What Is Thin Privilege? And Why Is It Such A Controversial Topic?
Thin privilege is the ability to move through one’s life without being given unsolicited advice or suggestions on how they should lose weight - simply put it is a much more enjoyable experience to live in this world if one is thinner in terms of absence of judgement and criticism for one’s body shape and size.
People who live in a smaller body benefit from certain advantages, simply for the fact they live in a smaller body and one that is deemed socially acceptable.
6 (of many) examples:
When someone is not;
assumed to be lazy
told they have a pretty face but would look better if they lost weight
given “friendly” advice to join a weight loss programme
given “concerned” advice about their eating habits at the supermarket or full blown fatphobic abuse and comments
constantly having to justify their plate of food and general choices
charged higher health insurance rates
On the contrary, people who live in larger bodies are continuously hounded and given unsolicited pieces of advice or abuse on how/where/when/why they should lose weight, shrink their bodies, live their lives etc solely based on their appearance. Many people assume to have the right to share their opinion of with a fat person when it is not needed, welcome nor warranted.
Childhood abuse and trauma almost doubles a person’s chances of adult obesity or having a larger body, which is why one should think twice before they judge a person’s body as they have no idea of that person’s story.
“Victims of childhood sexual abuse are far more likely to become obese adults. New research shows that early trauma is so damaging that it can disrupt a person’s entire psychology and metabolism.”
“Research suggests childhood sexual abuse increases the odds of adult obesity by between 31 and 100 percent. One study found that about 8 percent of all cases of obesity, and 17 percent of “class three” severe obesity, can be attributed to some form of child abuse.”
The Second Assault by Olga Khazan - The Atlantic
Additionally, health is a vast spectrum and assuming health solely from a person’s weight is invalid. People in larger bodies can have a full medical with their daily habits examined and return healthy results, they just happen to live in a larger body.
Similarly there are people in thin bodies that could never be deemed healthy when examining their habits and medical records.
How Can We Help?
DON’T:
Try to “fix” someone’s weight
Assume someone wants weight loss advice
Make comments about one’s weight
Make assumptions about their lifestyle habits
Make comments about their food choices
Give unsolicited ‘advice” on how/why/where/when/what to change
DO:
Leave people to live their lives in peace without judgement and the “need” to give them advice. People in larger bodies are well aware of the fact that they live in a larger body than other people.
Accept that someone’s weight is none of our business unless the person has come to you specifically to share their story, feel they trust you and seek your advice specifically. Weight is affected by many factors other than energy consumed and absorbed.
Common Objections:
So you’re saying that I was just handed my size on a plate? I work really hard to stay thin and healthy! Being fat is not an excuse! If I can do it they should too!
I get abusive comments as a thin person!
I have a right to tell my Grandmother (insert any relative/loved one) she (/they) are fat. I think being fat is unhealthy and I want to help her lose weight because I care about her
The term ‘Thin Privilege’ is not meant to invalidate someone’s exercise and diet efforts to look a certain way and achieve a level of health they think is right for them. But “just work out and eat right like the rest of us” does not address the way many people can be seriously psychologically affected by events in their lives which can and does impact one’s weight greatly.
First the assumption that going to the gym and dieting results in one bing slim/thin is not a valid argument. If everyone ‘succeeded’ at this, there would be no diet industry in the first place. The diet industry is set up with the knowledge that diets fail people and results in repeat customers continuously weight cycling and coming back for more diet regimes and plans.
Additionally, many people don’t understand that for those who have been psychologically affected by said events, simply losing weight will not “fix” their “issue” of being fat because they have not addressed the root cause of why they are the weight they are.
This is not to say that obesity can be deemed healthy, but it is saying that obesity is a symptom of something deeper that many people fail to consider before targeting someone with fatphobic and unsolicited advice.
For example;
We don’t have a right to judge Hannah’s basket and scoff at her at the supermarket when we don’t know that she was continuously abused by men as a child and doesn’t even know herself that the reason she binges is to simultaneously desexualise herself and become more imposing to men to repel them and protect herself.
We don't have the right to assume Phil is lazy when his medication has made him gain weight after a lifetime of being slim and no matter what he does he can’t lose it now.
We don’t have the right to hound Sophie when we don’t understand that she was put on a diet by her parents when she was 8 which spiralled into an eating disorder and now her body is in recovery and holds on to weight because it is so scared it will starve again.
And we don’t have a right to judge someone when we don’t understand they have carried a baby to full term and gained weight during pregnancy.
Indeed, thin people are subjected to rude comments too - of course! But fat phobia is a systemic issue and as thinness is celebrated more than fatness, thin people tend to be complimented more and shamed less than fat people.
It is admirable that one cares about their loved one’s health and would like to help them, but unfortunately the reality results in many people going on diets which can lead to disordered eating and further health complications. In this case said loved one would be in capable hands by having their medical records examined and seeking counsel in therapy and/or working with a registered dietitian - preferably someone trained within the HAES (Health At Every Size) framework.
This allows for the person to have a support network that provides information to support their particular body, to create a way of life that supports their needs physically, mentally and emotionally.
Thin privilege is merely saying that fat people deserve to exist without people making assumptions and comments when they don’t have access to their medical records and are likely not their Doctor. Even many Doctors are still engrained in diet culture because that is what they have been conditioned with and taught in Medical school.
There are so many complicated factors at hand and this article does not even cover the strategic placement and pricing of certain food outlets and marketing campaigns in socially and economically deprived communities, which feeds into medical systems and keeps the pharmaceutical industry going.
If you would like help beating disordered eating habits or binge eating in particular, I offer private therapy. If you are interested, click the button below to get started - I can’t wait to meet you!
