Can I Post This/Is This Okay To Post?
I’ve been getting a lot of questions in regards to what people “can” and “cannot” post, whether or not it’s “pro-ana,” or whether it’s appropriate or not to post in general. First and foremost, I am not the Tumblr police, nor do I have a right to say what you can and cannot post on your own blog, but because I’ve become somewhat of a “voice” for what is considered “pro-ana” material, people are coming to me wondering if what they post falls under that umbrella. So, with that, I’ve created this series of questions to ask yourself in order to help you figure out if what you are posting is harmless or could be potentially harmful to yourself or others.Â
Weight Numbers/BMI/Weight Loss
1.) Am I posting this to brag about my current/past weight? 2.) Am I posting this to receive validation that I am thin enough? 3.) Am I posting this to receive validation that I am not fat? 4.) Am I posting this to prove how sick I am/was? 5.) Am I posting this to garner attention/gain followers? 6.) Will my weight number potentially trigger someone else? 6.) Am I posting this for any reason other than to keep personal track of my weight? 7.) If I am only posting my weight for personal/therapeutic reasons, do I feel I have to make it public instead of private?Â
If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably not a good idea to post your weight. If you feel you must, it may be a better idea to make your post private or under a “read more” with a trigger warning.
Food Intakes/Calorie Consumptions/Diets 1.) Am I posting this to brag about how little I ate? 2.) Am I posting this to brag about how much I ate during a binge? 3.) Am I posting a low caloric intake that can trigger someone else? 4.) Am I saying specific foods in order to make sure others know the calorie content of my food? 5.) Am I listing my fear foods so people know how “sick” I am/how much I do not allow myself? 6.) Am I posting this for any reason other than to keep personal track of how much I am eating? 7.) If I am only posting my intake for personal/therapeutic reasons, do I feel I have to make it public instead of private? If you answer yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably not a good idea to post your food intake. If you feel you must, it may be a better idea to make it a private post or post it under a “read more” with a trigger warning.
Selfies 1.) Am I posing in such a way that shows off specific body parts or bones? 2.) Am I posing in such a way that shows off specific body parts or bones on purpose? 3.) Am I posing in such a way that makes me look thinner than I really am? 4.) Am I posting this in order to receive validation? 5.) Am I posting this in order to get attention/gain followers? 6.) Am I posting this under the pretense of it being a selfie but simultaneously emphasizing a specific body part? (for example, you posting “I love my shorts today!” when you really just want to show your thigh gap.) 7.) When taking this picture, at any point did the thought, “what pose will make me look thinnest?” cross my mind? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it’s probably not a good idea to post your selfie. Pictures of NG Tubes/Hospital Bracelets 1.) Am I posting this picture in order to brag about how sick I am/was? 2.) Am I posting this to garner attention/gain followers? 3.) Am I posting this picture for any reason other than the fact that I just happen to have an NG tube up my nose or a hospital bracelet on? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it’s probably not a good idea to post it. Thinspo 1.) Am I posting this image because I admire how thin the person in it is? 2.) Am I posting this image because I want to look that way? 3.) Am I posting this image to use it to encourage myself or others to lose weight? 4.) Am I posting this image for any reason other than the fact that I appreciate the image itself in a general sense? 5.) Will posting this image possibly trigger someone else? If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably not a good idea to post it. Talking About Your Eating Disorder 1.) Am I writing about specific behaviors in order to garner attention/gain followers? 2.) Am I writing about specific behaviors in order to receive validation? 3.) Am I wring about specific behaviors in order to glorify or romanticize my eating disorder or eating disorders in general? 4.) Am I writing about specific behaviors in order to brag about how sick I am? 5.) Will mentioning specific behaviors trigger anyone? 6.) Am I writing about specific behaviors for any reason other than therapeutic ones? 7.) If I’m solely writing for personal/therapeutic reasons, do I feel I have to make this public instead of private? If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably best not to post it. If you must, it may be better to make your post private or under a “read more” with a trigger warning.Â
Before and After Pictures 1.) Am I posting this to prove how sick I was? 2.) Am I posting this to brag about how sick I was? 3.) Am I posting this to receive validation about how sick I was? 4.) Am I posting this under the pretense of it being a deterrent for eating disorders when I really just want to show how thin I am? 5.) Am I posting this under the pretense of it being inspiration for recovery when I really just want to show how thin I was? 6.) Am I posting this for any reason other than to show the physical side effects of my eating disorder? If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably best not to post these pictures. Pictures of Your Food 1.) Am I posting this to brag about how little I’m eating? 2.) Am I posting this to show how much control I have with food? 3.) Am I posting this because I have an unhealthy attachment to/obsession with what I am eating? 4.) Am I posting this under the pretense of documenting my meals in recovery when in reality I am still holding on to the obsession with food? 5.) Am I posting this to brag about how well I’m doing in “recovery?” If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably best not to post a picture of your food. Random Quotes/Sayings/Text (“Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels”) 1.) Is what I’m posting glamorizing eating disorders or making eating disorders look desirable in any way? 2.) Is what I’m posting possibly going to trigger someone else? 3.) Am I posting this to motivate myself to lose weight/stop eating/stay sick? 4.) Am I posting this for any reason other than to express my feelings and/or for therapeutic reasons? If the answer is yes to any of the above questions, it’s probably best not to post it. WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT POST. If you have to ask yourself if it’s a good idea or not to post, it’s probably not. Also, put yourself in someone else’s place. Let’s say you are about to post a weight number. Ask yourself, “If someone else posted this same exact thing, would I see that as trigger or unhealthy?” If the answer is yes, then you probably shouldn’t post it. If you have to ask someone like me whether or not something is pro-ana, it probably is. WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT POST!
ALSO —
Before you feel bad about yourself if you have ever done any of the above or you consider doing anything of the above, we’ve all done it. Every single one of us has probably posted something, intentionally or unintentionally, that has either been unhealthy for us or other people. I still do it. I still see good friends of mine do it. Sometimes it’s hard to get away from it. But if you continuously ask yourself the above questions and truly figure out your reasons behind posting something, you will get better at figuring out what is toxic and what isn’t. In the end, you can always just ask yourself, "Am I posting this for me or my eating disorder?"
