I had a thought recently (insert joke about blondes, et cetera, if you wish…)
I’ve always been particularly interested in the middle ages, and it occurred to me that there was quite a bit of self-mutilation during that period.  Most was done in the name of religion, though blood letting was a common “medical” practice.
Nuns, monks, monarchs, aristrocrats and laypersons would fast, would self-flagellate, would make themselves endure physical and mental “challenges”.  And when they did, they were honored for their fortitude, not treated as psychologically warped humans.  The middle ages was truly a time when someone who had what we would …read more

One of the “themes” running through most eating disorders is a general dislike of and disdain for one’s body. Certainly, this stems from psychological issues; eating disorders are not the fault of the body. However, the body ultimately pays the price.
Therefore, I suppose it shouldn’t be too surprising that plenty of women and men with eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating turn to self-mutilation.
Don’t believe me? Just head to any pro-ana or pro-mia discussion board. (Or don’t – I wouldn’t want them to trigger any latent EDs.) The subject of “cutting” appears far more frequently than you …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.