This is Thin Privilege

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Hi! I just wanted your opinions on something. At my high school, health class is mandatory every year, and lasts for nine weeks (one quarter). For half of the quarter, we do fitness tests, where we have to do various things like run a mile, do a flexed arm hang, long jump, stretches, etc. We're given percent grades based on how well we perform. For instance, on the mile you have to get below a certain time to get an A, B, C, D, etc. What are your opinions on this policy?

Asked by
strawberrymc999

It’s ableist and shitty. No one should have a school grade depend on how well their body works.

-MG

Being Human is Thin Privilege

sugarcoatedme:

thisisthinprivilege:

Fat people are not human. Every conversation a fat person has, every relationship, every sidewalk glance, every checkout at the store is colored by their weight. It’s the first thing people see and nothing you do or say will make them unsee it. No matter how talented, kind, intelligent or caring you may be, you will always be doing it while fat and it will always be the degree of separation between you and everyone else. You are fat first, you are not a real person to them, you are not human.

Thin privilege is being able to connect and express and do great things without fear that everything you do is not bad for a fatty. 

So, I my husband and I stopped for a bite to eat and as I was waiting in line to order, the woman in front of me (who was talking at a normal level the whole time she was in line) looks back at me and stared for some time before walking around her friend and whispering in her ear. I knew it was about me… Especially when her friend immediately turned to look at me.

But what could I do? If I called them out, they would deny it. I would be called emotional and irrational. I’d probably start crying… So I squinted my eyes at them and said nothing.

It didn’t matter that I have hypothyroidism or that it was 1pm and that food was the only food I’d have that day. Or that they were eating the same kind of food I was eating… Apparently it’s okay for thin people.

My whole life and experience was negated because I’m fat.

TW: piece of trash telling an eating disorder person horrible things

lairell:

thisisthinprivilege:

[tw: weight loss talk, fat hate, abuse, suicide, eating disorders]

I’ve seen a link for a site called “emotional baggage check” going around on tumblr. It’s a place you can vent anonymously to get things off your chest. You can also “check” someone else’s baggage by reading their story and…

I’m sorry you feel horrible and I’m sorry if the person who “checked” your story was being an ass. But they were right: you do need to eat. Starving yourself is only going to hurt your body and your mind. Even if you manage to lose weight that way, you’re not going to keep it off, because you can’t and shouldn’t starve yourself forever. If you don’t enjoy 2 hours of exercise a day, you don’t need to do that either. 

That person who sent you the email gave you weight loss advice because your post sounds very much like you want to lose weight. And if you do, starving yourself, excessive exercise and other disordered behaviours are not the way to do it. I know it’s really hard to hear, but there is overwhelming evidence that being very fat is strongly connected to all sorts of health problems - including depression. That’s why your doctor wants you to lose weight. However, I understand why you felt discouraged and hurt by his refusal to believe that you were trying to lose weight. That’s not a constructive reaction at all - you have some symptoms of an eating disorder and he completely missed that. 

If you do want to lose weight, that’s not shameful; it’s not in any way bad to want to change an aspect of yourself that makes you unhappy. But losing weight is not about punishing your body or hating it. There is a lot of information available about how much fiber, carbs, protein, etc. you need to have. There’s also information about the easiest ways to get those things. Getting fit is not about starving; it’s very much about eating enough of the right stuff. It’s also not about busting your ass every single day - just go on nice long walks in your local park or somewhere out of the city. Restricting calories to a healthy 1700-2200 per day (you can get an estimate for you recommended intake by using calculators) is not hard at all when you start eating nutritious and filling meals and being reasonably active. 

I know you don’t like this, which is understandable, but you probably do need weight loss advice. That, however, is not something bad. Losing some weight could make you happier; eating right and getting an appropriate amount of physical activity definitely will, just by altering your brain’s chemistry. It’s been conclusively proven over and over again, no matter what HAES activists tell you. It’s like the evolution-creationism debate - there isn’t really a debate, just one party that refuses to accept the scientific reality. 

I really hope you’ll be able to defeat your depression, stop starving yourself and take care of your physical and mental health. If you need any sources for what I’m saying or are interested in more information in general, message me and I’ll be more than happy to help.

FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU, YOU COMPLETE PIECE OF SHIT.

YOU DO NOT, EVER, GIVE WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE TO SOMEONE WITH A FUCKING RESTRICTIVE EATING DISORDER. YOU CAN TRIGGER WORSE PROBLEMS, YOU UNCARING IGNORAMUS.

