Tumblr is Wrong for Censoring Eating Disorder Blogs

This is ridiculous.  The entire point behind the problem of pro-ana and self-harm blogs is that they not only encourage womyn to do it, but even offer them advice as to how to do it surreptitiously. These blogs may form a community, but only a community wherein the members are actively encouraged to not seek any form of help. If they were to exist, who is going to be the adversarial voice there? Are you going to do it? I presume you’re not to the point of saying that eating disorders are somehow a good thing. Yes, eating disorders are certainly created by society and the media, there’s no question of that. But in your war analogy, did television teach kids how to sneak behind enemy lines? No. It’s certainly the case that you can hem and haw about freedom of speech or try to claim that these blogs are simply reporting on what happens, and that’s fine, but the fact of the matter is that as shitty as it is, tumblr has no obligation to freedom of speech. You’re correct that it’s hypocritical that they don’t censor racist blogs, or fat-shaming blogs, and it would probably be nice if they did, but the stand they’ve taken here is a good one (whether or not tumblr is a “bunch of bros who know nothing about eating disorders” notwithstanding). Also, it seems short-sighted to compare these sorts of blogs to MMA. Yes, it is far more socially acceptable to be outwardly violent as a male, but 1) in MMA there’s usually this thing called a “referee” who stops the fight when anyone is about to be seriously hurt, and 2) the solution to this problem isn’t “well, womyn should just be allowed to be violent too”. Yes, it really sucks that this censorship targets womyn, but it’s a response to the fact that womyn are the targets in the first place.

You also neglected to mention the idea that pro-ana blogs are potentially triggering to people who are actually trying to deal with their disorders, which is ostensibly part of the decision to shut them down in the first place.

You don’t know what it’s like!

Though your assumption is slightly misguided, I believe (I think most people would be surprised at the instance rates of eating disorders for men, despite the fact that it is primarily a womyn’s issue), you are correct that I don’t know what its like and I will readily acquiesce to that. I certainly would never presume to question the legitimacy of eating disorders or the amount of pain they cause. However, I don’t think I need a visceral knowledge of what it feels like to be able to come to an assessment of the problem, which, as I see it, is that these blogs do nothing but enable an unsafe behavior at every step of the way. When you talk about how these blogs form a “community where [womyn] don’t feel alone”, it seems fairly plain to me that this is still a community that reinforces and encourages the awful messages from the media in the first place. It seems at some points in this article that you wish to treat these blogs as support groups rather than a recycling of patriarchal violence. Also, from my dealings with people with eating disorders, “not feeling alone” is something of a misguided statement because in most instances I think people still feel pretty profoundly alone, it’s inherent to the disease in question. I don’t know your experiences and my heart goes out to you if you have suffered from these sorts of disorders even slightly (and its certainly not something you need to feel obligated to admit or hash out in this forum), but I wish you would take a step back and think about what these blogs actually do. I don’t think there’s a real case to be made that any good comes from them, all other evils on the internet notwithstanding. You’re correct that there is a sexist bias in the selection of what to censor, but this just seems like a really weird battle to pick.

[...] reading Chrissy’s post on PhiLOLZophy, I looked at it differently. I remembered how isolated and friendless my friend felt, talking about [...]

At my crazy Christian college women are not supposed to wear revealing clothing because it may “cause men to stumble.” The thing about this is that it made me feel like shit because if I turned a guy on it was my fault, not his. But I tried  for awhile until a guy told me that he gets turned on when a girl stands up and adjusts her jeans after sitting. Seriously. So it turns out biology doesn’t actually adhere to lines you draw in the sand. My point is that someone with an ED will get triggered by anything. It sucks, but its not the job of everyone else to censor their content, it is the job of the recovering person to avoid temptation and do their best.

Pro eating disorder blogs aren’t great. The world would probably be better without them. I’m only saying probably because I have a sense of normalcy and sanity I would never otherwise have from reading these before and after I got treatment for my ED. They’ve existed before confessional media was even popular and it makes you not feel crazy to know that you are not the only one that thinks a certain way. To be honest most of these blogs are actually very positive. The author might hate herself but she is willing to stick up for her friends. One of the things I actually learned in treatment is to try to talk to myself like I would talk to someone else with an ED. Not to give tips, this happens in pro groups to be sure but it is the extreme minority of interactions, but affirmation.

