Fellow b5 blogger Trench Reynolds has an excellent article on the pro-ana/pro-mia debate at this My Crime Space link.
It’s the old “free speech” question again.  How far should sites that promote anorexia and bulimia as lifestyle choices (and not just mental health problems) be allowed to go? 
I still haven’t decided.  As I’ve said before, I would have most definitely been pro-ana if the Internet had existed in the 1980s, and that really worries me.  In fact, I would have been the first to start posting pics of my bones in the bathroom mirror.  And I have the feeling that if …read more

If I am to be perfectly honest with myself and with you (and why have it any other way), I have to admit that I know in my heart I would have been “pro ana” if we had Facebook, MySpace and the Internet in general in the 1980s.
I so easily and quickly would have glommed onto the pro ana message boards, scarfing up the information and hints (while simultaneously starving myself of nourishment.) I would have surreptitiously taken and posted self-portraits positioned in front of the bathroom mirror, angling my body so viewers had the best shots of my protruding hipbones …read more

Breaking the Mirror is a pro-recovery blog. As such, I feel it fills the need to bring support, awareness and discussion among persons with and without eating disorders.
But there are many other blogs and forums that discuss anorexia, bulimia and ED-NOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). Those I’d like to discuss today designate themselves as pro-ana or pro-mia.
There’s a great deal of controversy about those communities. Some people believe they are evil; others feel they have saved their lives by providing a connection with likeminded individuals. Many people don’t care either way.
Today, I’d like to start a dialogue about pro-ana …read more

A few months ago, I blogged about the bracelets that pro-ana and pro-mia followers sometimes wear.  However, it would seem that either 1) I was misinformed or 2) the bracelet colors have changed.
Thanks to a few very honest visitors who educated me, I’m here to tell you that the “proper” hues for the bracelets are:
Red – pro-ana
Purple (not blue) – pro-mia
Black & Blue – self-mutilation (such as cutting)
Of course, I’m not advocating the wearing of such jewelry.  But I think awareness of the silent signals that pro-anas and pro-mias use to identify each other could be useful to parents.

First of all, thinspiration (or thinspo) is used by pro-ana and pro-mia advocates around the world and provides vision cues to them to stop eating.  Pictures of rail-thin women and guys are plastered around the web, ostensibly to give willpower to anorexics and bulimics.
Of course, all pro-recovery sites like Breaking the Mirror talk about the dangers of thinspo.  That’s nothing new.
But could thinspiration be truly useful in some situations?  I mean, people without eating disorders tend to use “thinspiration”, too. 
For instance, a gal who wants to return to her pre-pregnancy weight may put pics of her years ”before kids” around the house as …read more

If you’re not from the “world” of eating disorders, you might think that all disordered eaters treat one another the same.
Not so.
You see, like any other “clique”, those with EDs have a caste system, a heirarchy of sorts.  It’s not usually discussed, but it definitely exists. 
Allow me to explain (and feel free to let me know if any of this has changed recently or if I’m missing something)…

Many people (even those who should know better) honestly… and erroneously… believe that weight gain will almost instantly solve every issue associated with anorexia and bulimia. 
Yeah, right.
As if a 10-pound weight gain would mean the end of a complicated relationship with Ana or Mia.
There are plenty of people in recovery who are still underweight and will remain so for quite a while, perhaps years.  That doesn’t mean they are pro-ana or pro-mia, however.  It just means they haven’t reached the stage of their recovery where they are able to eat enough (or keep enough food in their bodies) to increase their BMI.
I think …read more

I only wish this were a joke.
On the web, there are underground programs and “schools” (loosely defined) of pro-ana and pro-mia supporters that, in essence, claim to help and support the anorexic, bulimic or EDNOS sufferer who does not want to get better.
Yes, these “thinstitutes” (my word) of ana/mia education are available.  And many of them have strict policies on who is allowed to become a “student”.  (I think they are concerned that people like myself might try to infiltrate their societies, which, I admit, is a legitimate worry from their point of view because I’ve considered doing so many times.)
Thinspiration …read more

Your daughter loves wearing her blue or red beaded bracelet.  Maybe it even has a dragonfly on it or what is known as a “dragonfly” clasp.
Now, her piece of fashion wear could be completely innocent.  Or it could be a sign that she’s telling the world she’s pro-ana (red beads) or pro-mia (blue beads).
I blogged briefly about this topic a couple of days ago, but I wanted to mention it again because I think it’s incredibly important for people everywhere to know the little “signals” that folks in the pro-ana and pro-mia movements send one another.
Again, I’m in no way …read more

As most readers know, I have a disordered eating past (and present, at least from the viewpoint that I totally “get” eating disorders from both sides of the aisle.)  Therefore, I must confess that while I was extremely thrilled to be chosen as the Breaking the Mirror blogger back in December, I was terrified, too.
You see, my role involves looking at dozens of “thinspo” images every week.  I also peruse pro-ana and pro-mia sites ad nauseum, checking them out, seeing what the participants are saying and reporting back to you their messages.
The idea of being around all that thinspiration on …read more