{Thin privilege} is the ability to forget that fat people exist.
Thin privilege is the ability to forget that fat people exist.
Despite there being more fat people in the United States than thin people, thin folks like to act like โ and occasionally seem to believe that โ we simply donโt exist. Living in a thin body is to exist in a bubble where everyone with a body unlike yours is invisible.
Thin people wonโt produce clothing we can wear. They donโt allow us to hold positions of power. They wonโt accept our dead bodies for scientific study, and wonโt include our living bodies in studies either. Weโre excluded from universities, airplanes, dining rooms and waiting rooms. Birth control dosages and vehicle seat belt lengths donโt take us into account.
When we remind thin people we exist, weโre called pushy attention-seekers. When we get impatient at being erased yet again, weโre called bullies.
Every time, thin people seem startled (and, some of the time, furious) to recall our existence. And because fat people have very little social, cultural or political power, weโre at thin peopleโs mercy.
โก Having a privilege is not your fault. It doesn’t make you a bad person. However, it’s your responsibility to extend that privilege to everyone who lacks it. โก
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Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources for changing the way you see your own body and the bodies you see around you. And itโs free.
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.