AFTER roughly fifteen years of fielding criticisms about my weight (I'm 20, and it began when I was five), I've learned to avoid toxic environments that lead to low self-esteem.

My friends are progressive and accepting, which is fantastic, although every now and then I'm reminded that they're a minority, and that most of society sees me as a problem. A problem for myself, a problem for them, a problem for the system. It would be easier for them if I just didn't exist.

I regularly come across articles about 'skinny shaming', a phenomenon that, only last week, one author argued was linked to the emergence of social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. Oh, how I wish the problems I faced as a fat person had only started in the past five years. Most of this 'shaming' can be reduced down to rude comments made to women like, "go eat a cheeseburger". While I appreciate that such comments may be upsetting, I don't believe they are comparable to the problems faced by those who are of an above average weight.

Let's look at the comments I, or those I care about, have received/overheard:

"Have you considered dieting?" (Said when I was eight years old)

"Watching fat people eat makes me throw up in my mouth."

"Can I help you? We don't stock your size here." (I was looking at the accessories, but all right)

"Do you think your weight is the cause of this?" (When talking about my depression)

"Have you considered losing weight?" (When seeing a doctor about literally anything)

"Fat women aren't in a position to say no" was said to a dear friend of mine who had been sexually assaulted. This comment in particular is extremely upsetting.

I've been fat for as long as I can remember. Most of my immediate family have been or are overweight. I'm often asked by complete strangers how much I eat, what food I eat, which diets I've tried, how often I exercise - basically: why the hell are you so fat?

It's widely accepted that people can be naturally skinny, and the author of the skinny shaming piece last week mentions genetics as a reason people have size 4 bodies. Why is there less acceptance for the idea that people can be naturally fat? Why is the 'default' human size the ideal that we apply to everyone? If we can accept that people can naturally fit into size 6 clothing, I'm not sure why we can't accept that people may naturally be a size 20.

Now onto other issues faced by fat people. Overweight cancer patients are being given the 'standard' chemotherapy dose, as in, for someone who is of average size. Then you have airlines charging fat people more for plane fares because "a kilo is a kilo", whether it's on a person or part of your checked luggage.

Airlines strike again, expecting "customers of size" to purchase a second ticket if they cannot fit in between the armrests of one (ridiculously sized to begin with) seat, even if there's an empty seat next to them. Not to mention the way people speak about you, having decided you are the way you are because of a disease.

Your existence is discussed in terms of the economic impact your weight has on society. CEOs of major clothing retailers declare you to be 'uncool' (really, I don't care what this guy thinks, and I don't want to wear his clothes, but it just adds insult to injury considering the lack of stores that carry plus sized clothing).

On top of all of this, fat people are more likely to live in poverty, earn less, or be unemployed. Like I didn't have enough problems to deal with! Thanks a lot, society.

If you're fat, feeling embarrassed is a part of everyday life. Whether your cheeks are red because a stranger has, yet again, offered you weight loss advice, or whether it's because someone has complained after being sat next to your mum on the Indiana Jones ride at Tokyo Disneyland (she was gracious about it; me, not so much. I may have tried to trip him over as he was disembarking).

I too reject the rhetoric of "real women do/are/have ___", for a variety of reasons. It's offensive, it's often trans/queerphobic, and the idea that to be a 'real' woman you have to conform to any sort of standard set by someone else is ridiculous. Nobody should be made to feel awful for how they look, and eating disorders are not something to be joked about.

But I just don't think that the 'skinny shaming' we're so quick to call out is comparable to the widespread discrimination suffered by people who are deemed overweight / obese / morbidly obese / gross / fat / huge / hippopotamuses / elephants.

Catherine Bouris is a 20 year-old university student from Sydney. She's passionate about intersectional feminism, photography, travel, makeup and pop culture. She blogs here and her tweets can be found @morlonbrondo.