Asked by

Anonymous

feministwomenofcolor:

I think it’s just my metabolism that I can’t help. People stop me in the middle of the street and tell me that I need help or I’m anorexic. I can barely find clothes because I’m tall as well, so I have to go to a tailor and that costs so much. I don’t really care about the songs, I don’t think I have discrimination against me, but I just don’t see the privilege that you say I have…

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Let’s keep in mind that part of what makes privilege so sinister and difficult to talk about is that it’s invisible, especially to the one with said privilege. It’s hard to talk about and deconstruct something that has become so normalized and invisible to the point where it’s not even regarded or questioned. This also holds true for thin privilege.

Pointing out that you have thin privilege doesn’t mean that you have a perfect life and that everything is just flowers and roses, but in regards to body size you certainly have an advantage over me.

Let’s talk about how in society nowadays, the mainstream definition of beauty includes thinness, thinness that represents very little (if any) of the female population in the world today and doesn’t even come close to the average. Let’s talk about how thinness is associated with being healthy, and that because of that thin bodies are inherently more desirable.

Let’s talk about how people tell you you look sick and that you may need to gain weight but treat you with more respect, but when seeing larger bodies they look at us with contempt, disgust, and utter hatred. Telling us we’re sick, we’re going to die young, that we shouldn’t exist, that we’re promoting a healthy lifestyle (just by existing!) and that we should die. Like, yes. Actually kill ourselves. I have seen this comment EVERYWHERE for numerous times and there exists no other reason than the fact that the person has a larger body!

Look at the media and the magazines and TV shows and celebrities nowadays. Look at how they are worshipped for their beauty, their thinness. Realize that my body as it exists today is seen a blemish on society, a mistake to be corrected and inherently unintelligent and undesirable.

Let’s talk about how a man in new Zealand was threatened with deportation because of his his weight. Let’s talk bout how the American Health Association just declared my body a DISEASE. Let’s talk about how a goddamn Professor at NYU stated on his Twitter account that, “Dear obese PhD applicants: If you don’t have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won’t have the willpower to do a dissertation. #truth.” How about how Abercrombie & Fith blatantly declared their clothing unfit for larger women and that the CEO instead explained that “he doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people.”



How about clothes? Do you know how difficult it is to find easy, accessible and affordable clothing? How it’s literally impossible for me to find clothing that fits me, and fits me nicely that isn’t at a ridiculous price? Let’s look at all of the ”mainstream” plus size clothing stores available in some shopping malls.

Dress Barn. Catherine’s. Lane Bryant. Kiyonna.

I’ve shopped with my thin friends who managed to find an entire outfit (shirt and pants) on sale for TEN. DOLLARS. How about how plus size stores are always separated from the rest of the mall, or how stores that carry “regular” sizes and a plus size also separate and isolate the two from one another?

I want to be able to wear cute, nice and fashionable clothing just like everyone else. The amount of money I have to spend just to get clothing is insane, and when I’m shopping for formal occasions (in which I need to wear a dress) it’s a goddamn nightmare trying to find anything that fits me.

Read this article that discusses the accessibility of plus size clothing.

If you have more questions or things you don’t understand, I would recommend visiting the Tumblr blog thisisthinprivilege. What I wrote is just honestly the tip of the iceberg, there’s a lot more stuff I could have included in my response.