Thin privilege is being seen as girlfriend material by a guy you like.

When I went on vacation with my two naturally thin friends we met a group of guys our age who were almost all pretty cute. We all hung out through the vacation and got to know each other well. There was one guy in particular, let’s call him Lucas, who I really liked. We had a lot in common - I was interested in learning mountain climbing and he took me seriously and shared stories of when he went mountain climbing without making me feel like a fat girl who never exercises. He was also naturally thin but seemed very attentive and friendly to me in particular. However, all of the other guys (and my girl friends) kept pushing me and the only other fat guy together as though we were destined to be a couple simply because we were both fat.

Towards the end of the vacation I saw my friend kissing Lucas. I was devastated of course as I really liked him but had never said anything for fear of him laughing at the thought of a fat girl crushing on him. When I mentioned to my friend that I was very upset as I had really liked Lucas a lot, she didn’t apologize - she just simply said that she thought me and the fat guy were a better match. I was shocked and angry - fat people belong together simply because they’re fat? Way to dehumanize and desexualize fat bodies, not to mention thinking that as a thin person she had a right to decide who I should be with.

Thin privilege is pushing fat people together because you can’t even entertain the thought of a fat girl being with a thin guy. Thin privilege is ignoring your friend’s feelings. Thin privilege is getting the guy you like and not being pushed to be with someone you don’t like.