In today’s society, 92% of women are unhappy with their bodies in some way. Vast majority of this discontent revolves around the size and shape of their bodies. This is no accident, the media has spent decades convincing women of their inadequacy, and profiting off imaginary “flaws” in our appearance. Think about all the money you have spent over the years trying to fit into an impossible and ever changing beauty standard!
The truth is, this present moment in time is but a blip in our history where being fat is seen as a bad thing. Women used to be praised for their curves, and this is still the case in a lot of areas of the world. This shows us, beauty standards are completely arbitrary, yet so many of us still feel an extreme desire to fit the mold laid out for us. This response is human nature, our primitive brain is wired to avoid things that might hurt us. In the past, not fitting in could have meant being rejected from the group and being left alone with a much lower chance of survival. This is obviously no longer true in modern society, but our primitive brain doesn’t know that! The media has purposefully taken advantage of this subconscious pattern, so it is no surprise so many of us have fallen into the trap of trying to fit in at any cost.
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If you are smaller than a size 16 (like me), this is your time to pay close attention! A lot of thin people sometimes forget that while it is completely normal to struggle with body image issues, it is not the same experience felt by a fat person in our world today. This is because fat people are excluded, oppressed and denied basic rights all the time, strictly due to the size of their bodies. It does not mean your struggles are not valid, it just means that you aren’t oppressed for them and there is a big difference!
If you are wondering if you have thin privilege I want you to think about the following questions. If you answer no to all or most of these questions you have some level of thin privilege.
- Can you buy clothes in all or most stores without having to go to a separate plus size section or store?
- Have you ever struggled to fit into chairs, seat belts, turnstiles, amusement park rides or anything else of the sort?
- Have you ever been treated poorly or harassed strictly based on the size of your body?
- Have you ever been denied (or suspected you were denied) employment or any other opportunity based on your weight?
- Have you ever had your health concerns denied, reduced or diminished based on your weight? Ie’ having a doctor prescribe weight loss before any other testing or exam has been completed?
- Have you ever had your life put at risk because of the size of your body? Ie; life saving surgery denied until you lose weight, improper dosage of medication due to weight bias or dangerous weight loss surgeries recommended before other less invasive forms of treatment
This can be a hard concept to wrap your brain around at first, especially if you have spent the vast majority of your life hating your body and believing you need to lose weight. A lot of us even experienced judgement and abuse from those around us for our size even though we have a lot of thin privilege. This is not to diminish the struggle you have experienced. Hating your body and being taught it is somehow wrong and in need of fixing is a horrible feeling to live with. We all deserve to love our bodies and accept them as they are, but we ALSO all deserve to be respected and included by the society we live in regardless of our body size.
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Thin privilege is a sliding scale – the larger you get the less privileges you have. For example, someone who is a size 16 may not have many issues finding clothes that fit, but someone over a size 22 is going to struggle a hell of a lot more! We can also better understand this concept by comparing thin privilege to white privilege. I have always been very pale skinned, to the point I was made fun of a lot growing up for it. Comments about looking like “casper” or “glowing” in the sun hurt, and made me self conscious to the point of trying every kind of fake tanning under the sun. This was an unpleasant experience, and while it is absolutely not okay to be ridiculed for something you cannot control, it is definitely far from the experience a person of color experiences in their lifetime dealing with systemic oppression and racism. My life is not in danger because of my skin color, my opportunities are not limited because of my skin color, and our society certainly does not treat me as any less than because of my skin color. THAT is the difference we need to remember.
If you are working on improving your body image that is an amazing endeavor. Just don’t forget to also check your privilege and help make the world a safer more accepting place for people of ALL sizes. For more guidance on your self love journey and improving your body image check me out at @normalnotwrong on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for announcements on my 1 on 1 coaching programs launching soon!
JENELLE CARTO
Hi, I’m Jenelle! I am from beautiful Calgary, Alberta! That’s in Western Canada, for those of you who just said “where?!” I live with my spouse, who is an airline pilot, and our dog, an adorable Yorkie/Jack Russell mix named Abbie. I work by day as an insurance broker, and I also have a lifestyle blog that focuses mostly on body image, self-love, and breaking down stigmas and societal expectations.
My idea and passion for my business came from my personal experiences and self-love journey. Starting when I was about 10 years old, I grew up with little confidence and body image issues, after childhood trauma triggered an eating disorder. It progressed even further as I became a teenager and started struggling with societal expectations, chronic anxiety, and migraines. This was followed by periods of depression and panic attacks in my early 20s, leading to an all-time low when I finally started dedicating my time to improving my mental health and self-image. I’m sure a lot of you can relate to these struggles and understand just how horrible it can feel living in a world that profits off of convincing us we’re never good enough.
Over the last 5 years, I have learned so much, and have come to a place where my mental health is stable. I have learned to love myself and feel confident and sexy regardless of what the number on the scale says, and I am finally done with the endless cycle of thinking about food, my next diet, and how much I hate myself and my body!
My goal is to share how I did that with as many people as I can, and to make my business as inclusive and welcoming as possible to all those still marginalized by our society. I see you and am trying my best to make everything I offer in my business with you in mind.
If you’re interested in following my journey and getting updates on my budding business as I grow, follow me on Facebook or Instagram at the links below.