NO, THAT FAT IS BAD FOR YOU HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU FUCKING BIGOTED ASSHOLE. AND YOU SHOULD NOT SCOLD PEOPLE WITH EATING DISORDERS FOR THEIR WEIGHT, BECAUSE THAT WILL ALSO TRIGGER WORSE PROBLEMS.

FUCK YOU, YOU SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS FUCKCANOE, NEVER EVER GIVE A FAT PERSON ANY ADVICE, NEVER EVER GIVE SOMEONE WITH AN EATING DISORDER ADVICE, YOU TOTAL PIECE OF SHIT.

SHUT THE FUCK UP FOREVER ABOUT SHIT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND.

(1 of 2) I just saw your response about the definition of obesity, and I wanted to thank you for providing all of that background info about the BMI. For years people in schools who administered those NYC fitness exams or "fitnessgrams" made me feel

Asked by
sapere-aude-incipe

(2 of 2) awful about my bmi & refused to believe that I was perfectly healthy since I scored a little on the higher side. As a result, gym teachers would target/humiliate me & others with a similar BMI during class to “bring us in the healthy range”

You’re welcome.

Spectrum

peoplearesofingstupid:

thisisthinprivilege:

Stein Mart has some cute, relatively affordable, summer clothes out right now. Here they have shirts for $20.00-$35.00 while Lane Bryant is selling thin tshirts for $45.00. You can also find pants and capris for $25.00-$35.00 ($60.00+ at Lane Bryant). However, their pants sizes only go up to American size 24.

Thin privilege is being able to buy plus-sized clothing in a brick and mortar store. More evidence that thin privilege exists on a spectrum.

You know nothing about discrimination or “privilege.” Meanwhile, there are people in the world with real problems.

Yes, of course, we can’t possibly know anything about real discrimination. No one on this community is black or Asian-American or queer or trans or disabled or neurodivergent or a woman… oh, no, wait, we have all of those.

Guess we do know. And if you’d FUCKING BOTHER TO READ MOST OF WHAT WE TALK ABOUT, you’d see all the stories of abuse, read about how we die or nearly die from medical neglect, read about how it’s harder for us to get a job, harder for us to get a promotion, we get paid less, it’s harder to find places to live, and on and on and on. Whatever else we may be, being fat makes our lives harder, and you, oh presumed thin person, benefit by that.

Fuck you. You know nothing about our lives. Go take a flying fuck in a rolling donut, you irrelevant shrimpdittle.

-MG

Emotional Baggage Check

[tw: weight loss talk, fat hate, abuse, suicide, eating disorders]

I’ve seen a link for a site called “emotional baggage check” going around on tumblr. It’s a place you can vent anonymously to get things off your chest. You can also “check” someone else’s baggage by reading their story and sending them kind words.

I was having a horrible day yesterday, so I decided to give it a try. I opened up about hating my body, and this is basically what I said (you’re limited to 1000 characters):

I’m 22 and have depression. I’ve been depressed since at least middle school, and it has a lot to do with my weight.

I grew up in a family that constantly fat-shamed me, even though almost everyone in my entire family is also fat (including extended and distant relatives). When I was 10, my grandfather offered me money to lose weight. When I was still in grade school, my parents told me I would break furniture if I sat on it. My grandma said I would be pretty if I’d just lose weight. When I was in 7th grade, my doctor told me I was so fat, I wouldn’t live to be 30 (this was also after I’d just spent 3 months losing 20 lbs by barely eating and only drinking water).

I played softball as a kid. People on the other teams used to laugh at me when I walked up to bat or ran around the bases. I’ve had friends tell me their parents didn’t want them to hang out with me because my weight was “a bad influence.” My childhood best friend once told me I breathe too heavily, and I’m still super self-conscious about it. I was called names and told I made the earth shake when I walked.

I started dieting in 4th grade. I tried to stop eating in 6th grade. I kept a book of everything I ate and would sometimes use a toothbrush to throw it back up. In high school, I avoided eating in the cafeteria by going into the art room, where it would just be me and the art teacher. Even then, I would barely eat and only drank water. I still have a hard time eating in front of people I don’t know extremely well. I’m now 22, and two years ago, I’d lost about 60 lbs in 5 months by eating less than 1000 calories and exercising 2+ hours every day. I was tired, woozy, and prided myself on being hungry. But I was still fat.

A few months later, I’d gained almost all of it back. I was devastated. Then, after years of experiencing intense, sudden stomach pain whenever I ate, I had an unbearable attack. I went to the ER and found out I had 3 gallstones. I’d gained back almost all of my weight by then, and my doctor didn’t believe me when I told him I’d just spent months losing weight. He came into my room and commented on how my father was the skinniest one in there (he’d just lost weight after being diagnosed with diabetes). When I went in for my checkup a week after the surgery, I’d lost 5 lbs because I physically couldn’t eat. My doctor told me any weight loss was good.

