Open Post: How can people with thin privilege help fat people?

10th August 2009

Open Post: How can people with thin privilege help fat people?

If you get the chance, check out Linda Bacon’s keynote speech delivered at the annual NAAFA convention on July 31 (PDF link here). In addition to being a professor of nutrition and the author of Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight (a book I highly recommend), Bacon is also a dedicated fat acceptance activist. She’s also quite thin, a source of surprising perplexity for many outside the movement and even for some within. Bacon addresses this in her speech and the ways in which fat discrimination creates a system of thin privilege and how it sustains this paradigm by setting up fat people and thin people as diametrically opposed to one another. As Bacon notes, “Inequity hurts the oppressor as well as the victim.”

In her 12-page speech, Bacon relates this anecdote which she says sparked an incredible discussion in one of her classes:

I remember in one class that I was teaching, a thin woman broached this subject in our class discussion, and my insecurity about this issue came front and center. “How is your work received by fat people?”, she wanted to know. She talked about how she would like to speak out about these issues, but she was afraid that she didn’t have the right to speak for others, and that she wouldn’t be trusted by fat people because of her appearance.

Before I got very far in my response, I couldn’t help but notice that in the back of the room, there was a fat woman, hand up, obviously enraged, nearly jumping out of her seat to get my attention. I felt waves of panic coming up, but figured I had to ride this out, so I called on her. “You don’t represent me,” she said belligerently. “I don’t trust you. You’re just another skinny bitch telling me and everyone else what it’s like to live in my body. It’s not okay that you get to define my experience.”

Stay cool, don’t get defensive, I thought, honor her concerns. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said to her. “But it makes sense that you don’t trust me. In fact, we’ve been set up to hate each other. There’s a system out there teaching us that I’ve got the right body, you don’t, that there’s something defective about you that resulted in your body, and something virtuous about how I live that resulted in my body. And I certainly don’t have your lived experience. Why should you trust me? But that’s okay. You don’t have to. Do you have any advice for this woman – or for me – about how people with thin privilege could best support fat people?”

That fat discrimination hurts both fat and thin people isn’t news to any reader here who suffers from or has struggled with an eating disorder, but what to do in order to reduce this imbalance of power isn’t always so obvious. Bacon’s speech is a good read and I suggest you read it in full, but for now, I want to take Bacon’s question and pose it to readers here: What are some ways in which people with thin privilege can support fat people and reduce size discrimination for all people?

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 10th, 2009 at 1:42 pm and is filed under Fat Acceptance, Fat Bias. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On August 10th, 2009, Jay Solomon said:

I was at Linda Bacon’s speech, and I was one of the only thin people in the audience. I felt that gave me an interesting perspective on her words. I’ve written an article about it (part of a 5-part series about the NAAFA convention) which can be found here: http://www.moreofmetolove.com/blogs/entry/dr.-linda-bacons-reflections-on-size-acceptance-and-thin-privilege/

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

2 On August 10th, 2009, Rachel said:

Just as a side note, thanks for the link, Jay. I had never heard of that site and after a brief look over, think it sounds great!

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

3 On August 10th, 2009, Jay Solomon said:

Glad to see you on More of Me to Love and glad you like it. Could you do me a favor and email me the PDF of Linda Bacon’s speech? I’m having trouble downloading it (my internet browser, not your link). Thanks so much!

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

4 On August 10th, 2009, Puzzled said:

Where is this that Linda Bacon is supposedly teaching classes? I know she is affiliated with UC Davis, but a) i have taken Nutrition classes at UCD and never seen one taught by her, b) she is not listed as an instructor teaching anything in the catalog.
Catalog: http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/programs/NUT/NUTcourses.html
Faculty list: http://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/faculty/index.cfm
Liz Applegate is the most prominent professor here… I can’t imagine she would be in agreement with anything Linda Bacon says. The first thing Dr. Applegate says in Nutrition 10 is “calories in, calories out.” I just don’t like the fact that Linda Bacon has some sort of rep.. but she doesn’t teach any classes. Has someone out there taken a class from her somewhere?

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 3:30 pm

5 On August 10th, 2009, Karen said:

Wow, that’s an amazing speech.

