thisisthinprivilege:

Thin Pagan privilege is not being told that you’re a bad Pagan for your body shape, or that your body isn’t as sacred as other people’s, or that you don’t have Right Relationship with your body.

thisisthinprivilege:

Thin Pagan privilege is not being told that you’re a bad Pagan for your body shape, or that your body isn’t as sacred as other people’s, or that you don’t have Right Relationship with your body.

thisisthinprivilege:

activistblogofm:

whatwouldmommywear:

thisisthinprivilege:

Thin privilege is structural, it doesn’t care why people are thin. Getting called names for being thin isn’t comparable to what fat people have to face. At the very least, being very thin isn’t seen as some kind of moral failing. Being very fat…

This is honestly my problem with the conversations surrounding this privilege.

You treat the issue like racism or sexism or ableism or heterosexism or classism. You treat it like one group is privileged and not hurt by the objectification, and the other group is totally oppressed.

You don’t treat it like the double-sided sword that it is.

Hold the phone. All oppression is a double-sided sword. Oppression is bad for society, in a direct and profound way for oppressed groups, and an indirect way for privileged groups. For example, thin privilege intersects with male privilege, equivalently, fat discrimination intersects with sexism. That’s a huge part of what was shown in the poster that placed women side-by-side who on the one hand spent their time helping others or creating things, and on the other hand spent their time being professionally or personally objectified.

The patriarchy is bad for everyone: men are told they need to objectify women and that their worth lies in acquiring the highest status trophy woman (or number of trophy women), that they can’t emulate so-called ‘feminine’ traits, and so on. Yet, male privilege exists, and women are oppressed. 

Fat discrimination is bad for everyone: thinner people are objectified and policed to stay as thin as possible, and told that if they ‘slip up’ or ‘let themselves go’ at any time they will lose their humanity. Also, there’s a competitive, nasty aspect of being thin which means thin people get lashback for embodying the ideal the rest of us are told to strive for at any cost (much like the a large-breasted, white, blonde, thin-waisted, young female gets lashback for being the ‘attraction ideal’ that the rest of us are told to strive for at any cost). Yet, thin privilege exists, and fat people are oppressed. 

What is it going to take to convincingly argue that fat people are oppressed? Our children are getting taken away from us. We’re being barred from organ transplants, joint surgeries, fertility treatments, adoption, immigration. We’re being discriminated against in pregnancy and subject to high-risk surgeries at much higher rates than thinner women. We’re being sold dangerous, deadly, long-term ineffective body-mutilating services by our own doctors. There’s a ‘fat tax’ on health insurance, flying, clothing oneself, furniture and athletic equipment. There are social barriers to us dating, joining clubs, going out dancing, going to restaurants, going outside. We’re subject to damaging messages about people like us when we consume nearly any kind of media at all (in a very media-pervasive age). And it’s only getting worse and will continue to get worse as the ailments and expense of an aging population are increasingly blamed on fat people (like they have been for the past decade, at least). (some references!)

Yes, other groups have it worse (and historically much, much worse). But since when does talking about one form of oppression cancel out another? Why shouldn’t we try to understand the entire system of oppression and privilege, being activists where we see fit and respecting the activism we don’t participate in directly? Why does saying ‘thin privilege isn’t like classism’ mean that thin privilege is therefore not a thing, or that people who talk about thin privilege aren’t also talking about class privileges in another forum (or even the same forum, since there’s intersectionality)? 

Fat discrimination, and hence thin privilege, are real. Oppression is a double-sided sword: it’s directly very bad for the oppressed, and indirectly bad for the society as a whole, and has side effects that can mean bad outcomes for the privileged. 

alldolleddown:

[TW ED]

Making a simple graph and filing it under ‘thin privilege’ because a lot of y’all are missing this point by a mile.

When we’re talking about thin privilege, the most common argument refuting its validity (aside from some bigoted ‘fat people suck’ noise) is the assertion that thin people (particularly those classified as ‘underweight’ by the incredibly flawed BMI scale) are sometimes mistakenly assumed to have eating disorders, and that harassment stems from that. This view is fundamentally uninformed and incorrect because the harassment of thin people (while deplorable) is far less pervasive and severe as compared to the harassment of fat people. Although thin individuals may face some harassment (’go eat a sandwich’) on the basis of their body shape, they are still the accepted norm. At the end of the day they can look to any media outlet (movies/television/magazines/ect) and find an overwhelming source of reassurance that their body type is not only indicative of beauty, but also of strength, moral fiber, success, wealth, wellness, kindness, and overall worth.