I ended it by saying I wanted to disappear.

Well, someone checked my baggage. I got an email this morning. You know what this person decided to do? They told me “First of all, you need to eat” and gave me weight loss advice.

That site might be therapeutic for some people, but I’d strongly suggest any other fat people struggling with similar problems avoid it. It made me wish I’d never said anything.

I'm having trouble reconciling fat ~= unhealthy, thin privilege, fat acceptance, etc. with pet obesity. Any suggestions? Articles to read?

Asked by
a-non-sequitur

phoenixgau:

thisisthinprivilege:

Check the FAQ.

Honestly the same arguments the FAQ gives with relation to human fatness apply to pet obesity. And even if obesity did always = unhealthy, that wouldn’t disprove the existence of thin privilege or the need for fat acceptance. Fat acceptance is about the right to be treated with human dignity. Why should “health” be a requirement for that?

But let’s assume you actually wanted to talk about pet health as it relates to obesity.

Pets are subject to human choices for their diets, and yes, diet affects health. But just like with humans, animals have varied genetics and metabolisms. A diet related health problem can present in an animal at any weight. An animal with lots of adipose tissue can be completely healthy. In other words, if an animal has a health problem, weight can be a concurrent effect of what’s causing it, but it’s not the cause in and of itself.

I have been present for procedures where adipose tissue meant extra time or a different technique had to be used, but the same happens with pets that don’t want to be handled, that metabolize their anesthetic drugs super quickly or that simply have really tiny and finicky veins. A good vet will give quality care regardless of the size of the patient.

Now, if you go into a veterinary hospital or clinic you’ll likely see plenty of posters and pamphlets warning about the dangers of pet obesity. The pet health industry is subject to the same capitalist pressures as the human health industry. Companies like Purina (owned by Nestle) are involved in every phase of an animal health care provider’s career. They provide educational modules and supplies to veterinary doctor and veterinary technician degree programs. It was a requirement at my school to complete case studies and other educational units on Purina’s website, for which we were rewarded with Purina branded products. It was very obvious the emphasis on patient weight management in the learning materials was to build up an eagerness to recommend Purina foods as part of a patient’s treatment plan. (A teacher of mine sarcastically called the Purina products used in the fictional stories in the case studies miraculous for how well they fixed bleak prognoses.) Hospitals have the same pharmaceutical and medical equipment reps come through giving trinkets and samples to build brand loyalty that human hospitals do. The big prescription food companies, Purina, Hill’s Science Diet and Royal Canin all sell weight loss and weight management formulas that they push through the hospitals. It’s worth mentioning that the recommended serving size on non-prescription pet foods is actually higher than the calculated metabolic requirements, so that customers will buy more food. 

The emphasis on pet obesity in vet care isn’t because obesity is such a greater health risk than the other factors (genetic problems and behavior problems are actually much worse), it’s because it’s profitable and fits into the current cultural mindset that places so much importance on weight.

I’ve been reading thin privilege for about a year now and while I don’t agree with everything I read, I have definitely learned so much and especially the fact that thin privilege is alive and well.

I’m 5'4 and I weigh 100 pounds. I’m also anemic and extremely out of shape. I get winded to the point of passing out after running for five minutes. I’ve never been able to do a push-up in my life. I struggle to remember to eat more than once a day. I am slow and weak and malnourished but people ask me for health advice all the time.

I went to a doctor for a general checkup and told her I had started running to get in shape. She looked at me like I had just told her I was training for a Bigfoot hunt and said “Oh honey, you don’t have to lose any weight!“

I explained that weight loss was the last thing on my mind. She responded with "Of course not, there’s no need for you! You’re doing the right thing. Exercise is always a good idea, I just wish more girls your age would start before they get too fat, its so much harder to exercise with an extra hundred pounds on you, ya know?” before giggling.

The whole time she was very sweet and polite to me but her tone when discussing overweight patients was different. She was a bit heavyset herself but kept trying to drag me down into “girl talking” with her about fat people as if my size was a signal that I would just love the chance to put them down too.

Thin privilege is having people assume you’re healthy with one look. Its having doctors treat you with respect while insulting patients that don’t look like you. It’s having coworkers ask what your secret is when it comes to weight loss (sorry that “I just watch netflix and eat peanut butter instead of real meals all day” wasn’t the answer you were looking for). It’s never having people whisper, stare, laugh, or insult you just for walking in a store or restaurant. It’s being rewarded for eating like crap and never exercising because of how you look.