As a long-time fat person, what would make me feel better is if thin people would refuse to tolerate fat bashing and fat jokes. If I get up and leave when a comic goes into a stretch of relentless fat jokes, I’m the fatty who needs both a sense of humor and a reality check; if a thin person who isn’t in attendance with any fat people gets up and leaves, the only message is that the jokes aren’t acceptable. I can talk until my face turns blue about the unfairness of airlines forcing fat people to pay double the fare to fly, but to some people it’ll never be more than excuses or denial if it’s coming from a fat person. When a thin person is against it, though, others are more likely to listen.

I guess it goes to tapping into the thin privilege. We can’t get rid of it overnight, so while not use it to our advantage whenever possible? Since thin people’s words and actions carry more weight (har!), I’d love to see them using those words and actions to support fat people’s rights and dignity, and the genuine science of weight.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

6 On August 10th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Puzzled: This was taken from Linda’s bio on her website: I am currently a nutrition professor in the Biology Department at City College of San Francisco. I also serve as an associate nutritionist at the University of California, Davis. Additionally, I maintain a private consulting practice, advising individuals, health care professionals, and institutions on strategies for implementing Health at Every Size.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 4:08 pm

7 On August 10th, 2009, Trabb's Boy said:

My first reaction to this was that the fat woman was unreasonably angry, but then I read Linda Bacon’s response, which seemed just a tad self-congratulatory, and frankly, yeah, what is she doing accepting the role of hero of the fatties? It’s a little like a man doing the keynote speech at a feminist conference. The ideas may be good, but the privilege evident in the skinny person or man being taken more seriously is kind of making the point itself.

But … I definitely feel the difficulty of arguing for fat acceptance as a fat person, since it’s so easy for a listener to assume I’m just deluding myself to justify my failings. So fat people telling skinny people about fat acceptance is awkward. Skinny people telling fat people about fat acceptance is awkward. Seems to me that the best things skinny people can do to fight size discrimination are 1) Listen to fat people, 2) Talk to other skinny people and 3) Try to focus the limelight on empowered members of the oppressed group, rather than yourself as champion of the oppressed group.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

8 On August 10th, 2009, Gillian said:

This is a question I’ve struggled with a lot since embracing the FA movement earlier this year. I don’t even know what to call myself – thin person? recovering thin person? After years of staying thin by dieting, I got sick of how it was damaging me physically and mentally and decided to stop. At around the same time, I stumbled onto Shapely Prose and a bunch of other FA blogs and sites. It was eye-opening for me to realize that FA is a social justice movement. Internalizing all the fat-hating propaganda for my entire life had prevented me from doing so before.

In any case, after immersing myself in the movement for the last few months, I still had to sit down and have a conversation with myself about how my FA activism would be perceived (this is part of the reason I’m shy about commenting on blogs like this one). Relative to others, I could be considered fat or thin. My sister, who is heavier than me, thinks skeptically about my embrace of FA; because to her, I’m skinny and bringing with me all the privilege that comes along with that perception. Plus, I am still struggling with unlearning all of the fat hate that I’ve spent a lifetime internalizing.

So I guess I don’t have an answer to the question, as I’m still trying to figure it out myself. All I know is I firmly believe in working against fat prejudice, as much as I believe in working against all forms of prejudice.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

9 On August 10th, 2009, Rachel said:

All I know is I firmly believe in working against fat prejudice, as much as I believe in working against all forms of prejudice.

That’s a great point, actually. I made this an open post simply because I don’t have any easy answers here, either. I wonder if it might help us if we think about fat acceptance in terms of other forms of -isms and apply how we work to discourage those prejudices to the issue of thin privilege/fat acceptance. For instance, I am not gay but I support gay civil rights by voting against discriminatory laws, supporting candidates supportive of gay rights and donating to gay rights causes,not laughing at homophobic jokes, etc… I think the latter — not laughing at -ist jokes — is probably one of the most basic ways anyone can support fat acceptance although it may not always be the easiest for some.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

10 On August 10th, 2009, littlem said:

Well, they can stop writing articles like this one featured in the Daily Fail:

http://jezebel.com/5333992/writer-bravely-scorns-dangerous-fat-people

(Warning: You may want to make sure you have plenty of Sanity Watchers points available.)

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 5:34 pm

11 On August 10th, 2009, Living400lbs said:

Hi Puzzled -

From the email Linda sent to her mailing list in Dec 2008:

“Other big news is that I’ll be taking a sabbatical from teaching from May 2008 to August 2009. I’ll miss teaching, but I’m really looking forward to having more time to write, conduct research, and do more public speaking. I’ve got some exciting plans in the works to conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial of HAES in a clinical setting. I’m also open to other opportunities and expect to do some traveling.”

