About a year ago, I discovered what I now refer to as the “dark side” of Pinterest, and it completely fractured my heart. Many people don’t realize that Pinterest is more than recipes, makeup, and perfect wedding picture. But it, like all other pieces of our culture, is not immune to the pain and darkness of the world.
The number of “Pro Ana” (encouraging anorexia), “Pro Mia” (encouraging bulimia) and “Thinspo” (short for “thinspiration” aka "inspiration for you to be thin") boards on Pinterest is astounding. The number of repins pictures like the following receive is heartbreaking. But I get it.
The above pin was repinned 1.9K times. When I found it, it was captioned simply, "This is true." It was pinned on boards entitled things like “Im not ok,” “Skinny,” “Motivation,” “Battles” and “Starve bitch starve.” Over 1,900 people saved this pin. That’s a lot of people fighting the same tragic battle.
So many pins feature girls with sharp hipbones, defined collarbones, protruding ribs and a stomach that's not only flat but dramatically concave. The following picture has been pinned on 2.2 thousand boards. A few of the various captions people used were “Relapsing is hell” and “Time to stop eating again:”
I see pain and so much fear. There’s a reason most of the pictures are black and white: these are the kind of struggles we keep locked in the shadows. We don’t talk about them. But they’re always there, constantly robbing life of its color – it’s joy. Some things just don’t go away. Some voices never shut up.
In 2012, Pinterest moved to eliminate all eating-disorder and self-harm related content from their site. Because of this, if you specifically search “thinspo,” “pro ana,” “pro mia,” “anorexia,” “bulimia,” etc. a message will appear that reads, “Are you struggling with an eating disorder? Help is available.” The link redirects you to an eating disorder helpline. While this is all well and good, the thinspo community on Pinterest is still alive and well. After the little box prompting you to get help are millions of pictures of skeletal perfection.
You might be wondering why people use Pinterest as an outlet to “thinspire” them at all. And you're not alone in wondering that; I’ve read articles in which women virtuously bash each other for “wallowing” in depression, anxiety or eating disorders via Pinterest. And, yes, I admit "wallowing" is a real concern. But if your only response to seeing these pins is to think “wow people need to get over themselves” then I would say that you’re part of the problem – not because you're not giving people sympathy, but because you're ignoring the issue.
Telling people their Pinterest boards are dumb is not going to help. That's honestly so petty when compared to what's actually happening to these people. Loving the people who struggle may not immediately change their behavior, but it at least it lets them know they matter, regardless of what they eat.
People who struggle with eating disorders don’t need to be told they’re being stupid. No one struggling with this kind of thing needs that. Most people who struggle with anorexia or bulimia are searching for control, love, acceptance, an outlet for suppressed emotions or a way to make someone notice the fact that they exist and they're hurting. And they don't want to hurt alone.
I suppose it may sound odd to refer to the “thinspo community,” but it is a very real thing. Pinterest is not the most social of medias, yet people use the platform to express their pain without telling people they have an eating disorder. One woman, in the description of her “Anorexia?” board even stated that she was using Pinterest as a platform to express her emotions without honestly telling the people around her.
People don't want to talk about it, but they sure as heck don’t want to struggle on their own. But look at how many times these things are being repinned! If you're struggling with these kinds of thoughts, you’re not alone. I promise.
Nothing upsets me more than when people feel unloved or unlovable. Honestly, if this is you, please message me or leave a comment, because I believe you are beautiful because of your soul. You are lovable because you exist. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You were uniquely knitted together in your mother’s womb. There is no one like you in the whole universe. And that makes your existence unique and beautiful.
You can never be too damaged to be loved. If you think I’m wrong, try me. I've fought some of these same battles for years so I know what it's like to fight the person in the mirror. And I don’t care what you’ve done, how you look or how you see yourself. I promise you are infinitely valuable.
Please don’t let thinspo, pro ana, or pro mia media become your diet. I love you so much, and I promise it’s not because I don’t know you.
I love you because you exist, and your existence is beautiful.
