I’m Not Thin, but I Have Thin Privilege — Here’s What I Want You to Know
I’ve struggled with body image almost my whole life, no matter my weight. Body dysmorphia hit me hard in high school, which contributed to my disordered eating habits. For a while now, I’ve compared my body to others’ bodies and wished mine was more like theirs.
I’m not fat (and fat is not a bad word), but I’m not thin either. I’m learning to be okay with that. I know that bodies have inherent value and that fatphobia, or an aversion to and discrimination against fat people, is ableist, classist, sexist, homophobic and racist. I don’t worry about the number on the scale anymore because I know it’s meaningless. I know questions I need to ask myself when I’m struggling with body image. I know weight loss doesn’t cure bad body image. I’ve asked for help and worked hard to get better.
I also know that even though I’m not thin, I still have and need to be grateful for my thin privilege.
People with thin privilege have more resources and face less discrimination than those deemed as fat.
This discrimination is not just a mean comment here or there in middle school; it has wide-reaching and serious effects. People in larger bodies don’t receive adequate health care and hiring professionals are more likely to deny them jobs because of their appearance…
