PrettyThin

My name is James Watson, and I run PrettyThin and PrettyAlone. I am not the stuff of legend, nor am I anything special when it comes to this site. PrettyThin is an online support community of support for those with an eating disorder, a place for understanding, recovery, and alternatives to the standard ways of looking at this important issue.

The community is not about me. The community exists thanks to its members. The community exists for its members. It would not be nearly what it is today if it were not for them offering one another the support they do.

I am writing about myself because I get questions emailed to me all the time, and I think it would save a lot of time to write a little here. That just leaves time for other things, though maybe not necessarily more important things.

First, if you want to know anything about me, you can visit my website. I think that mostly explains me. I don't want to write much more about myself because that's not what this site is about. It's about the members.

I will spend my time trying to reply to emails that come in using the sentiment of the community. I will also try to post the things you guys send me so that everyone can share. Other than that, my goal is to maintain this website so that you can continue interacting and discussing, meeting and contributing the way you want to.

For those who are adding me as a friend on Facebook. Please send a quick not saying something like "PT" so I know you're not a bot.

For those joining my personal website or my travel website, do me a favor and after you become a member, go in and edit your profile on that website to reflect who you are, and not who you are on PT. What you make as your profile there will not change or affect your profile here on PT. Or use another email address to become a member there...

You'll still get updates from me about changes, and things I need your advice on. You always kno where to find me if something urgent is going on.

Just click that image

Today, March 7, I am coming out. Who am I? Check out the video introduction for now. More to come soon...

Also, I am making a section where I post people's emails that find this website harmful, along with my responses. I think it would be a nice thing for the whole community to share in, because you can correct me on some of the things I might say about the site or it's members that might not be accurate. 

What you will read below is the story of who I created as my persona when running this site. Today, March 7th, I am introducing myself as who I am.

Why the persona? Safety was a part of it. Fear of the public another. And not wanting to be a spokesperson another.

So why am I coming out now? I get a lot of emails confronting me with my decision to keep this site open. The things that I read have brought me to feel that if I'm going to stand up for this site, I should be willing to be exposed for it. If I am going to say that what I think I'm doing is for the best, then I shouldn't be hiding as if what I am doing is something to be ashamed of.

This is me. This is something I do that I hope I'm doing for the better. But who ever really knows? You can only hope, and as every day to be guided better. 

I grew up on the slopes of Gibraltar in a small village where my dad and his dad's dad and generations before herded sheep. Okay, that's not actually true, because who I am isn't as exciting as that :-p

First, I'm Zander :-) but Zander is my middle name. Well, one of my three middle names. And it's the name I use here and in one other location. Why do I use my middle name?

The members of this site are here because of ana. You get hate thrown at you, but imagine the amount that comes to someone like me who runs an ana site? It's not just hate mail and the desire of people that I will one day go to hell, but people literally stalk me, trying to mess up my name, my career, my life...so, I am who I am, but I also live my life on this site as an identity separate from the rest of my life. I have to, and hope you understand.

Well, I'm not ana, and never suffered from an ED. So why do I have this site?

For those who don't know the history, it was passed onto me. My friend does have ED, and she was unable to manage this site any more with the things going on in her life. So, I took it over for her, in hopes of creating a community of people who support one another, and feel accepted in the arms of one another.

To me, this site is not about ana. It's about the general idea of Beauty. It's about how you define it, and how you react to it and struggle with it and fall into and out of it. Someone find beauty in modifications, another in being thin, another in the way they do their hair and another in the darkness of their tan. We all do things for how we perceive beauty. We all do things to feel happy by reaching that goal or idea of beauty that we have in our mind. And just as we don't want others judging us for seeking happiness, no matter how absurd it may seem, or how harmful, we want them to understand that that is where we find peace. And that is why we hope the same for them, even if it is not how we would define it in our eyes. Beauty...not judgment.

So, that's WHY I'm here, but WHO AM I?

I was actually born overseas and came to the US when I was 12. I am now 30 years old, so I'm not the youngest one of you :-) And yes, I am a guy. I think I had cooties once, but I took some pills and it's all gone now.

I have traveled a lot. I have been all over the US and Europe, South and Central America, and Canada. I still hope to go to India, China, Japan, Australia....well, everywhere else I have never been!

This just gave me an idea!!! We need a "PrettyThin around the World" category so people can show others the beautiful things where they live, with themselves in the pics :-)

Anyway, I love to travel. I love people. I love to give to people whatever I can because I know in the end it will come back to me. That's my addiction.

I enjoy art. I draw a lot, I write a lot. I put my drawing and my writings on another website that I run (under another name). I started drawing some pictures inspired by you girls and this site, and I may start posting some here. It's such a different style from everything else I do, which is interesting to me, because this site is a different "style" or way to look at beauty than the other way that drives my other form of art.

I'm pretty active; love the outdoors; and my favorite pastime is getting in the car and driving in a random direction to see what I might find.

My friends mean a lot to me. I give them all that I have and leave my door open to them anytime they want for anything they want. They are my family, and I know I am theirs.

So, that's me, Zander, in a nutshell.

Want to know specifics about me? Just send me a note and I will give an update :-)

Oh! a few people have asked where I live and wondering if they can meet me. And for that one person who asked me on a date, I'm flattered :-) But it wouldn't be right of me to share where I live and get that back from you while at the same time warning you not to ever do that with anyone in the community. It's just for your own safety. It would be true HELL if anyone on this site got hurt because of this site.

Stay Beautiful,
Zander

ps. I hope you guys don't mind that from time to time, I play the role of big brother on here. I just want everyone safe...

I try to update this site often, and am on here more often to make sure everything is going alright (moderating forums and albums and blogs).

If you want a history of my updates (with some missing history since it didn't occur to me to do this till recently), check them out here.