Whilst flipping through the Sunday circulars, reader Thomas B. was surprised to see JC Penney’s new clothing line called, “a.n.a. : A New Approach.”

A worker in the mental health field for several years, he was reminded of another meaning for “ana,” that it’s a slang term for anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by not eating to the point of extreme weight loss and malnutrition, amongst some anorexia or “pro-ana” communities. As a proper name, “Ana” serves as a sort of anorexic avatar or imaginary anthropomorphization amongst anorexia groups.

Gives the “It’s all inside” tagline a certain macabre irony then, n’est-ce pas?

“This seems to be an interesting choice name for a new clothing campaign, especially since the term is still widely unknown except for those directly involved with anorexia & other eating disorders. Is JC Penney trying to gain a new “target” market?” writes Thomas.

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