But what really bothers me about the “I don’t have privilege, people assume I have an eating disorder!” thing is that it trivializes the experiences of individuals (across the entire spectrum of sizes) who actually suffer from an eating disorder. Being falsely accused of having an eating disorder is not comparable to having one, and its certainly not comparable to having that disorder dismissed. It does not erase your privilege. But if you want to talk about privilege when it comes to eating disorders and size, think about this:

• A diagnosis of anorexia often requires that the patient’s weight presents itself in a specific BMI category. If a fat individual presents with all of the symptoms of anorexia, they will still not receive a proper diagnosis. (In other words; If patient A is exhibiting signs of anorexia and is ‘underweight’, they will be diagnosed with anorexia. Meanwhile, if patient B is exhibiting signs of anorexia and is ‘obese’, they will either be given a diagnosis of EDNOS or not receive a diagnosis at all.)
• Society dictates that weight loss (except in the case of illness/extreme thinness) is always a desirable occurrence. As such, when fat people lose weight, they are congratulated on their ‘accomplishment’ with no regard as to how that weight loss occurred. And it’s not just family and friends who will partake in this support; Doctors similarly read weight-loss as an unconditional success. They will reassure their patients that they are healthier after the weight loss and encourage them to continue the behavior that got them to lose weight in the first place. Fat individuals are more likely to continue their behavior unchecked, as they continue to be encouraged by others. Meanwhile, if this same occurrence happened to a thin person, there would likely be third-party concern.
• Thinness grants an individual better access to recovery communities. When thin people are diagnosed with (or self-admit to) an eating disorder, and express the desire to pursue recovery, they are unilaterally supported and given access to the resources that they need. Meanwhile, if a fat person is diagnosed with (or self-admits to) an eating disorder, they are either disbelieved (‘only thin people have eating disorders!’), dismissed (‘oh, well it can’t be that bad if you’re still fat’) or encouraged to continue their behavior, if only to a lesser extent (‘don’t starve yourself! but don’t eat too much either, you still need to diet).

So, again: Being falsely accused of having an eating disorder is nothing compared to actually having an eating disorder (and, if you are a fat individual, having it be dismissed completely). You still have thin privilege even if that one guy told you to eat a sandwich. You still have thin privilege even if someone mocked you for being flat-chested/bottomed. Privilege is something that you cannot erase with minor isolated incidents.

(via thisisthinprivilege)

most of my friends know that i’d generally rather set myself on fire than go clubbing.  i hate clubbing like children hate broccoli, like rush limbaugh hates women, like mitt romney hates poor people.  get it?  a lot.

but here’s the dirty little secret:  i don’t hate clubbing because i hate dancing.  i love dancing.  i would love nothing more than to go to a place and drink a fair amount and just dance and sweat and have a good time.  but i can’t.

i can’t go clubbing because apparently someone sent out a memo to every man who goes clubbing that he is allowed to touch my body JUST BECAUSE I WALKED INTO THE GODDAMN CLUB.  it doesn’t matter what i wear; i have literally gone to a club in a rolling stones t-shirt and jeans and flip-flops and within an hour i have had a man dry-humping me from behind while grabbing my breasts and whispering drunkenly into my ear how he’d like to have sex with me.

wtf, men?  i mean, what the actual fuck?  i don’t care if i roll up in cellophane, a thong, and 5 inch christian louboutins, you don’t have permission to touch my body unless i enthusiastically and specifically consent to you touching me.  

the thing that pisses me off the most about this is that it seems to happen to me more than it does any of my friends.  they all seem shocked when i tell them about this.  so i don’t know what it is.  is it because of the way i’m built?  i mean, is it because i have large breasts and a round ass?  because this happens in a context in which men at bars don’t ever actually come up and try to talk to me or just dance with me or buy me a drink.  my friends who go clubbing will have men actually speak to them, ask their names, say “hey, can i buy you a drink” or other slightly normal pick-up lines.  i get assaulted.  the last guy who did this literally just came up behind me, put his hands firmly on my hips to pull my ass into his crotch and said, “do you know what’s funny? you have amazing tits and ass.”  WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?????  DO YOU NOT KNOW THE DEFINITION OF “FUNNY”?  because really, if you’re going to sexually assault me, at least do me the courtesy of telling me a funny story or joke while you’re doing it.

