fast-selling item on various e-shopping sites, has counsellors seeing red as pro-ana groups turn it into a fashion statement
Awareness ribbons and bands came about as a way of showing solidarity and support to patients and survivors of life threatening diseases. The most famous of these perhaps would be yellow Livestrong bands by Lance Armstrong's foundation in support of cancer.
Since then, almost every major condition has a colour ribbon or a band to raise awareness about a specific illness. But what's creating a flutter among counsellors and psychiatrists abroad, and even in India, is the unintended effect of the stylish red anorexia bracelets. Members of the often-criticized 'pro-ana' (short for pro-anorexia) online community are wearing red bracelets not to fight against mental illness, but to encourage it. A website called Ana Boot Camp, which promotes 'thinspiration' has gone out to say: Wear it daily or when you go out to secretly say that you are proud to be pro-ana. And guess what, the $14 bracelet on their website has since gone out of stock. And Etsy, which has a variety of 17 red bracelets selling at over $24 has these as hot-selling items.
In the city, psychiatrist Dr Dayal Mirchandani has taken a serious note of the trend, and feels these bands are perpetuating a 'victim identity'. "Anorexia is a serious condition in our country, with girls as young as 13 undergoing counselling. Part of the counselling involves to help them move away from a 'victim identity'." Why the cancer bands are different, he says is because, "they were worn by survivors or to raise funds or awareness for an incurable disease."
Psychiatrist Dr Varkha Chulani rather suggests another way of looking at these support bands. "Perhaps family members or friends could wear these bands to show compassion and solidarity with those undergoing treatment." While the idea of giving them a feeling of "I am not alone" is important, Dr Chulani feels group therapy sessions would have better results than wearing fashionable bracelets. "Eating disorders are a symptom of a much deeper personality condition. For conditions like these, the bands shouldn't be seen as a hip statement to make," she stresses.
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