wishyouweremegan:

redefiningbodyimage:

Well, when you take pieces of what I’m saying out of context, my words can certainly be misconstrued as blanket statements. The things you are quoting me on are part of a discussion and a way of working through thoughts. 

When I said “Skinny bodies are not discriminated against”, I meant by society as a whole - not by other people in general. Of course all kinds of bodies are capable of facing discrimination and all feelings and experiences tied to those types of unjust treatment are valid, regardless of body size. 

Fat bodies face unjust oppression and discrimination on a daily basis (fueled by the media, the government, in the workplace, at the doctor, etc). Fat shaming is a catalyst for this oppression.

Thin bodies experience privileges from society that fat bodies do not. Thin shaming exists and is never okay, just as any kind of body shaming is never okay, but it is not a catalyst for the same kind of hate and mistreatment found in fat discrimination. That is where the most significant difference lies. It has nothing to do with which group “has it worse” and everything to do with which group is honestly oppressed more than the other. 

It is important to acknowledge these things - “Denying the impacts of oppression is in itself harmful to oppressed groups. Similar to racism, the individual experiences of white people can be acknowledged, while recognizing that people of color are the ones who are structurally oppressed. 

None of this implies that it is okay to ignore an individual’s pain, but it does re-focus and re-center the discussion on the groups who experience the most harm (whether people of color or fat people).” (source)

Let me just be clear, once again: Body shaming in any context, against fat or thin bodies, is NEVER EVER okay. But I will continue to acknowledge that fat bodies face more oppression. Because that is a fact, something I and other fat bodies like me experience every single day, and it deserves to be fought.

oh my god are we really still having this discussion

I have been so hesitant to get involved in this but feel like it’s time to “collect my people,” as the saying goes

If you were actually paying attention to the discussion at all you would stop talking because you would realize how wrong you are

I cannot talk about the experiences a fat person goes through but let me tell you about what us thin people go through and what thin privilege is

Thin privilege is crying in a dressing room because a certain garment you want doesn’t fit, and not because nothing in the whole mall fits

Thin privilege is hearing mean comments about your body while you are out in public and having those comments be about your body and not about you as a person

Thin privilege is being able to fit into booths at restaurants, seats on planes, and rides at amusement parks without any trouble or having to pay extra for a larger seat

Thin privilege is walking into a job interview with the same or fewer qualifications than a fat person and being hired over them because you fit the image of the company more

Thin privilege is having a day where you feel really terrible and feel super ugly but can still walk by a magazine stand and see every magazine’s cover telling other people how to look like you

When thin people are shamed for our bodies it is because of just that—our bodies

When fat people are shamed for their bodies they are told they are bad people for being fat. The emphasis is on their failing as a person.

No one is saying that body shaming of any kind is good. It is all bad. But when thin shaming happens it occurs on an individual basis. Fat shaming occurs on a systematic level that permeates every aspect of our society.

They are both bad, but one is worse.

A thin person can buy clothing that they love and that looks good on them and wear it whenever they want. A fat person who is able to even find clothing they love and that fits them struggles because society has told them they have to be ugly and they should not take pride in their appearance because they are fat.

How do I know this if I’m not fat? Because unlike you I have paid attention to what has been said on this blog and others instead of whining about how hard I have it as a skinny girl

And if you really cared about redefining body image you would too

This is not a contest to see who has it harder when it comes to being body shamed, but even if it was, us skinny girls would still not win. So sit down, shut up, and listen, or get out because there is no system in place telling you that your body is bad.

Seriously, all of us skinny girls need to stop claiming we have it as bad, or worse than, our fat sisters. We don’t. We benefit from the system which is currently in place. We have privilege. We are not oppressed. We are not discriminated against. So shut up.