i just don’t get it.  well, i say that, but i do.  i totally get it.  this is what male privilege looks like.  male privilege is believing that you are entitled by birth and your dick to touch any woman’s body in any way that you want to, because ultimately all women belong to you.  

if you’re a man and you read this, i need you to take a deep look inside yourself, because i know that some of y’all do this.  this has happened now to me countless times over a period of over a decade, and on two different continents.  this is a patriarchal culture thing, not a “men in a particular country” thing.  you need to be aware that i am so sick and tired and terrified of being assaulted in this manner (and yes, this is sexual assault) that i can’t stand going to a club to dance.  on the few occasions that i feel like i really have to go (to accompany a friend who has had too much to drink, because this is where a friend wants to have her birthday party, etc.), my anxiety level is so high that i’m sure it’s palpable.  you need to know that this is what male privilege does to women like me.

at this point, clubbing is probably ruined for me, as i’m in my 30s and the window is probably (blessedly) closing for having friends who actually enjoy doing this.  but thanks to various assholes around the world who are hyped up on a combination of their own privilege and liquor, i was deprived of a variety of experiences that i know many women my age loved and look back on fondly.  thanks for fucking that up for me, patriarchy.

I’m just kind of over how I’m expected to get all excited over some fashion designers using “bigger” or “not skinny” models.  I mean, I guess it’s great that they’re moving away from a body-type that has pushed countless girls and women into eating disorders, including a disproportionate number of women in the fashion industry.  But it’s not like they’re really doing something revolutionary.

The “bigger” models still have flat stomachs.  They’re still conventionally beautiful.  They still have smooth thighs and arms.  Just because they’re more of a curvy body type rather than a straight-hipped kind doesn’t really signal anything to me other than the fashion industry doesn’t want to get pounded about unhealthy models anymore.

These fashion houses aren’t using fat women as models, though, and not displaying any sort of body diversity on the runway.  They’re also not making clothes for women over a size 14, and most of them don’t make clothes even that big.  They’re not showing models with cellulite.  They’re not using models with belly rolls.

Sorry, but I don’t have the energy to applaud bullshit platitudes.

thisisthinprivilege:

Thin privilege is being able to buy a half-way decent pair of underwear for less than $15.00 each.

Thin privilege is living in a town of 600,000 and have more than a dozen places to shop for clothes.

Thin privilege is not finding the same misshapen, poorly constructed, over expensive, badly…

when i lived in santa barbara, there were a total of two stores in which i could buy clothes.  one of which i pretty much can’t afford at all, and most of the clothes there are for women older than me.  it’s a complete pain in the ass to have to order the majority of one’s clothes online.

gleeky: mercedes and the bout of negative body image (via rufflebutts, rawwomen) (via queerandpresentdanger) (via kyssthis16)

My friend, Aiyahna, told me something like this.  She was talking to a girl from a sorority.  I thought she was interested in joining.  She was actually asking about how she lost all that weight.  Mind you, my friend is a big girl.  When I expressed to her how shocked I was because I thought she liked being herself, and she says, “Let me tell you a secret, James.  No big girl likes being big.  I don’t care how much they say they love themselves.  There are always days when you hate it.”  I damn near cried.  That’s some crazy shit to feel.

(via strengthofthepeople)

(via girlswatchporn)

This is so true, especially as a fat black woman. I’m always relegated to Mammy in the eyes of society. The minute I walk through the door, I’m relegated to the sexless, selfless, self depreciating Mammy.

And there are time when I seriously feel like I want to cry because of how much negativity I receive on a daily basis from damn near every external force out there telling me that my body is absolutely WRONG and I should be ashamed for existing while fat.

It’s fucking hard to be positive when the narrative written for you is always riddled with shame and hate against you.

(via sourcedumal)

(via wretchedoftheearth)

yeah, i have nothing at all to add to this.

cosign.

thisisthinprivilege:

..having the audacity to overtake the thin privilege tag on Tumblr, with accounts of how thin people suffer from the privilege they take for granted. Thin privilege also is talking about how as a thin person you gained an eating disorder as something sad, when every day fat people are told to…

dude.  welcome to my mid-20s.  please please, whoever you are, you will find a therapist who will listen.  they exist.  please please find one.

thisisthinprivilege:

Thin privilege is having people take your eating disorder seriously.

I’ve had anorexia (binge-purge subtype) for years. When I finally got up the courage and strength to tell someone I cared about, they didn’t believe me. Never again.

(submitted by anonymous)