Why I Finally Left MPA

Hey loves,

Today, I just wanted to share some important news with you guys -I (finally) left MPA- Yay! I want to share some of the important reasons why I left the site. Enjoy!

So, if you guys have read my other posts: My experience with myproana  and  Responding to MPA criticism on Taylor Swift anorexic you would that I was a part of an ed community. Myproana is technically an eating disorder support community. They once were ‘pro-ana’ but now claim to be totally against it. I was a member on and off for a couple of years. My last account was about one year old (about the same as my blog). Originally, I was on there as a ‘pro-ana’ however, with time it all just kind of changed. I was just there for support and to have something to do. Since it was about food, it was something that was fun and interesting to me as a ‘hobby.’

While this recent community may claim to be against ‘pro-ana,’ they are very much pro-ana. It’s NOT a recovery site. The girls there are by no means there to help you (not many of them, at least). MPA is a very toxic site for people struggling with an eating disorder or any other mental illness. It’s not a support site or a recovery site, but they claim to be against pro-ana. So, what are they? This leads me to the reasons I left the site.

1. Myproana is indeed pro-ana. They just don’t like to be called this term. All their boards are essentially tips. You see posts about safe foods, issues with bulimia, meal plans, calories, thinspo, how to hide hair loss, etc. The entire site is essentially a tips site but God forbid you use the word ‘tips and tricks’ in your post because you will get eaten alive. Myproana is pro-ana, just make sure you don’t call them that. This leads into my second point.
2. Myproana is NOT a supportive site. If you’re on this site for emotional support to help you deal with your eating disorder, this site it NOT supportive. It’s full of cyberbullies who defend their actions by claiming to be ‘hangry’ (angry due to hunger). If you say something that the community does not like or if you ever say the words ‘tips and tricks’ or ‘pro-ana’ you’ve sentenced yourself to death. You will have  every member on that site call you every word in the dictionary and bully you until you leave.
3. Myproana is a political site. MPA has turned into a site of politics rather than an ed site. However, it’s not for the best. There are tons of openly racist and sexist users who will not tolerate any anti-Trump posts. They have very traditional views that are just not expressive of the diverse society we live in today. This is a big reason as to why I couldn’t take it anymore. Myproana is not meant to be about politics, but the fact that there are so many users who make it about politics and are blinded to the real issues facing society is alarming.

MPA is simply a bad environment to be in. There’s very little positivity in that community that can only lead you to get worse in your illness. It’s not going to help you at all. It’s just a very toxic site, and it was time for me to leave and never come back. At one point, MPA was a better group site. Even when they were actually pro-ana, the community was so much better. You didn’t get as much hate as you do now. It was a much more supportive community. However, the Myproana of today is a horrible site for anyone who wants to log on to a ‘pro-ana’ site, an ed support or recovery site, and for anyone looking into having a positive environment. Honestly, stay away from this site.

I am very glad to say that I have finally left that toxic community and I am NOT looking back ever again 🙂

Love,

Liz.

P.S. In finally leaving MPA, I accomplished my first goal in my New Years Resolutions list!