When did ED become cool?

appleseeds

In my high school eating disorders where heaps cool. I remember talking to a girl at uni recently about it and they were cool at her school too.

EDIT: anything that made you ****ed up was cool. depression, bipolar, cutting, anxiety.

Barneystinson

Ah, the world of Tumblr thinspo.

I don't know how much of it is a cry for help or a cry for attention.

However, for every one of those blogs, there's a better fitblr or healthy weight loss tumblr to follow.

Edit: I'm mdalerunning dot tumblr dot com

determinedbutlazy

I much much much prefer "fitspo" tumblrs to "thinspo". I want to be fit and toned not skinny and flabby!
I followed you on tumblr and sent you a friend request here

hollyeverhart

This sounds terrible but I'm 19 now and when I was 13 there was a definite mentality that being anorexic/bullemic would be a good thing, I knew a few girls who would much rather have an ED than get fat, and many perfectly skinny girls who really wanted to lose weight who didn't need to. I don't think it was an attention seeking thing- it was mostly a genuine fear of being fat or not being skinny enough.

"a genuine fear of being fat or not being skinny enough"

Thats me in a nut shell...

striveforhealthy

Noticed it awhile ago when I first started my weight loss and everything coming up in the tags under weight loss was also tagged as like pro ana and things like that.

strive-for-healthy.tumblr.com

transfixedtoast

*edited by MFP Moderator*
If you look into things like mob mentality, conformity, identity issues and group psychology it's easy to see how these weird eating disorder worshiping cults develop, but it's sick and insulting in every way shape and form to those people who ACTUALLY have eating disorders, not those who force symptoms of them.
It's in no way cool but these girls are so desperate for a group to accept them and get a bit of a sense of belonging that they engage in the behaviours to get the approval from others in the groups which is sick and wrong but that's the way it is.
I only wish they could understand that spending your life cold, in bed, losing weight then dying of a heart attack isn't an acheivement.

JulieH3art

Stop it with the name calling.

Eating disorder is a complex and sensitive disease, and these girls have a really hard time. Stop generalizing, ridiculing, patronizing and belittling it and them. Even with professional help they are in a really tough situation. These past 24 hours I have seen many subjects pop up on the forum regarding anorexia nervosa, and I just don't think it's helping anyone to shine such a negative light on it.

The reality is that anorexia nervosa and bulimia are mental disorders, not to be taken lightly, and pretending to understand why they arise through tumblr of all places... ... it's just not feasible.

I don't even know why I'm trying to argue this. Have some pity. You will never be as mean to them as they are to themselves, so why add to it all? It makes me sadface to see.

Tzippy7

everyone expresses their ED differently! You cant make generalizations like "people with real ED are private about it." Mental illness takes on many different forms. If someone is doing it for attention and still ends up hospitalized that doesnt mean they are less sick than someone who was private about it and ended up in the same place. And this is not a new trend, its just something people dont often confront unless they are looking for that kind of environment.

fletchilicious

You know you're getting old when you thought ED referred to erectile dysfunction :embarassed:

HealthyHappyVegan

So I've recently joined this tumblr thing. I wanted another way to chronicle my weight gain into super awesome musclyness from my old skinny self.
Anyway, I'm new to the site, and have only been on for about a week and what's really shocked me is how many girls are on there...seemingly *enjoying...perhaps that's not the right word...advertising their eating disorders, and not in a...I have a problem, I'm working through it kind of way, but more 'YES I ONLY ATE 200 CALORIES TODAY' or 'Finally hit 39kg !!!'.

I get that for many, many people an eating disorder is extremely difficult, and having worked with young teenagers with ED's I completely sympathise, but when did it become cool to have an ED?

Also to clarify, I am not generalising and saying all ED people think it's cool, I'm not that stupid, but there seems to be hundreds, if not thousands of girls on this site...in what seems like a 'thinspo' club.

What's this about?

