Let’s talk about a dynamic that we fat people who talk about fat constantly, endlessly, infuriatingly get from thin people: #notallthinpeople.
Any time a fat person writes about discrimination, hatred, bigotry, or ill treatment at the hands of thin people, you thin folks get uncomfortable.
Maybe your heart sinks a little, or your stomach gets the tiniest bit queasy, at how you’ve seen that treatment happen and not stopped it.
Or how maybe you thought those thoughts, but didn’t act on them. Or how many times you’ve acted that way yourself.
And that discomfort sucks, right? No one wants to feel that way. And feeling angry is easier than feeling like maybe you need to change, so you get angry at us. And then you dump that anger onto us. Endlessly. Predictably.
“Why are you so divisive?” “You’re the real problem with the body positivity movement!” “Stop tarring all thin people with the same brush!” “Thin people actually have it harder because of this one anecdote I have!” “Thin privilege doesn’t exist.” “Why can’t we all just get along?”
When fat people speak up, we not only get vicious trolls (speaking of people who want to externalize their anger, heh), but a second wash of aggrieved thin people who might not have ever personally been deliberately awful to a fat person, but are upset nonetheless.
Why are you upset at us, rather than our oppressors? Why is the indecorum of our anger and our protests more important than our oppression?
Something to think about today.
Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources on body liberation, weight stigma, body image and more. And it’s free. Let’s change the world together.
Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.