Post-Pro-Ana

There’s pro-ana, there’s anti-ana, and now there’s post-pro-ana.

The lines dividing anti and pro-ana groups are clear-cut, but where exactly does post-pro-ana fit in? What exactly does post-pro-ana even mean??

I recently came across the website webiteback.com. This site calls itself a post-pro-ana site. The site provides an online community and support network for those who are struggling with eating disorders. This sort of community and support is a large part of why pro-ana sites are so popular.

The main difference between webiteback and pro-ana sites is that webiteback is recovery oriented. It is a network of support for recovery, as opposed to support of the disorder itself.

The following is a promo video for webiteback:

This video can also be found on their homepage.

Webiteback is trying to reach out to people who feel alienated, people who miss the social network of people who can be found on pro-ana site. A network of people who understand their disorder. They have a facebook page to reach even more people.

It seems as though this is the only post-pro-ana site out there right now.

In the site’s FAQ question they answered some important questions about what their site’s purpose is, and why they call themselves post-proana (The following passage is taken directly from their FAQ section.)

What is post-proana?

Post-proana is an online subculture made up of people actively working to decrease disordered eating habits. Recognizing that proana communities provided teens and adults alike with an appreciated supportive environment, we have created a community that provides support without encouraging anorexic or bulimic behavior patterns. When the mirror lies, each person must learn to rely on the eyes of those who care about us. Those eyes are reading these pages. Working together as a team, we are overcoming our eating disorders together. Successfully.

Are you an anti-pro-ana site?

Complicated answer: We are all for free speech regarding eating disorders, but we are against the creation of communities with a blatant purpose of normalizing the self-harm. Disclaimers on proana sites do not spare their site creators from moral responsibility. We urge proana site owners to at least acknowledge the sway each owner holds over crowds of well-meaning people who want to lose weight for various misplaced reasons. Readers will copy what they read. We are anti-spreading-negative-behavioral-patterns-as-a-sustainable-lifestyle.

Why not call yourselves anti-ana or anti-proana then?

If you create a self identity based on a negative first thought, it can be easy to put off self-healing by pursuing a witch hunt of those currently dealing with eating disorders.

We are letting go of the need to create a boogeyman out of people who suffer from disordered eating, and instead learning to accept ourselves as we are, as we discover that a lot of negative opinions we had of ourselves just weren’t true.

 

Webiteback.com fills that large void between the supportive community of people who share a disorder, and recovery. It is a progressive site with a community of recovering and recovered people.

I hope it is a sign of things to come.

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