This is a repost. Our apologies to the OP for not posting this anonymously. -FBP

Did you guys see theBones episode recently where Bones thought parents of a sixteen year old girl had abused her because she had a lot of broken bones pre-puberty, but then saw a picture of the girl pre-puberty, saw she was chubby, and apologized because being chubby at that age can cause broken bones?! What horseapples.

Asked by
isidore13

shitthinpeoplesay:

FUCKING SERIOUSLY?!?!?!

Thanks for the reply. I DO feel like its fat phobic. Like YES I am FAT. YES I EAT A LOT. NO I dont exercise. I dont LIKE it. Why should I have to do things I dont like? No one is telling thin people to do things they don't like. I've been called a 'Bad Fat' because I eat a lot. Like what does that even mean? I feel like these shows fuel blind hatred towards fat people. SO what if I need help because I'm a chubby bunny? Ppl help me coz they love me.. cause Im a good person, even tho im FAT

Asked by
usuallyjoyfulpenguin

madgastronomer:

caterjillar:

Fuck the distinction between “good fat” and “bad fat”. All that matters is that the way you live your life makes you happy. As long as you are doing that to the best of your ability (cause we can’t always get what we want) fuck the rest.
You’re a person first and foremost. And being a whole human being with feelings and thoughts and opinions means that you deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.

PREACH

Thanks for the reply. I DO feel like its fat phobic. Like YES I am FAT. YES I EAT A LOT. NO I dont exercise. I dont LIKE it. Why should I have to do things I dont like? No one is telling thin people to do things they don't like. I've been called a 'Bad Fat' because I eat a lot. Like what does that even mean? I feel like these shows fuel blind hatred towards fat people. SO what if I need help because I'm a chubby bunny? Ppl help me coz they love me.. cause Im a good person, even tho im FAT

Asked by
usuallyjoyfulpenguin

Bit of background; I am a cuddly man. About 5'2" ish 290lbs. I found a show called my 600 pound life. Its been said that the weight gain from "over" eating ruined their health. Is this show manipulating me into feeling bad about my life choices? Is it fatphobic? Because I feel like it is. Also I feel like it mocks those of us that use mobility scooters. God forbid I use technology to make my life easier. I feel like its saying I'm a burden because I need help due to my weight. Am I wrong?

Asked by
usuallyjoyfulpenguin

1) You get to feel the way you feel. You do not need us to approve of your feelings for them to be valid feelings. You get to feel hurt, insulted, offended, wounded, upset. We are happy to give you our opinions and feelings, if we have them, but feelings are valid just by being. You are talking about the impact it has on you, and the message you think it communicates to viewers and how that affects you. That is a thing about which to have feelings! Yay! You cannot be wrong to be upset about this! Even if your feelings change later, being upset it a totally valid thing.

2) We are not the Empresses of Obesity or the High Holy Arbiters of Fat Activism or anything else. We’re just people with opinions. We try to have well-informed opinions, because having as many facts as possible is useful in forming opinions, but they’re still opinions. We’re pretty confident that our opinions are accurate, because we spend a lot of time informing them on these topics, but we’re not automatically Right in our opinions, and we each often change them if we acquire new information.

3) In conclusion, though, yeah, basically anything where the emotional impact, the interest for the viewers, amounts to OMG SO FAT, WHAT A FREAKSHOW, yeah, that’s fatphobic as fuck. I haven’t seen it. Maybe one of the others has, and can give a more thorough opinion, but that title is intended to draw people in by tantalizing them with shock and horror over fat bodies. It relies on and reinforces fatphobia. If it makes a big thing out of mobility scooters, then it’s almost certainly ableist as fuck as well.

You are totally capable of looking at something and go: That show makes me feel bad for being fat, it draws its audience in with the promise of showing them how bad it is to be fat, it then purports to show how awful being fat is, so yeah, that’s fatphobic. Anybody reading this can. I encourage all of you to think critically about how media portrays fat people. You’re perfectly capable of it. You don’t have to, and you don’t have to do it all the time, and if you generally choose not to but occasionally find yourself thinking about it anyway, that’s cool, too. Even if you only do it occasionally, you are totally capable of coming up with valid criticism.

-MG

260+ lb woman here, I went to Planned Parenthood for my implant and though this is an anecdote, my doctor (very nice and informative) said the implant would be fine in my fat arm. It sits placed under the skin, not in the fat of my arm.

Asked by
disapppointment