- Share This Post
- Pin It
- 27
-
Sparkle (0)
I'm having a hard time accepting my own thin privilege. RMJ at Deeply Problematic wrote a post
a little bit ago about coming to accept her thin privilege. That was
really the first time that I thought of myself as having thin privilege
and it made me kind of uncomfortable. And I want to explore that
uncomfortableness here.
So what is thin privilege exactly? Anji at Shut Up, Sit Down offers these examples :
For a start, the ‘thin’ in ‘thin privilege’ does not mean “size zero”.
It means “of ‘normal’ weight”. Some examples: If you can walk into Top
Shop, Miss Selfridge or any other high street fashion shop and know
their size range includes your clothing size, you have thin privilege.
If you can book a flight without fear that other passengers will hope
like hell they’re not seated next to you or worse, that you will be
refused entry to the flight because of your size, you have thin
privilege. If you can happily travel by car or bus or train and know
that the seat will be built to accommodate your arse, you have thin
privilege. If you can visit your doctor without being constantly
berated about losing weight and having every physical malady you suffer
attributed to your size and nothing else, you have thin privilege .
So yes, I have thin privilege.
As a child, I was very
slender. But then puberty hit and as I started growing, I started
putting on weight around my middle. Now, I go between a size 12 and 14
in bottoms and between large and x-large in tops, depending on the
store and style. I rarely ever have to be concerned about the fatphobic
things that Anji lists above (depending on the store, I'm not always
guaranteed clothes in my size range). But even without being subject to
blatant fatphobia, I feel as if society judges me for being fat. I have
started to come to terms a little bit with my body. I have started
wearing shorts shorter than knee-length again. I try to dress for my
body type instead of what's "in style."
I am, as some would
say, a woman of "average"* weight and size...though you wouldn't know
it by looking at the media and clothing stores. Because of this, I have
thin privilege. So, why I am so uncomfortable at accepting this kind of
privilege. Part of my interest in feminism is examining different kinds
of privilege and my investments in them. So why is it so hard for me to
accept this privilege?
Society tells us through the media,
clothing stores, new reports, etc. that the "average" is, in fact, a
size 4 - maybe even a size 2. Since puberty, I have not seen myself
reflected in the media and as a result, have not thought of myself as
having thin privilege. There are profits to me made to make women of
all sizes feel bad about themselves, so that is what the media is going
to do.
I try to be aware of fatphobic language and events, but
maybe my denial of accepting my thin privilege contributes to a
fatphobic society. Just because I am self-conscious about my body does
not mean that I don't benefit from thin privilege. I have to start
doing a better job at recognizing my investments in thin priviege.
Coming to terms with one's own thin privilege does not mean that you
will not have any body image issues. Today's society thrives off of
creating body image issues for women (and men). Owning one's thin
privilege is more about realizing the ways that you are invested in the
fatphobic tendencies of society.
*I dislike using the term
"average" or "normal" to describe people's bodies. It implies that
there is something abnormal or not average, when everybody's body is
different. By using this term, I am simply using it statistically...my
body is statistically average. But there really is no such thing as a
"normal" body. Using the term "normal" just contributes to othering and
oppression.
Originally posted at Adventures of a Young Feminist
