My best friend, whom I’ve known for about four years, is a skinny woman, and I am, and have always been, fat. (Currently around 250lbs)

She is very passive aggressive, and it is often clear that she is annoyed with me for my weight, although she will deny it every time.

For instance, when we went on a trip to Washington D.C., we spent two days sightseeing and walking around museums; we were on our feet for 12 hours each day, and while I was happy to be walking around, because I don’t get tired or out of breath easily, quickly my feet began to hurt.

The pain was so bad, every step I took was agonising, and it really soured my experience of the city. Like I said, I was happy to be walking around; I wanted to see everything too, but I need semi frequent breaks to rest my feet, which my friend was unwilling to take. She would tell me that she had no problem stopping for ten minutes every now and then, but when we would stop she would constantly be looking at the time, complaining about how we weren’t going to be able to see all the things that she wanted to see. She thought that my ‘laziness’ was ruining her vacation.

Eventually I became very angry with her, explaining to her that it was not my 'laziness’, but the fact that I had over 120lbs more weight to carry around than she did, and that her behaviour was what was ruining the trip for me. She became very upset about this accusation, insisting that I was being too sensitive, and her passive aggression was all in my head. She told me that if it was that difficult for me to walk around all day, I should 'just lose weight’.

On a separate occasion, we went on a shopping trip to a city an hour outside of our small town. I got upset during the trip because the majority of mainstream stores don’t carry my size, and despite trying for most of the day I had found nothing that fit me.

When I complained about this, instead of consoling me or having any kind of solidarity, she got angry with me for being upset, saying that it’s difficult for her to find her size (size 4) sometimes too, and that I was, again, ruining the trip by being negative. I tried to explain to her that this is my life, and that I haven’t been able to shop in mainstream stores or find a pair of jeans that fit for the past 6 years, but despite insisting that she sympathises with me, she believes that if I want clothes that fit, I should 'just lose weight’.

She has ridiculous standards about other peoples bodies, often talking about how everyone should be able to fit their hand all the way around their own wrists, and decrying women who wear revealing clothing.

She even once told me that people’s breasts should not move when they take off their bra, and if they do they need to 'work harder’.

Today she posted an article on facebook about how models should not have diverse body types, as we should not be 'promoting’ obesity, and it’s pretty much the final straw for me. While in many ways she’s been a good friend to me, and we have always had a lot in common outside of our body types, I’m done with her and the way she always makes me feel like crap.

Thin privilege is not understanding that different people’s bodies have different needs, and that not everyone can be as mobile as you for as long as you can.

Thin privilege is not understanding the pain that not being able to shop easily for clothes can cause, and believing that someone does not deserve a pleasant shopping trip if they don’t lose weight.

Thin privilege is believing that any body type that differs from your own is wrong, and that your arbitrary rules for what constitutes a 'normal’ body are the only ones that count.

Thin privilege is believing that you can treat your best friend like shit out of 'concern for her health’, and not have her end your toxic friendship.