She doesn’t send out these emails frequently, and the last one didn’t mention returning to UC Davis. Not being in academia I don’t know how common it is to go on sabbatical and not go back.

12 On August 10th, 2009, Living400lbs said:

Oh, from the latest email, July 16th, she talks about speaking at NAAFA and ASDAH, then:

“From Washington, I head to England, and perhaps some surrounding areas, speaking about HAES and helping to develop a HAES program. I’ll arrive on August 4th and stay until September 9th. Check the “news” link on my website and I’ll post my talks as they’re booked (http://www.lindabacon.org/news.html). I’m open to more speaking engagements throughout Europe; contact me if interested. I’m particularly looking forward to getting together with the wonderful folks who recently launched HAES UK (http://www.healthateverysize.org.uk/).

Feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone who might be interested or to post it on blogs.”

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 5:39 pm

13 On August 10th, 2009, Living400lbs said:

…and her UC Davis page says she’s an Assistant Researcher in the Nutrition Department.

http://nutrition.ucdavis.edu/faculty/bacon/index.cfm

Rachel, sorry to be so Posty McPosty today.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 5:41 pm

14 On August 10th, 2009, Geri said:

I agree with Karen. I’m a fat person, and I feel that if I complain or protest about fatism, that I won’t be taken seriously – that it will just look like I’m moaning. It would be great if thin people used that thin privilege to help fight fatism and fat prejudice, like in the example Karen gave, about walking out if fatist jokes are told, or like the example in Linda’s speech, of refusing to discriminate against fat people in job interviews. If a fat person takes a stand against fatism, the political gets mistaken for the personal, but if a thin person takes a stand, the politics of the situation is brought to the fore.
(The personal is political and the political is personal, but sadly, many people view personal issues as not as important as political)

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm

15 On August 10th, 2009, Lori said:

I do think it’s great if thinner people embrace and talk about FA, but I’m also uncomfortable with the idea that, since they will be more readily accepted talking about it, they should be the ones to bring the message to other thin people. I just don’t think that’s generally how social justice movements succeed. As a smaller fat person who is physically active and very healthy, I feel like it can be easy for me to make FA palatable to some people at times, but then I feel like I’m somehow doing it to the exclusion of larger fat people or fat people who do have chronic health issues or fat people who don’t exercise or eat a “balanced” diet. The job of getting people to change their minds about homosexuality wasn’t and couldn’t be left only to cute churchgoing lesbian couples in long-term relationships with adorable kids and moderate politics, even if they would be very palatable to many people (and even if it is also important that they do agitate for change, as well). I think in general social justice movements succeed by bringing people who have heretofore been considered unacceptable into the public eye and showing that, no, they’re people, too, who deserve and demand respect. I don’t think FA will succeed any differently, and so I am hesitant to think that thin people should be the primary FA voices talking to other thin people.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s really much different thin people would need to do than fat people. Nobody should sit back while a fat joke is told, nobody should join in or stay silent while other women engage in a body-bashing session, nobody should accept the equating of body size with virtue or worth.

I do think there are probably limits to how much thin people can do, just like there’s limits to how much anybody can do. If I have a great experience with a doctor, who seems to me to be very size-accepting, it can be easy to generalize that, but it’s possible that somebody who weighs 100 pounds more than me would walk into the same doctor and face awful discrimination. A male who’s fat might have a very different experience than a woman who’s fat, and being fat at 30 is different from being fat at 15 and both are certainly different from being fat at 60. I think that we’re always going to be talking about people having different experiences, and for the most part all anybody can and should do is treat their body well, respect other people’s bodies no matter what size or shape they are, and not be silent when other people are disrespected because of their size. Because I don’t think it’s somehow just thin people who are laughing at fat jokes; how many mid-sized fat people have had people make jokes about *really* fat people in front of them, and joined right in laughing? I’m not sure there’s any particular burden on thin people, beyond recognizing that size prejudice is a problem, which probably will be harder in many cases than it is far fat people. Although, honestly, lately I’ve encountered so many self-hating fat people who are totally opposed to FA (and particularly the idea that dieting won’t make them permanently thing) and enough thin people who are aware at their size is not the result of virtue but mostly of genetics, that I’m not even sure FA is easier for fat people than thin people to accept.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

16 On August 10th, 2009, Gillian said:

Lori wrote:

“I do think it’s great if thinner people embrace and talk about FA, but I’m also uncomfortable with the idea that, since they will be more readily accepted talking about it, they should be the ones to bring the message to other thin people.”

