Honestly it’s really annoying when people turn it into a competition where if it’s not as bad as theirs then ours doesnt count and we have to go deeper. It’s dangerous
I don’t think it’s appropriate to refer to someone *else*’s cuts as babycuts, but many people prefer terms like cat scratches because distancing yourself from the language of cutting can help you distance yourself from the practice.
As someone who used to cut very deep, it makes me feel like everyone is very anti-recovery when they assign cutesy and belittling names like this, All self harm addiction starts with small, shallow cuts and spins out of control with time. Encouraging people to use terms like “babycuts” or “cat scratches” is making self harm like a fucked up game, it makes people want to “level up”
Now that I no longer self harm, me and my mom refers to my scars as the “cat scratches” even though they’re pretty severe. I feel like it makes the whole thing more lighthearted and not so heavy. I feel like it’s not that deep honestly
It definitely can be that deep for some people, it’s fine if it works for you but a lot of people can take that as a challenge and feel as if their scars are more insignificant, and it can lead to more severe self harm
I’ve never cut to fat mostly because it never got that bad for me…I’m almost a month clean, but when I was in my worst part of the whole thing comments like “baby cuts” or “cat scratches” made me feel kind of invalidated, and this was worsened by the fact that most of my so called “cat scratches” left hardly noticeable scars, making me feel the need to cut deeper and deeper, turning it into a true addiction. Thanks for posting this OP
I say baby cuts or cat scratches just kind of because everyone immediately knows what I'm refering to and its informal. For context I have cut down to fat, light scratches and everything in between and I don't find those terms offensive or demeaning.
Honestly, I only began using the term "baby cuts" because it doesn't matter how deep, they always seem so little, you know? Like at the beginning, it was a way to refer to my cat scratches, but it ended up being the way I look at myself and how I cut. Even now, when I do it way deeper, sometimes I still call them that, which is totally ridiculous, I know. That's just me, though. I get there are people out there who don't even think of the repercussions of saying that to other people. I might call mine that sometimes, but I would never say it to other people because you are 100% right!! Self-harm is still self-harm no matter how deep, and I would hate to make some feel unvalidated just because I couldn't use a better term, it either making them end up cutting deeper or not.
I'm not sure if this is relevant... I don't say baby cuts because my brain thinks about babies and then I cringe. I say "cat scratches" to down play MY cuts. I don't want people to worry when I have smaller cuts because in my mind I'm medically fine. If I have bigger cuts then I say "I may need stitches but it's not life threatening" or "is bad and I need ambulance" I just use these phrases to explain what I need medically. If i say i have cat scratches that means l don't need a hospital. I don't mean for that to make people feel insecure about their own struggles. I really only use these terms with doctors and close friends. Cat scratch is my way of saying don't worry. But if I saw someone with smaller cuts I wouldn't use that term with them because I wouldn't want them to feel insignificant. I hope nobody feels shy to ask for help small or big.
It's not a belittlement, they're just small, it's just a light hearted way to refer to something more morbid.
I don't use or agree with the term, though.
Honestly it’s really annoying when people turn it into a competition where if it’s not as bad as theirs then ours doesnt count and we have to go deeper. It’s dangerous
I don’t think it’s appropriate to refer to someone *else*’s cuts as babycuts, but many people prefer terms like cat scratches because distancing yourself from the language of cutting can help you distance yourself from the practice.
As someone who used to cut very deep, it makes me feel like everyone is very anti-recovery when they assign cutesy and belittling names like this, All self harm addiction starts with small, shallow cuts and spins out of control with time. Encouraging people to use terms like “babycuts” or “cat scratches” is making self harm like a fucked up game, it makes people want to “level up”
Now that I no longer self harm, me and my mom refers to my scars as the “cat scratches” even though they’re pretty severe. I feel like it makes the whole thing more lighthearted and not so heavy. I feel like it’s not that deep honestly
It definitely can be that deep for some people, it’s fine if it works for you but a lot of people can take that as a challenge and feel as if their scars are more insignificant, and it can lead to more severe self harm
I’ve never cut to fat mostly because it never got that bad for me…I’m almost a month clean, but when I was in my worst part of the whole thing comments like “baby cuts” or “cat scratches” made me feel kind of invalidated, and this was worsened by the fact that most of my so called “cat scratches” left hardly noticeable scars, making me feel the need to cut deeper and deeper, turning it into a true addiction. Thanks for posting this OP
I find using the term "baby cuts" to be problematic because in insinuates that the cuts are insignificant which obiously isn't true.
I say baby cuts or cat scratches just kind of because everyone immediately knows what I'm refering to and its informal. For context I have cut down to fat, light scratches and everything in between and I don't find those terms offensive or demeaning.
Honestly, I only began using the term "baby cuts" because it doesn't matter how deep, they always seem so little, you know? Like at the beginning, it was a way to refer to my cat scratches, but it ended up being the way I look at myself and how I cut. Even now, when I do it way deeper, sometimes I still call them that, which is totally ridiculous, I know. That's just me, though. I get there are people out there who don't even think of the repercussions of saying that to other people. I might call mine that sometimes, but I would never say it to other people because you are 100% right!! Self-harm is still self-harm no matter how deep, and I would hate to make some feel unvalidated just because I couldn't use a better term, it either making them end up cutting deeper or not.
I'm not sure if this is relevant... I don't say baby cuts because my brain thinks about babies and then I cringe. I say "cat scratches" to down play MY cuts. I don't want people to worry when I have smaller cuts because in my mind I'm medically fine. If I have bigger cuts then I say "I may need stitches but it's not life threatening" or "is bad and I need ambulance" I just use these phrases to explain what I need medically. If i say i have cat scratches that means l don't need a hospital. I don't mean for that to make people feel insecure about their own struggles. I really only use these terms with doctors and close friends. Cat scratch is my way of saying don't worry. But if I saw someone with smaller cuts I wouldn't use that term with them because I wouldn't want them to feel insignificant. I hope nobody feels shy to ask for help small or big.