The bottom line though is that I don’t think censorship is ever good. I think everything about sharing what you are going through, even if its a negative trajectory, is important.

hellabrohemian might not know what it’s like but i do. these are NOT positive and healthy communities and you’re fooling yourself if you try to say that they are. for every blog by someone in recovery there are 10 for someone active in their disorder, who VIOLENTLY HATES THEMSELVES. ED communities are not about friendships, they are about competitions to see who can be the sickest and the saddest, even in recovery.  you can say “oh boo censorship” all you fucking want but i am a survivor of self harm and eating disorders and i am telling you that these communities actively made me hurt myself. they DO ENCOURAGE IT. and fuck off with your “people who are triggered should just avoid it”, you don’t fucking understand triggers at all. people SEEK THAT SHIT OUT TO GET TRIGGERED BY IT, I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE DONE IT. if you think that’s something that should be encouraged then you don’t respect womyn at all. oh, and if you’re gonna fucking try to speak for people who self harm and have eating disorders then maybe next time try to avoid calling one of those people “the worst-looking human being”, you fucking asshole. god i hate this shitty blog.

ALSO it is worth mentioning that tumblr will be censoring triggering & dangerous blogs, not blogs by anyone who talks about having an eating disorder or self harm problem. talking about your struggles: fine. posting pictures of cutting yourself or “thinspo”: DANGEROUS AND HURTFUL TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. hope this is clear.

It is very difficult for some people not to drink, but we don’t close every bar in the world. It is your responsibility to manage your recovery.

yeah and it’s also important NOT TO BE A FUCKING ENABLER OF ALCOHOLISM?

this is the worst. this is the worst blog.

Look, I run a pro-FIT blog, besides my main Tumblr. I struggled with anorexia a  couple years ago, and the pro-ana blogs do trigger me back into thinking I need to starve and binge/purge. I know, don’t look at them, right? Have you ever searched the tag “skinny” or “thin”? It’s all pro ana bullshit. I think they should be censored, and get help in real life. Not help each other kill themselves over the internet.

its like tumblr’s own fucking sopa/acta/pipa. wtf. we cant fucking go anywhere. 

I’m sorry, but you are completely wrong. I HAVE an eating disorder, and it’s NOT because of tumblr. You’re an idiot, reading about  it, or looking at pictures of thin girls, cannot cause you to go “Hmm, let’s put myself through living hell, and be mentally FUCKED UP on purpose just because hey, they’re all doing it, so why not.” I have seen VERY FEW blogs that are like “Ok, pro ana tips here” NO. Tumblr has a SHIT TON of blogs that have to do with eating disorders because we all feel so safe together, and we can talk, and make each other feel better, and we can express ourselves and not feel so completely ALONE. You are focusing your efforts on entirely the wrong thing. Instead tumblr should be deleting racist blogs, hate blogs, etc, NOT blogs where girls are expressing them selves and obviously dealing with some very serious issues and trying very hard to cope. so dont you DARE say the majority of us are condoning and encouraging developing an eating disorder. It doesnt even fucking work that way anyways. So PISS OFF.  

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Please ,please keep up all this so others see so they can learn from this and maybe to get to know someone that is going though the something like you. I made in though this eatting battles it took along time but here I am I made all by myself, well wit some friends,family my 4 kids put me right back where mommy’s need to be. I’m so thankfully for all the postings on here of stuff that I went though and others again * I THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT ALL YOU DO BEST AND HELPING PEOPLE LIKE ME AS WELL MY FRIENDS TOO.**

I so agee with you all the way, I to was one of with this eating disorders but I got a lot of help for it and ya it did take along time but I’m here an very happy I’m here too, but this SHIT ABOUT LOOKING, READING BLOG’S IS GOING TO TURN PEOPLE BACK ,OR START UP IS ALL BULL SHIT……. THATS THE TRUTH!!

I have an eating disorder. I know what its like to be alone. My blog has a trigger warning and the girls on it have prevented me from going over the edge. It hasn’t been taken away yet but if it is I’m physical scared of what i might do. That blog and the people on it are my friends and just like yours are the people around your neighborhood. We discuss our EDs and support those who are dealing with them just as much as we do those who are trying to recover.  Those people behind to computer screen didn’t create a blog with the intention of giving someone an eating disorder, they did it for the sole reason that they want to speak to people just like themselves. Everyone just wants to be excepted. Deleting our blogs is a violation of our freedom of speech. I see no problem with the blogs if there is a trigger warning and its stupid that people are making this a much bigger deal than it is. 

I completely agree that sensoring these blogs is ridiculous! I have an eating disorder, and the mentality that looking a blog is going to somehow “give someone an eating disorder” is so stupid. As someone with an eating disorder, I can agree that I can find triggers ANYWHERE. I am in recovery and doing pretty great, and I have to say that SUPPORT and love were the only things that helped me want to change. People telling me that what I was doing was “wrong” did absolutely nothing except annoy and hurt me.