This is what makes me feel uncomfortable as well. My position of size privilege makes me question myself all the time. It *is* still a position of privilege, which means that, to some people, it will give my stand on FA more weight, which shouldn’t be the case.

I keep reading as much as I can on the issue of FA to help me cope not only with my own fat prejudice, but so I can learn how to navigate this uncharted territory. Because as I said earlier in the thread, I DO feel this is worth it and absolutely necessary.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

17 On August 10th, 2009, Blimp said:

Thin people just need to understand, and freely proclaim, that being fat has big advantages. In high water, fat floats. In bitter cold, or while swimming in cold water, fat protects and provides fuel for the body. When you’re sick and can’t eat, fat helps you win the fight for survival. When somebody shoots or stabs you, sometimes fat can stop the wound from reaching a vital organ or a big artery. It can even cushion a fall or a blow.

On an airplane, obesity presents an engineering and economic challenge, but one which would benefit thin people if it were solved. Big bathrooms, removable armrests, and a few overflow seats make airplane travel more pleasant for all, and wider aisles and bigger hatches can speed up evacuation.

Life will be better for thin people if they not only reject, but ridicule the popular fear of fat, because medical practice will be freed from many unscientific ideas about disease, and people who make themselves miserable in order to become or stay thin will finally get to have fun!

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 9:02 pm

18 On August 10th, 2009, Alice said:

IMO, one of the best ways people can use thin privilege is to be LOUD! Yes, it could be problematic if everyone who was the ‘face’ of FA/ SA (Size Acceptance) were thin. However, I think that we’re a ways off from having that kind of problem; a lot of people have never heard of FA at all. To the extent that a thin person can get behind some folks’ knee-jerk rejection of FA, I think that can be a great tool in helping people understand FA.

I think that the only problem comes in making sure that we all speak from our own experiences – we’re all hurt by size discrimination, but we’re hurt in different ways. Thin FA activists have a rougher deal, because it’s pretty central to talk about how fat people are harmed by this discrimination, and they have to be able to speak to that without appropriating that experience.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

19 On August 10th, 2009, Rachel said:

Don’t forget also that some “thin” people have once been “fat” people. Linda Bacon herself once struggled with compulsive overeating, although I don’t know if she gained weight as a result. I, myself, although still fat, was once larger than I am today.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 10:17 pm

20 On August 10th, 2009, Lexie Di said:

I think the most important thing that thin people can do is remember that a fat person is not an “it.” I’m so sick and tired of people not even referring fat individuals as people. If you don’t call someone a person, you forget that they ARE a person with feelings and a life and a family and a brain. It’s much harder to hurt a person than it is to hurt an “it.”

Other than that, I think, normal, everyday good nature helps. If someone’s being messed with, stand up for them. It doesn’t matter what they look like, its wrong to harass people.

I think it’s great that there are thin people who support FA. My friends do and, out of the three of them, there is only one I would consider fat, and only one I would consider thin, the other one is in the middle. Once, while in high school, a guy came up to me and asked if I was related to Jabba the Hut. I’d never watched Star Wars so I was like, “Uh… what?” He left and went back to his group of friends who started laughing. Rocky and Amy were seething. Rocky, being the most out-spoken, ran over and started yelling at the group saying that it didn’t matter what my size was. She also screamed that you shouldn’t mess with a black girl’s friend because there would be trouble. Haha! I really love my friends because they’re supportive and I can be open. And, after writing on my little experience, I realize. During the fight for civil rights for African Americans, there were those few white people that joined and stood up for what they knew was right.

All voices help a cause. I don’t care what size body the voice comes from, it just comforts me to hear it.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 10:51 pm

21 On August 10th, 2009, Susan said:

“Don’t forget also that some “thin” people have once been “fat” people”

As a formerly-fat-now-thin person, the fact that I am no longer fat seems to negate my experiences in many people’s eyes. In an online discussion of Fat Acceptance recently, I was accused of speaking from a position of “thin privilege” which I found somewaht bizarre. During the same conversation I was also called a liar for claiming to have lost a substantial amount of weight and keeping it off for over five years.

