Thin privilege is not having shows dedicated solely to shaming your body type.

I recently came across a show called “Downsize Me”. In the episode I watched, the man who wanted to lose weight was only mildly overweight (seriously. they kept saying he was 30kg overweight but he barely even had a double chin).

They weighed him and asked if he was horrified by his weight - he said he wasn’t. The host of the show was obviously unhappy with this answer, so they then measured his “tits” (yes they called them “tits”) and from that ONE measurement, the host started listing all of the diseases and illnesses that the man will get (not might get, WILL get) from being so big. (Where did this information come from?!?! His breast measurements?!?!) Then the host said that even though the man was only 18 years old, his “health age” was actually 42. Where did he pull that number from?! All he had done was weigh him and measure his breasts!

Later on in the show, when the man got tired during his workout in the gym, the fitness instructor said “just pretend you’re chasing a chocolate biscuit!” before laughing condescendingly. When he complained, she called him a “drama queen” who should “stay away from the biscuits in the fridge!”

After 10 days of “eating healthily”, the show made it seem like that’s all it takes to be fit and “healthy”. It showed the man running, and jumping, and doing push-ups, and even renovating his house (which is something he apparently put off for years). I’m no expert on fitness, but if a person who has never exercised in his life started exercising for only 10 days, they aren’t suddenly going to become super fit. It takes longer than just a week and a half to become a good runner or good at push-ups. That’s why so many people have trouble keeping up with gym work and fitness lifestyles.

All the show did was shame the man and anybody else who might have a similar body shape.