Many people especially women, say that dieting is like homework in their lives. There are who suffer from eating disorders like anorexia, as they follow drastic diets. In addition, there are people who support those who follow extreme diets. Therefore, the word, 'pro-ana' has recently emergered in the lexicon.

"Pro-ana" is a compound word. It combines "pro (which means agreement)" and "anorexia". Thus, the word indicates envy of people who obtain a thin body like someone who is suffering with anorexia. The aim of people who are pro-ana is to become gaemalla. For example, although someone's height is 160cm, she wants to be under 40kg. In this situation, people call her "Gaemalla". It means the person with a really thin body.

"Pro-ana" occurs in women in their teens to early twenties. Why dose pro-ana occur especially in young girls? The representative reason is a distorted standard of beauty. The distorted standard can be seen in the media. The idol girl groups represent the purpose of the pro-ana. Girl group member's weight can not be over 50kg, regardless of their height. If they get ober 50kg, they can't make their debut. Thus, the manager measures their weight every day. As the girls watch the idols who are really thin, the young people want to get a thin body and become pro-ana.

Pro-ana has a variety of problems. The first is health problems. Anorexia is a disease, so pro-ana cause osteoporosis, menstrual irregularity, insomnia, etc. The second is influence to future girls. The pro-ana mindset can be passed down to future teenagers. Therefore, future teenagers can be pro-ana. They will also get a lot of diseases due to the unhealthy eating habits advocated for by pro-ana.

Although the pro-ana acknowledge the problems, they can't give up being gaemalla. Moreover, they gather the people who are a "pro-ana" on Web-sites or social network services. They set a goal weight or share their diet therapy. The people who aren't pro-ana cna not talk to the young girls who are pro-ana. Pro-ana is made by contrortive society. If anyone wants to say "it is wrong", the persone should speak to a society that made a strange standard of beauty.

L.L.F editor-in-chief Yu-Min Kim