So yeah, forgive me if I’m not that interested in “supporting fat people”.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 10:53 pm

22 On August 10th, 2009, Candice said:

Maybe part of the issue is the terminology: fat acceptance. Would size acceptance be more universal and helpful or would it undermine that fat end of the size spectrum?

I do liken it to gay rights as well. I would hate for someone to tell me I shouldn’t speak up on the issue because I’m not gay. I feel for that cause with all of my heart and while I may not have first-hand experience, I do have compassion and want to understand as best I can.

posted on August 10th, 2009 at 10:55 pm

23 On August 11th, 2009, Meowser said:

Spend more time talking TO us than ABOUT us.

Lurk around the Fatosphere.

Recognize that we’re not all the same. (For a thinking person, the third should follow the first two.)

Understand that if you think of yourself as anti-bigotry and you still have thoughts like, “Fat people are fat because of x,” whether that “x” is laziness or McDonald’s advertising or anything else, your anti-bigotry needs work.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 1:10 am

24 On August 11th, 2009, Meowser said:

Oh, and I just read Linda’s speech and like it very much. I wish people outside of NAAFA could hear what she has to say. Yeah, it’s too bad that the word of fat people about what our experiences really are is disbelieved to the point that it takes a thin person to drive the point home. but pretty much every civil or social rights movement I can think of has derived significant benefit from people in the more privileged group championing their cause.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 1:33 am

25 On August 11th, 2009, Lisa Baca said:

I took the nutrition class from Dr. Bacon several semesters ago at CCSF. I took it because I wanted to understand more about food and what it does to our bodies. Yes, I am a fat woman. I have a daughter with PCOS and insulin resistance. That scared the hell out of me, and I wanted to understand the best path for my daughters health. Dr. Bacon taught me that it was alot more complicated that I thought and her course challenged me (first B I have received since I went back to college). I was not in the class she quoted in her speech but I could see what an effort she made not to be discriminatory in any way, and how much it was like walking through a mine field, even for a thin person. I can honestly say she is a very good instructor and even better, tries to be honest, even when it is painful for her.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 2:55 am

26 On August 11th, 2009, Julie said:

Have been sitting on my comment here all day as really I am just learning about FA. It’s such an emotive arena which is of course understandable, & in being honest, I have felt somewhat ‘scared’ to comment for fear that I may get speared. That’s my problem though – not yours.

I agree with you littlem that the article by Amanda Platell in the Daily Mail is vile. She has some serious issues & is totally fat-phobic. It angers me to think that thousands, even millions, of people will have read this predjudice.

As for what I, or others who do not identify as fat can do to support the FA movement – I really like some of the ideas that others have written here & many I already practice. I would never tell or laugh at a fat joke & regularly stand up & shout when I can clearly see someone is being misjudged on their size. It doesn’t make me perfect – but I’m trying.

Just in case it’s important to some – I have been both fat & thin & probably at the moment somewhere in between – but I guess that depends on who is doing the judging. All I know from my perspective is that the way to get me across the line in supporting a cause is to try & do so with as much respect & as open a mind as possible. I can hear shouts that this is hard & we have to agitate considerably to get voices & opinions heard. I appreciate that sentiment as well – I guess it’s just the soft Buddhist in me that needs to tread lightly.

Doesn’t mean I’m not here & trying to understand though. Guess that’s a given seeing I am commenting on what I think is a great blog.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 4:29 am

27 On August 11th, 2009, Geri said:

I want to clarify what I said in my comment. I think it is important for thin people to stand up for size acceptance (my preferred term) and anti-fatism, but not just thin people. I think that we all need to rally around the issue at hand, fatism / fat prejudice rather than get caught up with who is speaking about it.

No one else will ever be able to speak exactly for us as individuals. I am fat, but I cannot wholly speak for another fat person: our size may be all we have in common (although fat is also relative – I am 200lbs, but I am thinner than some people as well as being fatter than some).
The development of feminism has shown us that “women” are not a single unified group, that different groups of women, and different individuals will not experience being a woman in the same way. Even if only fat people spoke about size acceptance/anti-fatism, they would not be able to understand exactly the experiences of all larger people. The issue is compounded when as someone has pointed out in the comments – thin people may once have been fat (just as fat people may once have been thin and experienced thin privilege themselves). I don’t think it is so much about who is making a stand and what size they are, the important thing is the stand is being made, with as many different voices as possible.
However, I do think that having thin people with thin privilege champion the cause will force people in general to consider this as a major issue and not one to be ignored by thin people

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 4:40 am

28 On August 11th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Susan: Surely a negative experience at one fat acceptance site isn’t enough to make you not want to support reducing size acceptance for ALL people, yourself included.

