4-part ask ahead! Thank you (and others like feelslikecourage, velvettruce, antigarlicclub, etc.) for making posts that speak out against before/after pics. I think they’re one of the most toxic things in the ED recovery community. It’s frustrating bc most anti-before/after pic posts get a lot of notes, so you’d think that we’d be seeing less of these transformation pics. But sometimes it seems like we’re seeing even MORE of them.
2. And I think the main reason why is bc these pics always get so much attention…tons of “likes,” reblogs, positive/supportive comments, the poster gains followers, etc. Rarely does anyone ever challenge the poster as to what their true intentions are or tell them that their post could be problematic. I also often see people who like/reblog posts against before/afters then turn around and like/reblog the very posts they supposedly disapprove of – sometimes they even post their own!
3. This hypocrisy helps keep these toxic posts so popular. Like that one posts says – if you post before/afters, you’re part of the problem. Well you’re also part of the problem if you support them! Even though these pics will never completely go away, I’ve been trying to think of what we as a community could actually do to make them less prolific, and I came up with an idea that I wanted to share.
4. What if, in honor of our favorite (lol) NEDA Week, someone were to start a post that would be like a pledge to not post or support in any kind of way transformation pictures? Do you think that would be a good idea and would you or any of your followers want to start the “pledge” post? I don’t have a very popular blog, so that’s why I’ve come to you. Let’s take action and make a difference!
The attention, validation, and praise probably feel really great to the person who posted the photos, and I’ve very rarely seen anyone speak out against the photos to that person and say, “Hey, what you’re doing is actually really harmful.” I’ve certainly never reblogged or commented on those posts, because I don’t want to deal with the negative reactions of that person’s followers and praise-givers, and I’m sure many other bloggers feel the same.
Don’t even get me started on the hypocrisy. If you reblog a post against before and after photosets but don’t say anything to your friends or followers that post those photosets, your reblog is really quite meaningless, because you obviously don’t believe that these photos are harmful if you’re praising someone who posts that photos. I know that speaking to that person and explaining the harmful consequences would be really awkward and uncomfortable, but I do think that such conversations need to happen.
I’ve gotten involved in the hashtag “BoycottTheBefore” on Instagram. Someone with a very popular blog started a campaign against before photos, and I’m really hopeful that she can use her influence to make these photos less common. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that when someone is “unable” to post a low-weight photo, that person will then include explicit details and numbers in a “recovery inspiration” post instead, which is unfortunate, but -- small steps!
So, if anyone wants to become involved in Boycott The Before on Instagram or even on Tumblr, please feel free to do so! I’ve also recently used the tag “beforeisbullshit,” and I’m thinking about speaking out against those “recovery is possible” posts that focus more on how sick a person used to be than that person’s recovery process.
