Having just barred skinny models from the catwalk, health officials in Spain are now banning websites celebrating anorexia. Pro-anorexia has proliferated through new social networking sites. Emaciated kids are IMing each other vomiting tips, swapping Fiona Apple MP3s, creating Thinspirational slideshows and video-blogs about starvation.

Health experts say these sites mask the truth behind a disease that causes one in five sufferers who do not seek medical help to die prematurely. The pro-anorexic community is upset because they view the eating disorder as just a lifestyle choice, many dubbing it “my friend Ana.”