A thin-privileged mindset is a conversation in class about people playing Sims and killing off characters because they’ve gotten fat.

Specifically this happened in one of my studio classes and we were all working overtime to get a project done. I don’t usually talk to these people because they say a lot of startlingly violent things and it makes me nervous. But I definitely talked to them that day.

One of the girls was talking about her friends Sim who had been gaining weight and she didn’t know why. So to “fix it” she kept putting her on the treadmill to work out, but her character wasn’t losing any weight. Frustrated and pissed off the girl put a bunch of flammable shit near her Sims stove and made her Sim cook. And forget to take it off the stove. The house caught on fire just as she received the notification that her Sim was in labor. Both of them died.

This struck me as not only being and incredibly toxic and disgusting ideal to uphold but also as being pretty fucking psychotic. I know Sims are computer programs but she literally killed her Sim because it got fat. And as they were laughing at this asshattery I was alternately fuming, trying not to cry and telling them off.

Thin privilege isn’t having people think you should die for taking up more space.

[Side note: They also did similar things to “strange” children and elderly people.]