@Candice: I agree. I dislike using the term fat acceptance generally because I feel it miscommunicates the message. I prefer fat rights when speaking about the political and body acceptance when referring to the personal.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 9:09 am

29 On August 11th, 2009, Candice said:

@Rachel That seems to be a fair choice of words: fat rights (sounds like a lot of other rights being fought for or that have been fought for).

My guess is that the idea of thin privilege is going to be difficult for a lot of people because it is so entrenched in American society (if that’s where you’re coming from) that everything you have is based on what you work for, that there is no systematic system of privilege and repression. We have a huge segment of the population who won’t even acknowledge the existence of white privilege (which seems like denying the existence of air to me). But I think the fight is worth it. Maybe one day we’ll get to a point where we treat people fairly.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 9:14 am

30 On August 11th, 2009, random said:

@Candice: “White privilege”… I always found that one hard to swallow back in the days when I was denied food stamps for being a college student. Yet the blacks in my community were routinely given food stamps. (The food stamp guy said that he didn’t think it was fair, but he didn’t make the rules.) I still find it hard to swallow today, when I see blacks in my [new] community driving around in BMWs, Mercedeses, and the like. I realise that there is a history of “white privilege” in this country — rich old white guys signed the Constitution, ruined Enron, and until recently, ran the country — but IMHO, “white privilege” is no longer the unwritten national law it once was.

@Rachel: I respect your opinion regarding the phrase “size acceptance” versus “fat acceptance.” I’ve been ruminating on that recently. I have been using the latter term simply because I feel that “thin acceptance” is a given, but “fat acceptance” is still an oxymoron of sorts in society at large. It’s still a “thought in progress,” however, as I am sure that there are many points of view I have yet to peruse. For now, I have to admit to myself that the phrase “size acceptance” is more open and inclusive than “fat acceptance.”

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am

31 On August 11th, 2009, elizabeth said:

geri “I don’t think it is so much about who is making a stand and what size they are, the important thing is the stand is being made, with as many different voices as possible.”

If you are “privileged” enough to have the “right” size, shape, skin color, money, clothes, childlike facial features, youth and/or anything else that culture defines as a beauty asset, then yes, without a doubt, your life will be a far different experience than someone who does not possess these qualities.

I also agree that the low self-esteem and body dysmorphic issues that thinner people may experience are not the same as the outright discrimination, mocking and hatred that fat people suffer.

If you read the postings and comments in blogs about body size, feminism, anti-fat discrimination and policy, it is very clear that these issues bring up passionate emotional responses of all kinds.
There are some fat activists who have a very combative tone, which is completely understandable. Discrimination and hatred does call for deep emotional responses.And, yes, it is true that some thin people don’t “get it”!

However, to believe that people of one size cannot have empathy, and work towards healing, for people of another size is deeply concerning.

I am a thin woman and I work towards body acceptance from the filter of eating disorders and the extremely unhealthy behaviors I’ve experienced both personally and as a teacher of girls.
I’m always somewhat apprehensive that fat activists will not see my work as valid because a)I am not fat myself, and b)because my work approaches the topic in a light-hearted, non-threatening, and yes, even cute,way.
I am consciously, intentionally trying to reach people who are either unaware or intimidated by FA by using a “kinder/gentler” voice. I feel these issues are so global that there is room for every approach, every opinion, from compassion to rage to humor.

In an ideal world people of EVERY size work together to overcome the fear & hatred of fat, without encouraging more division and/or competition among us. Size acceptance and fat rights are issues of concern to everyone, “privileged” of not.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 11:56 am

32 On August 11th, 2009, Rachel said:

I don’t understand why fat hatred exists. Simply put, I don’t understand this mechanism, yet it is completely and utterly entrenched in the American culture. From magazines to television to the shopping mall, it’s there, and it’s done a large number on my own psyche throughout the years.

I am personally somewhere in the middle. There’s more to grab, which some days I’m okay with, other days I look in the mirror and consider myself the most vile thing existent on the earth. I’m done with the fat jokes, though. I’m done with the fat hatred, and I’m done with the woman-against-woman hatred also. I’m done with hatred period.

