I was flying to Utah for a business trip last week. Naturally, I was worried about who I’d be sitting next to for fear that they may say something hurtful about my weight. Eventually, I saw a very thin woman walk up and quietly take the seat next to me. As the plane took off, I couldn’t help but worry about what she thought of me and finally she spoke up. She introduced herself and asked me about my flight and interests and told me about her family. Not once was weight the subject of our conversation and the feeling was satisfying. Temporarily, at least. I thought about my fears getting on the plane and it made me very sad that this is the way things are. That fat people are trained to run, hide, and cower in the presence of thin people.

Thin privilege is not expecting comments to be made about your weight. Thin privilege is not being so terrified to fly with others that you almost back out of a business trip. Thin privilege is flying in general.