Unfortunately there are a lot of pro-ED blogs on Tumblr. However, there's an equal amount of healthy fitness and weight loss blogs.
Mine is: healthyandhappyvegan.tumblr.com

rainydaze613

Unfortunately, there's been pro-ana and thinspo sites around ever since the internet was around. Before tumblr, it was livejournal, and before that, it was xanga.
I think it's easy for people to get caught up in anything they see as a fad, especially if they're young. Eating disorders are serious, but then there are people who actually try to pursue the "lifestyle". I guess it's kind of an inner competition to see who can eat the least.

AlphamaleBAMF

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

DieVixen

There comes a time when we need to stop blaming the media for everything,and maybe start teaching our kids to think for themselves.
we can cry all we want about societys impossible standards but we are society we are are responsiple for letting the modeling industry/hollywood tell us how we need to look. when in reality who gives a fVck what they think we should look like.

limbopanto

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

Eating disorders are rarely about being thin for vanity reasons. That's a huge misconception.

EternalJourney

Its just a bunch of girls trying to glamorize something that will give them attention, and the idea is they want to look like a model although it'll never come to fruition.. ;o)

EternalJourney

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

Eating disorders are rarely about being thin for vanity reasons. That's a huge misconception.

These tumblr girls are just that. Trying to do it for vanity reasons. Why do you think they stockpile thousands of pictures of skinny girls wearing 'cute frilly clothes' and crap.

Alicia_Monique

You have to be really careful with tumblr. You should be looking at fitspo, not thinspo!
I'm a fitblr!
Here are some of my favorite blogs:
http://i-w0rk-out.tumblr.com/
http://fit-sailorswife.tumblr.com/
http://onthewaytofit.tumblr.com/
http://from-fat*ss-to-hourglass.tumblr.com -- That * is an a.
http://fitforinfinity.tumblr.com/
http://f*ckyeahfitspiration.tumblr.com/ -- That * is a u
http://t-is-for-training.tumblr.com/
http://odolnost.tumblr.com/ -- Kayla is a recovering anorexic, so she's very thin, but she's come a long way.
http://goaltogetfit.tumblr.com/
http://itsjustanotherweightlossblog.tumblr.com/
http://the--fitnessista.tumblr.com/
http://fit-spir-ation.tumblr.com/
http://size10plz.tumblr.com/

If you just follow these you'll find sooo many more body-positive people to follow.

umachanxo

Thinspo scares me.

ironanimal

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

Eating disorders are rarely about being thin for vanity reasons. That's a huge misconception.

These tumblr girls are just that. Trying to do it for vanity reasons. Why do you think they stockpile thousands of pictures of skinny girls wearing 'cute frilly clothes' and crap.

Yup. Wanting legs thinner than my forearm can hardly be for health or wellbeing reasons. I think each and everyone of them should be shut down to stop it being glamorised and promoted as it is.

limbopanto

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

Eating disorders are rarely about being thin for vanity reasons. That's a huge misconception.

These tumblr girls are just that. Trying to do it for vanity reasons. Why do you think they stockpile thousands of pictures of skinny girls wearing 'cute frilly clothes' and crap.

There is a difference between someone suffering from an eating disorder and those who crash diet, following the 'thinspo' and pro-ana culture.

grrrlface

I don't even get why people have eating disorders.

I know I am obese and I am working on that, and I know for some reason people hate fat people a lot and it's seen as better to be skinny. But the people with ED need to realise they aren't actually being popular or in vogue or whatever by being skinny. Infact they're the minority and nearly 70% of people are overweight or obese so being underweight or incredibly skinny is just a stupid idea all together.

EDs are mental disorders, unless you have one you will not understand the compulsion.

I suffered since I was 12yo with restricting, I recovered with the help of a doctor at 18. When I started losing weight again the compulsion was there to try and lose it as fast as I could but I have tried my hardest not to act on it. It's hard, and I aren't a teenager anymore, I'm 22. 10 years of fighting a monster.

It's not about being cool, hating fat people or being popular. I have no friends, I don't go on these 'pro-ana' websites, I never did it to fit in. It was a compulsion. I wouldn't advertise or promote this to anyone. I refuse to give 'tips' when people see I have lost weight.

