[tw: abuse, fat hate]
I recently had the privilege of visiting the Red sea riviera in Egypt, and booked myself in for a scuba diving lesson. Things got off to a bad start when I needed to put a wetsuit on; I overheard the attendants sniggering as they got out the largest wetsuit in their collection. It was considerably less flattering than the smaller wetsuits; while I couldn’t be 100% sure, I think I heard one of the other customers say “I thought we were going scuba diving, not whale watching”.
Because the human body is buoyant, even when wearing the scuba apparatus everyone needs to wear a weight belt. When it was my turn to be fitted for a belt, the attendants asked me how much I weighed, which I would have preferred not to have had to say out loud in front of all the attendants and the other divers. I said my weight as quietly as possible, but the attendants claimed they couldn’t hear me until I had to practically shout it. I found this really triggering- how hard is it to have a warning at the start of the trip that it is necessary for the attendants to know your weight, and given that they obviously know they need this, have a form to fill out so some modicum of privacy is left?
Then, they brought out a weight belt that was obviously too small, and it didn’t go around my stomach. I am absolutely sure they brought out this belt specifically to shame me; it wasn’t even close to being able to fit. I then had to watch as they strung together two of the belts, and all the other divers were watching- it was mortifying.
Thin privilege is not being laughed at by diving instructors
Thin privilege is being able to take an active holiday and being encouraged, not shamed