social networks

Why Banning Pro-Ana is a Bad Idea

Tetyana 5 Comments

Is banning content that is thought to “promote” eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (pro-ana) a good idea? I want to put aside the question of whether the goal is even possible (I would argue that it is not) and focus instead on what might happen if pro-ana content is banned or threatened to be banned from mainstream social networks, blogging platforms, and web hosts.

If you only read mainstream news media, you might think that pro-eating disorder websites are evil communities seeking to lure unsuspecting young adolescents into a world of extreme dieting, lying, and who knows what else, all under the guise of being a “lifestyle.”

Well, as I’ve blogged before, the picture is not so simple:

Ultimately, it seems that the support on offer on pro-ana websites is—for all the scare stories about “purging tips” and users egging one another on with their latest BMIs—little more

… Continue reading →

What Really Goes On Inside Pro-Ana Communities? (Maybe They Are Not So Bad After All)

Tetyana 15 Comments

Ambivalence is a great word to describe how many eating disorder patients feel about recovery. Many people that follow my Science of Eating Disorders tumblr run thinspo blogs. But, they follow me, and many probably follow fyoured, which offers pro-recovery advice. Many people might want to recover someday, but they feel they can’t let go of the behaviours now. They are not denying their illness, or that recovery will happen, or that it really IS a disorder, but, right now, recovery is just not an option.

Bear with me for a moment. Suspend your judgements and gut-reactions to “proana/mia.”

Eating disorders are highly stigmatized. Most people don’t understand them. Physicians, nurses, and healthcare staff are often no better than the public. Treatment itself can have negative consequences. In a recent study, “more than half of all nurses and residents (58.2%) thought that ED patients … Continue reading →