Back in the early-mid 2000s, websites like LiveJournal, Xanga, MySpace, and Tumblr were the meeting grounds of a subculture that was largely populated by teenage girls.

The point of the subculture, called pro-ana or pro-anorexia, was to share tips and tricks to develop and maintain an eating disorder.

While these mostly underage girls starved themselves, they also engaged in near-worship of this A- list actress from an acting family.

Most disturbingly, the actress also seemed to worship these girls back, to the point of silently sending messages to them.

For example, after they speculated on how far above her skeletal elbow a bangle bracelet could go, the actress started wearing bangles above her elbows at shocking heights. This went on for years with outfits and accessories that revealed protruding ribs, collarbones, and hips.

Eventually, the actress’ retreat from the public eye helped this subculture fade into obscurity as mid to young millennials aged and embraced public facing social media.

Mary-Kate Olsen

There is this girl.. Eugenia Cooney on Youtube.

She has been the talk of the town for years, but not for the reasons you might think. With her strikingly thin appearance, she’s sparked intense speculation and concern among her followers. Rumors swirled about her health and whether she was battling an eating disorder. But Cooney has been candid about her struggles with anorexia nervosa, shedding light on her journey to recovery in front of millions of viewers. However, not everyone’s been supportive.

Critics have accused her of promoting unhealthy body standards, igniting a fiery debate across social media platforms. Despite the drama, Cooney says she will continue to use her platform to advocate for mental health awareness.

Once in a while I check on her. And more often I think she is manipulating herself.

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