Individuals of all sizes may struggle with accepting their bodies; however, it is only those who live in fat bodies who also confront weight stigma. If you have a thin body – despite how much you might dislike it – you live with thin privilege. Want to know what thin privilege looks like?
In a restaurant, you order what you want, unafraid that others will judge or stare if you don’t pick the “healthy choice.”
You work out at the gym or go for a walk or run outside without fear that others will mock you.
You walk into a doctor’s office and don’t have to worry that the chairs in the waiting room won’t support you.
When you go in to see the doctor, your provider doesn’t suggest that losing weight is the answer to all that ails you.
If your doctor orders an imaging test, you don’t have to drive an extra hour to a facility that has a machine that will support your body.
When you board an airplane, people don’t stare and grimace, afraid you’ll be seated next to them.
You can go to a shopping mall and know that most of the stores will carry something in your size. You can ask for a larger size without the sales associate saying, “We might have some in the basement”, if they have it at all.
Your dentist doesn’t ask you if you have a problem with desserts when you don’t even care for sweets.
You can easily maneuver in and out of a pedicure chair.
When online dating, deciding how much of your body to show in your pictures doesn’t torment you.
People don’t casually – and frequently – suggest you join a gym.
Your coworkers don’t automatically assume you want to buy into the office weight-loss challenge.
Family members don’t ask you, “Are you sure you want that?” when you reach for seconds.
If you are thin and these examples resonate with you, know that know matter how much you might fight with your body, you don’t live in a culture that echoes and amplifies your internal dialogue. Be aware of your privilege and use your voice to help challenge cultural weight bias.
You can find Does Every Woman Have an Eating Disorder? Challenging Our Nation’s Fixation with Food and Weight on Amazon (as a paperback and Kindle) and at BarnesandNoble.com.
