Starving in Suburbia (also sold under the title Thinspiration) is a 2014 American psychological drama made-for-television film about a high school student and competitive dancer, Hannah, who develops a severe eating disorder after becoming obsessed with a pro-ana site that promotes self-starvation, as Hannah's family are preoccupied by her wrestler brother's upcoming tournament.
The film stars Laura Wiggins, Brendan Meyer, Paula Newsome, Marcus Giamatti, Izabella Miko, Emma Dumont and Callie Thorne.
[1] It received mixed reviews from critics, while being noted for addressing two phenomenons previously unaddressed by made-for-television films: pro-ana websites, and anorexia among males.
One day, she and her best friend, Kayden, are browsing the internet in Hannah's bedroom when Kayden shows Hannah a pro-ana blog, which features multiple gifs of unnaturally-thin people, skeletons, cinematography from The Lovely Bones, and motivational quotes that mock fat people and offer tips on how to avoid eating.
Hannah envisions the forum's visitors in her mind as real people, all abnormally thin and attractive-looking, attending an exclusive club adorned with rainbow string lights for a party, but no food or drinks anywhere.
Her parents are mildly confused but initially do not care until her mother comes to her room and find the pro-ana blog open on her computer.
Disturbed by it, she begins closely monitoring Hannah's internet browsing activity, leading to the other members of the site to delete their accounts in fear of being found out.
After a fight with her, Hannah rips open a garbage bag and eats most of old pastries that she was supposed to throw away, only to then vomit them up.
At home, Hannah's parents start to notice her drastic weight loss and refusal to eat, while arguing about Leo's strict diet.
Her parents' insurance coverage won't let her stay inpatient, but gives Hannah a brief number of outpatient counselling sessions.
Hannah goes through the garbage bins, finding the scale before going inside and asking Leo for his tablet to visit the site.
When Leo is brought to the hospital, it is revealed that his heart has given out dues to stress and dehydration and he is being kept on life support, showing no brain activity.
Hannah tells her parents Leo has carved "DON'T EAT" on his own stomach, a marking that had been on the screen name's profile photo.
After Leo's death, Hannah freaks out in her room, tearing down her thinspiration images and breaking her mirror before yelling out that the disorder won't have both of them.
Hannah then seeks out the real "ButterflyAna", and finds an adult woman who is living with anorexia, hoarding decaying cosmetics and beauty supplies and keeping an old laptop computer with her.
was more positive, taking a comedic approach to the film, while arguing that it offered a "surprisingly accurate portrayal of Tumblr and classic Lifetime family disfunction".
From books like Wintergirls to movies like Starving in Suburbia, the media presents a consistent message that the process of healing is a continuous, upward journey.