Practices of anorexia and bulimia as an aesthetics of existence

Abstract

This article aims to present the analysis of practices of weight loss, maintenance of weight and body shapes, using the account of anorexic and bulimic young women who call themselves Annas and Mias in virtual space. Its educational goal is to bring situations of the life of young people in contemporary times to examine them in school contexts, considering that the topic of weight loss is often present in the period of adolescence, a phase marked by relationships with several teachers in specific areas. The sources used for the analysis are descriptive texts presented on the blogs of these young women through which they manifest the rules of conduct to become Annas and Mias. The analysis of such practices and discourses has given rise to the possibility of including them in three sets of experiences that intertwine: experiences of body modification, virtual identity experiences and experiences of the self. With these reflections, we have intended to show that, although these and other events may seem distant from the classroom, they actually go through school walls, are visible, manifest themselves and can help us reinvent teaching.