Oh no, my blog is unintentionally thinspo- need advice

[onela]

Oh, no!

I blog about my dancing. I'm a recreational dancer, I dance because I love to, I like thinking about it and blogging about it. I also re-blog lots of cool photos from many dance forms (especially ballet and belly dance- I identify belly dance as my "home" style but I spent a lot of my life studying ballet and have even returned to it, so it's a style I'm very comfortable in and discussing).

Now, I keep my blog on tumblr. Unfortunately, Tumblr has a large pro-ana and pro-mia community. There are a lot of blogs of "thinspiration". I've been aware of this since pretty early in my blogging, and try not to blog things that I think will be picked up as "thinspiration", and don't re-blog anything from a blog that I know to be thinspo/pro-ana/mia. I also don't avoid body image topics because frankly this is a serious issue in many different facets of the dance community.

But I don't want my blog to be thinspo. I'm thin, but have never really indicated this through my blogging- I never blog about my weight, I've never put photos of myself on my blog yet. I post information and photos of dancers of all shapes, sizes, and dance styles. I follow body-positive blogs (dance and non-dance related). I don't want to chase away potential readers who are anorexic, but I don't want them to use my blog to fuel their eating disorders.

So what would you do if it were you?

ETA: part of what troubles me is that I'm worried that some of my previous blog posts aren't clear that my blog is not a thinspo or pro-ed blog- I have recently-ished reblogged an article about how tumblr has a lot of this material on it (I didn't add much of my own opinion as I thought it was clear that I agreed with the article which stated things to the general effect of pro-ed blogs/websites are bad and tumblr ought to take them down), and a while ago, I blogged about an art show of photography that was at the time on exhibit in my city, self-portraits by a photographer who is in recovery for her own eating disorder. I linked to an article about the show in our local weekly freebie paper, and the article's tone was heavy on "eating disorders are bad, here are some places to get help"-type rhetoric.

 

[Belly Love]

I don't get how your blog would be pro-ana, etc. if you're not posting anything that would indicate so?

 

[~Diana~]

and for those who have apparently no clue but what does pro-ana, pro-mia, and thinspiration mean??

 

[onela]

and for those who have apparently no clue but what does pro-ana, pro-mia, and thinspiration mean??

Blogs that enable and inspire people with eating disorders. :/

 

[onela]

I don't get how your blog would be pro-ana, etc. if you're not posting anything that would indicate so?

I think because I post a lot of dance photography. A lot of similar photos etc. make rounds on thinspo blogs, so if they subscribe to stuff tagged with "ballet", my stuff pops up, and they follow me because they're not really looking and think I'm "one of them", I think.

I also express concern as a favourite dance blogger of mine on tumblr had similar issues- thinspo people reblogging her stuff that she had posted that wasn't intended to be thinspo. So I'm seeing the early signs of something I've seen before somewhere else.

 

[Belly Love]

and for those who have apparently no clue but what does pro-ana, pro-mia, and thinspiration mean??

Pro anorexia
Pro bulimia
Thin inspiration (ie: pictures of super thin celebrities, models, real people, etc.)

 

[Belly Love]

Onela - Oh okay. I guess there is nothing you can do other than not post super thin dance pics. If your putting your info out there for billions to see... well, that's the risk unfortunately.

I've seen some of these sites. When I was young I used go on one of them. That was a long time ago. Now, there are sooo many- and they are creepy! They are so sad and depressing...

 

[onela]

I'm unsure if I should address it on my blog or not, is really what I'm trying to figure out. The fellow dance blogger who had a similar experience posted a photo one morning of a super healthy breakfast she was eating, and it was re-blogged as thinspo (it was a pretty sturdy, atypical breakkie). I think she confronted the person on her blog without naming them, and they had a discussion about it on her blog. I'm unsure if I should do the same- it isn't quite the same because the material of mine they're re-blogging isn't entirely generated by me, it's not a picture of me in a leotard or a picture I took of a meal or anything like that. I can't figure out what an appropriate response to the thinspo community's interest in my blog is at this point (or at what point I need to ramp up any responses, etc).

 

[gisela]

I don't have any ideas right now but let me just say, wow what a strange problem. I don't mean that you are strange Onela, , I mean the situation that one can't just blog about a hobby without it getting twisted in a curious angle. Pro-Ana etc is not anything I have ever come across in person, I have only heard about the concept in the media. It is really awful and destructive.

 

[onela]

I don't have any ideas right now but let me just say, wow what a strange problem. I don't mean that you are strange Onela, , I mean the situation that one can't just blog about a hobby without it getting twisted in a curious angle. Pro-Ana etc is not anything I have ever come across in person, I have only heard about the concept in the media. It is really awful and destructive.

I dunno, I probably am a little strange

Yeah it's a weird problem. I just can't figure out if I should address it directly in my blogging or not.

 

[Belly Love]

I have to say, I think it's great that you're actually taking the time to address this issue. It's very thoughtful of others and their well being :clap:

 

[LunaXJJ]

Thinspo itself isn't a bad thing. Yes, many pro-eating disorder people use it in a bad way. However, there are individuals who are trying to lose weight in healthy ways who get inspired buy it too.

Most people looking specifically for thinspo won't bother with a belly dance blog anyway. There are plenty of other blogs specifically for that out there. Ones with much more unhealthy-thin ideals to it too.

 

[Greek Bonfire]

I can imagine that the "guilt by association" is what is bothering you. I think that if you periodically state that bellydancing is for all types of body shapes you may reduce some "damage."

This is an unusual problem but I think you are smart enough to keep your views to the fore.

 

[Aniseteph]

Thinspo itself isn't a bad thing. Yes, many pro-eating disorder people use it in a bad way. However, there are individuals who are trying to lose weight in healthy ways who get inspired buy it too.

I can see how sticking a picture of a celebrity on the fridge/ biscuit tin might act as a reminder if you were trying to lose weight healthily, but the kind of thing that comes up when you google thinspo? . (maybe that is just not representative, but to me the clue's in the name).

Unless you are naturally thin how are you going to get to look like that? Starving yourself? or setting an unrealistic goal that you will fail at (way to beat yourself up, and welcome to the world of yo yo dieting). Healthy is not the word that springs to mind.

It is so depressing.

 

[Nath]

Perhaps blogging about Rubenesque belly dancers and posting a few pictures that put a more lush body type in a positive light will help. Belly dance is beautiful no matter what the body type, so perhaps that will help establish you as not pro anything other than dance.

 

[onela]

Thinspo itself isn't a bad thing. Yes, many pro-eating disorder people use it in a bad way. However, there are individuals who are trying to lose weight in healthy ways who get inspired buy it too.

Most people looking specifically for thinspo won't bother with a belly dance blog anyway. There are plenty of other blogs specifically for that out there. Ones with much more unhealthy-thin ideals to it too.

On Tumblr, when another user follows you, Tumblr gives you the link for their blog too. When I follow the links back, they are obviously pro-eating disorder thinspo blogs.

Yes, Greek Bonfire, part of it is a bit of a sense of "guilt by association", also I work in a field where ethics are something we discuss a lot, and I'm concerned if I am ethically obligated to advocate against ed's on my blog. Like, if I'm a dance blogger, is it ethical for me to turn a blind eye to this?

@Nath I think they are using pics I post of "rubanesque" dancers (of a variety of styles, I don't just blog about belly dance) as reverse thinspo which somehow feels more heartbreaking!