The goal posts always move two steps out of reach for our culture, and yet, as a whole, the culture will follow into these unattainable standards. Men, women, fat, thin, and in-between, we’ve all got to work together to combat this issue.

I think a younger me would have been apprehensive and distrusting of Linda Bacon. An older, slightly wiser me says that what she’s got to say is valid, and that this problem need to be addressed from ALL sides, and we DEFINITELY need to work together to help solve it.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

33 On August 11th, 2009, Bree said:

I have two pieces of advice for people with thin privilege:

1. DON’T always believe all the reports about fat you hear in the news, whether it’s print, radio, TV or internet. The media, the majority of the medical community and government groups do not see us as working, tax-paying, family-raising individuals who live the same lives you do; they see us as an alien hive mind with the same thoughts and beliefs, all centered around food. Be objective and realize most of these fat studies can be scientifically inaccurate.

2. Don’t be afraid to read fat blogs. I know some people are put off by the tones of certain blogs and feel unwelcome. Not all of us are that militant, but when you are constantly told you are inferior and you deserve shame and scorn, some just can’t take it anymore and get furious. Personally, on my blog I choose not to get too political and prefer to focus on everyday life as a fat person, fat discrimination and fashion. Even though my experiences with society will widely differ from yours, we all share appearance criticism and the attitude of you’re never that thin or good-looking affects us all.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

34 On August 11th, 2009, Susan said:

Surely a negative experience at one fat acceptance site isn’t enough to make you not want to support reducing size acceptance for ALL people, yourself included.

@Rachel – I just used that experience as an example – this kind of thing happens more often than not. When I get involved in discussions about size acceptance and body image, I usually get personally attacked. I would have thought that having lived both as a fat person and as a thin person, I can contribute some insights, but apparently not. I know it’s not fair to generalise about the entire FA movement, but in general, it seems to have put up “No Skinny Bitches Allowed!” signs.

posted on August 11th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

35 On August 12th, 2009, Pia said:

Hi,
I am a thin person who has experienced long periods of weight gain as a result of being on mega doses of steroids (used to control a near deadly case of Lupus). Steroids increase your appetite tremendously and create extreme facial puffiness. I am normally a thin person, but during these times of illness I definitely got a taste of what it was like to be fat. I withdrew and my self-esteem plummeted because of the way I saw others look at and treat me and since I was still in high school at the time, I endured the ridicule of classmates. I have had an acute awareness around the politics of fatness since I live with my mom and sister who are constantly battling their weight. For example, my mom has made it through stage 4 ovarian cancer the past year. She lost 35 pounds as a result of Chemo. She is much better now, and instead of celebrating cheating death, what does she want to do? Diet! She wants to lose 20 pounds so she can be the same size she was when she was 30 (she’s 72 with a slower metabolism). She throws away pictures of herself at her current weight because she hates that she’s “fat”–she isn’t. It is this inner pain and struggle for both of us that has made me committed to squashing fat prejudice in my personal and public life.

Here’s how I am a thin ally:

I call people on their prejudice in my daily life, even those who complain about their size and the need to lose weight.

I support my fat friends in their pursuit to accept themselves in their quest to eat and live healthier at whatever size (I do not mean dieting–I strongly advise friends to not diet as diets are meant to breakdown your self esteem and create a sense of failure as they don’t work)

I highlight fat celebrities who rock their rolls on my blog and site: adiosbarbie.com – the body image site for *every* body (our tag line is “we love you through thick and thin”).

I also try to address the fat prejudice in our popular culture to my blog visitors and list the different factors that can cause a person to be fat–and how being large in most cases in not a choice or matter of will power.

I address the “fat is not healthy and should not be celebrated” excuse.

On the site/blog I also highlight media representations of fat people and how these images perpetuate what I think is unacceptable overt discrimination.

While I am thin now, I feel as a person committed to ending discrimination across racial, sexual, and size lines, I am completely entitled to engage in the movement on whatever level I choose.

posted on August 12th, 2009 at 1:43 pm

36 On August 12th, 2009, Rachel said:

@Susan: I’ve also maintained a significant weight loss for some five years running now, so I perhaps understand some of the backlash you might have received for this because I’ve encountered the same at a few select sites. The Fatosphere is very diverse and I have learned to patronize those communities I felt comfortable in while avoiding those I do not. I sincerely hope that you don’t let this negativity keep you from supporting the larger goal of body acceptance for all.

posted on August 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

37 On August 12th, 2009, Rachel said: