Thin Privilege Checklist
This checklist was originally posted in an article written by Sharon Ridgway in "Feminism Magazine." The following is a list of age privileges shared by thin individuals. Ridgway states:
- You’re not assumed to be unhealthy just because of your size.
- Your size is probably not the first thing people notice about you (unless you’re being thin-shamed – the opposite of fat-shamed).
- When you’re at the grocery store, people don’t comment on the food selection in your cart in the name of “trying to be helpful.”
- Your health insurance rates are not higher than everyone else’s.
- You can expect to pay reasonable prices for your clothing.
- You can expect to find your clothing size sold locally.
- You can expect to find clothing in the latest styles and colors instead of colorless, shapeless and outdated styles meant to hide your body.
- You don’t receive suggestions from your friends and family to join Weight Watchers or any other weight-loss program.
- When you go to the doctor, they don’t suspect diabetes (or high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or other “weight-related” diagnoses) as the first/most likely diagnosis.
- You don’t get told, “You have such a pretty/handsome face” (implying: if only you’d lose weight you could be even more attractive).
- People do not assume that you are lazy, based solely on your size.
- You’re not the brunt of jokes for countless numbers of comedians.
- Airlines won’t charge you extra to fly.
- You are not perceived as looking sloppy or unprofessional based on your size.
- You can eat what you want, when you want in public and not have others judge you for it or make assumptions about your eating habits.
- You can walk out of a gas station with a box of doughnuts and not have people yell at you to “Lay off them doughnuts, fatty!” (This actually happened to one of my friends.)
- People don’t ask your partners what it’s like to have sex with you because of your size.
- Your body type isn’t sexually fetishized.
- You’re more likely to get a raise or promotion at work than someone who is fat.
- Friends don’t describe you to others using a qualifier (e.g. “He’s kind of heavy, but REALLY nice, though”).
- The media doesn’t describe your body shape as part of an “epidemic”.
- You can choose to not be preoccupied with your size and shape because you have other priorities without being judged.
(Ridgway).
Source: http://everydayfeminism.com/2012/11/20-examples-of-thin-privilege/