I don't think it helps that you say it's 'stupid', maybe if you understood you would see it wasn't a helpful comment. (I'm not being mean btw, you just said you didn't understand and I hope that gives you a bit of an insight...?)

cristaine

It isn't recent, I just turned 40 this year and when I was 19 and 20 it was the same thing. I got quite over it when I lost more than one friend to ED and other related addictions.

Truth is, there is more stigma to being obese and fat than in having an ED and looking "celebrity acceptable thin".

It *is* popular and even, in some circles in vogue. We have to tell the truth to change the truth. That doesn't stop it from being very dangerous, inappropriate to be be "promoted", against the TOS here, and very very incredibly sad.

It's only a diet until your body starts to die with you still in it. Sadly, then it is usually too late. Most kids don't ever think they can let it get out of control though, that is the sad part. It will always be someone else. (That and many are just posers, using the ED idea as a DIET instead of actually having true disordered thinking.)

Usually an ED is not about looking hot in a pair of pants. If you see that, chances are good they are using "ED" as a diet. Which, to me is doing NO justice to true people suffering and trying to free themselves from the horror that is truly suffering from an ED.

EDesq

So I've recently joined this tumblr thing. I wanted another way to chronicle my weight gain into super awesome musclyness from my old skinny self.
Anyway, I'm new to the site, and have only been on for about a week and what's really shocked me is how many girls are on there...seemingly *enjoying...perhaps that's not the right word...advertising their eating disorders, and not in a...I have a problem, I'm working through it kind of way, but more 'YES I ONLY ATE 200 CALORIES TODAY' or 'Finally hit 39kg !!!'.

I get that for many, many people an eating disorder is extremely difficult, and having worked with young teenagers with ED's I completely sympathise, but when did it become cool to have an ED?

Also to clarify, I am not generalising and saying all ED people think it's cool, I'm not that stupid, but there seems to be hundreds, if not thousands of girls on this site...in what seems like a 'thinspo' club.

What's this about?

It seems "cool" here because there are MANY IGNORANT people that actually believe that "Support" means telling these sick people they are "doing great" NO Matter what they do! So you have a bunch of people who need HELP actually NOT Getting It because they are getting the wrong message.

Lovely_Doll

I like to call those wannarexics, not actual anorexics. A lot of them end up failing and end up binging for a few days before they go back to normal. Some of them actually end up developing an eating disorder.

HarlCarl

.

RainxPain

Most of them are blogging about a mental illness. Pro-Ana's/Mia's brag about their ED's... they don't actually have an eating disorder.

It's an obsession. Calorie counting, exercising like crazy, purging, restricting.... it all leads to a screwed up head. It's scary.

LorinaLynn

It's very sad, and I think part of the problem is that the world of reality tv plus the accessibility of an internet "audience" has turned normal life into a competitive sport. Yeah, Biggest Loser, I'm looking at you. But also shows like 16 and Pregnant, Hoarders, Intervention... While the original point might have been to give a window or voice to people with major problems, it's also exploitative and, to some, might seem to glamorize those major problems.

It's not good enough to be a normal kid. They think they need a label... a gimmick. Not everyone can be the Smart One or the Athletic One or the Talented One, so they make their own identity.

Very sad.

FitSlimHappy

I have noticed this too. I completely sympathize with people suffering with ED's. But on sites like Tumblr & Instagram its the same, you have a small group of girls glorifying EDs, probably not understanding the horrifying long term effects they have.
These people are the ones I have problems with, posting ridiculous things because its 'cool'
My friend suffered with anorexia with bulimic tendencies, and even though she has been recovered for 3 years now, she is still picking up the pieces of a body which has been completely ruined from years of abuse. EDs are not 'cool or fun' they are a serious condition

BlueDahlia77

Unfortunately, Tumblr is only the latest tool in the pro-ED sub-culture on the internet. In the past there were pro-Ana (anorexia) and pro-Mia (bulimia) websites all over the internet.

tenunderfour

Wow! I just searched Tumblr for "thinspo". I had never heard that term before today..... (I'm old and living under a rock apparently ) But, that is quite disturbing. I'm the first one to admit I'm a little dysmorphic, but that is over the top! I hope my 9 year old daughter doesn't EVER start admiring or emulating that type of behavior.