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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. Other people comment on what they’re eating or tell them they need to diet, even though many factors go into weight that aren’t food and exercise. These are only a few examples of what people in larger bodies experience.
What’s also important to know is this: Sometimes people who are thin don’t believe they’re thin. They have thin privilege but don’t believe or acknowledge that they do.
In addition, some thin people complain about skinny-shaming — which, while serious, is nothing compared to the oppression faced by people who are fat-shamed. While being told to “go eat a burger” is harmful, unnecessary ignorant and rude, it’s different from not being able to find clothes in your size, getting denied jobs or having people blame your health problems on your weight when your weight has nothing to do with it.
Let’s be clear, though: It’s okay to have bad body image days. It’s okay to not like your body and to “feel fat.” It’s okay to wish you looked differently. These feelings are normal and common, in which 89 percent of women want to lose weight and 22 percent of men want to gain weight. People all over the spectrum of weight and other demographics struggle with body image, whether that looks like wanting to be bigger or smaller.
However, we need to keep some truths in mind.
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1. Fatphobia has roots in racism, classism, sexism, homophobia and ableism.
Fatphobia was not born from science, but from systems of oppression, including white supremacy, capitalism and the patriarchy. It unfairly judges and discriminates against people who are less fortunate in certain ways and is a way to control people through fear.
2. “Fat” isn’t a feeling. When we feel fat, we’re likely struggling with a more deeply rooted problem.
Dietitian Whitney Catalano talks about how fat is a descriptor and a nutrient, not an emotion. Sometimes it’s easier for us to label our negative emotions as “feeling fat,” when in reality we’re struggling with an issue we fear or don’t feel comfortable getting help for yet. We may feel anxious or insecure, but believe it’s easier to push off that feeling by labeling it as “feeling fat” instead.
3. Our worth doesn’t come from the number on the scale.
Our worth is inherent. Our worth is how well we treat others and our unique, exceptional qualities. Something as trivial and arbitrary as a number can’t define our worth. By saying our worth comes from a number, we’re classifying people in larger bodies as unworthy, which is cruel and inaccurate.
4. The body mass index (BMI) scale is inaccurate in several ways.
Diet pill companies created the BMI scale, and the numbers on the scale changed to make the ranges easier to remember. Because of this, many people became “overweight” overnight and health professionals judged them accordingly. BMI — and even weight — aren’t adequate ways of measuring health. Many social determinants also go into health, and capitalism created diet culture, not helpful, science-based facts.
5. Even if we don’t feel thin, we may experience thin privilege, and we need to acknowledge that.
Because of diet culture and other factors, we may not feel “thin.” We may judge our bodies harshly or have a warped view of them. However, if we don’t struggle with challenges such as these, we likely have thin privilege. It’s important to acknowledge and be grateful for that.
6. People in larger bodies experience discrimination that has life-threatening and serious effects on their health, life and wellbeing.
Doctors are quick to prescribe weight loss as the be-all-end-all cure for every health problem a person in a larger body has. They unfairly judge people with larger bodies and even keep those people from coming to their doctor’s office when they’re sick. However, dieting is the biggest predictor of an eating disorder, and eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness.
Doctors don’t give adequate time, attention and thought to the problems faced by people in larger bodies, in which the actual issue can go untreated and their health could deteriorate.
People often say and believe that being at a higher weight can lead to high blood pressure, but you know what else does? Anxiety, that’s probably because of fatphobia. Fatphobia has negative health impacts, not positive ones.
In addition, according to a study, only 15.6 percent of hiring professionals would hire the largest woman. Many hiring professionals see fat people as lazy or incompetent without even knowing them.
Again, these are only a few examples of discrimination faced by people who are fat.
7. People with thin privilege need to advocate for those who don’t.
We need to have conversations with others about what “health” means, not the myths behind it. We need to speak up for our loved ones deeply rooted in doctors’ offices if they want us to do so. We need to talk about how problematic fatphobia and diet culture are.
I would not classify myself as thin. “Thin” doesn’t have a set definition or rubric, and whether my belief that I’m not thin is because of body dysmorphia is beside the point.
What I know, however, is this: I’m not discriminated against on a micro- or macro-level based on my weight. While I don’t feel thin, I have thin privilege.
And I’ll continue to fight for those who don’t, helping make the world less hostile to them.
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Previously published on medium.com and is republished here under permission.
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