Självsvältsskolan : En feministisk diskursanalys av ett pro-anaforum

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study was to examine how digital discourses about eating disorders can be understood from a perspective of gender. Through a qualitative method the study was based of an online forum dedicated to the internet based pro-anorexia community. The study was divided into three categories: beauty ideals, self-fulfilment and the body. How was opposition and conformity exerted? How was femininity created and re-created? The results showed that the members of the community were engaged in discursive work that was mainly oppositional to general societal norms, and ideals and conventions surrounding the female body. The community created alternative meanings to practices such as starving oneself and maintaining a low body weight. Keywords: pro-ana, eating disorders, online communities, feminist media theory, critical discourse analysis