Recently, two of Reddit’s largest eating disorder subreddits were removed for “encouraging physical harm”. We believe that this was a completely uninformed and biased decision, and we want our communities back.

Eating disorders are one of the most incredibly lonely disorders. Talking to other people who understand and feel the same way helps us cope. But the term “pro-eating disorder”, “pro-ana” (referring to anorexia nervosa), and “pro-mia” (referring to bulimia nervosa), are outdated and no longer reflect who we are. 

We do NOT promote eating disorders. We do not promote harm. We support one another, and we care for each other, like a close knit family. We think reasonably, and we care for our fellow members’ health. If someone wants to recover, we support and welcome that so much. There are so many people who have recovered thanks to these communities, and the kind people in them. 

They help us feel less alone, less like freaks or not normal. We are no worse than the many communities about self harm, mental illness, drugs, etc. We aren’t like tumblr anymore. Our community was our safe space, a place for us to feel welcome. It was removed because they did not take the time to understand us and LISTEN.

We want to be heard, and we want our voice back.