As the body positivity movement continues to gain momentum, conversations are routinely sprouting up on social media about privilege and access.
On Sunday, writer Cora Harrington posted a series of messages to her Twitter timeline, evoking a conversation on what institutes as “thin privilege.”
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The first message introduces Harrington’s thesis–that thinness is not just about size, but about your body being seen as “normal,” without scrutiny. Being viewed as “thin” lies on a spectrum and includes anyone who is able to walk into a clothing store and find an array of options to wear.
Harrington dives further, asking her followers who my be resistant to acknowledging and accepting this form of privilege to think about a time when they were judged or barred from certain spaces because of their weight.
She also calls on influencers in the body positivity movement to acknowledge that their rise may have been because they themselves fit into socially acceptable body type ideals.
And Harrington’s last point focuses on the intersection of race and privilege. Harrington says that you can be a member of a disadvantaged community and still profit from thin privilege–the two are not mutually exclusive.
Several other users chimed in to say that Harrington’s tweets opened their minds to a redefine what they believe privilege to be.
Conversations like these around privilege and the ways in which they can intersect are important to hash out on social media.
What do you think beauties? Have you ever benefited from thin privilege?
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