Written by: Erin Birely, LCPC
Alumni Services Coordinator, The Renfrew Center
Nearly everyone feels the pressure to live up to society’s narrow standards of beauty – standards that often come with unrealistic expectations about how our bodies should look. These ever-changing, idealized body types make it difficult for any of us to feel secure in our appearance. In this blog, we’ll talk about how these standards affect people of all sizes, and how they intersect with the concept of thin privilege.
The Pressure of Societal Beauty Standards and Thin Privilege
For people of all sizes, the pressure to conform to the thin ideal can lead to heightened urges to restrict food intake or exercise excessively. The belief that a “perfect body” can be achieved simply by wanting it enough and working hard enough often leads to body dissatisfaction and lower self-esteem, fueled by a constant sense of never feeling good enough. For those living in larger bodies, the experience can feel very different, as they are denied the privileges afforded to people in smaller bodies or those viewed as “thin.”
READ MORE: Diet Culture & Body Image: 8 Ways to Fight Back Against Society’s Influence
What is Thin Privilege?
Thin privilege refers to the cultural and societal advantages experienced by people who are perceived as thin and fit the cultural norms of body size, shape, and weight. Thin privilege can impact someone’s experiences in many ways – from buying clothes and receiving respect in social situations to accessing healthcare and navigating spaces that aren’t designed with all bodies in mind.
Oftentimes, people in thinner bodies find it easier to shop for clothes, don’t have to worry about fitting into spaces or seats that can support them, and are more likely to be listened to objectively by healthcare professionals. Someone who is perceived as thin is not usually subjected to snap judgments that they are likely lazy, unkept, or lack willpower. While these privileges are not often front of mind for those who experience them, people in larger bodies endure these challenges constantly.
How Thin Privilege Impacts an Eating Disorder Diagnosis
This becomes even more prominent when people seek support around disordered eating behaviors and body image concerns. For years, eating disorders were wrongly associated with someone being underweight and presenting in a thin body. This stereotype is grossly untrue, yet it has led to many not getting the appropriate diagnosis or support they need.
READ MORE: Negative Body Image: 9 Tips for Improving Body Esteem
In reality, an eating disorder can impact people of all body sizes and shapes. Due to weight stigma and other biases, people in larger bodies are often dismissed when they voice concerns about their eating habits and weight. Some medical providers unintentionally reinforce eating disorder beliefs by encouraging clients to further restrict their food intake or strengthen the misconception that someone can’t be struggling with an eating disorder while in a larger body. While someone in a larger body who reports a medical concern is often told their weight is to blame for the problem, those in smaller bodies receive the privilege of being heard and having the causes of their ailments properly investigated.
How Thin Privilege Can Affect Your Treatment
If someone in a larger body does advocate for themselves to receive treatment, they can still face stigma that those in smaller bodies don’t experience. For some, it is an internalized stigma, manifesting as a belief that they aren’t as sick as their thin counterparts. This can be reinforced in eating disorder treatment when insurance companies deny coverage for those in larger bodies compared to those who are at lower weights. With less time in a higher level of care, these patients can lose out on the benefit of the structure, support, and supervision that may help them address the underlying mental, social, and emotional components of their eating disorder.
For those who start with an outpatient therapist who isn’t trained in eating disorder treatment, they may find that their concerns around their weight and eating aren’t properly addressed, and the support they receive continues to reinforce their disordered symptoms.
Why Thin Privilege Makes It Harder for People in Larger Bodies to Get Help
All of this makes it harder for clients in larger bodies to receive the help they need and deserve, and bypassing these hurdles is an often-unrecognized privilege those in smaller bodies experience. This is not the fault of those in smaller bodies or larger bodies, but rather a product of implicit biases and weight stigma in our world. By bringing awareness to these issues, we can be more aware of how they are impacting our experiences regardless of the body we inhabit.
The truth is that all people, no matter their size, deserve support and treatment for any medical or mental health disorder they are struggling with. Body size should not determine how seriously someone else takes our concerns. When someone finds the courage to reach out for help from medical or mental health providers, they deserve a thorough assessment of their symptoms, accurate diagnoses, and highly individualized treatment recommendations. In these moments, self-advocacy can be an empowering skill, helping to ensure your voice is heard and your concerns are taken seriously.
What You Can Do to Get the Help You Deserve
In addition to advocating for your concerns, there are other steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of experiencing harm from weight stigma or thin privilege.
Seeking out providers who have received training on weight stigma and align with a Health at Every Size® approach can allow us to connect with providers who won’t use weight as a measurement of health or progress. Finding providers who take a holistic approach – recognizing that mental, physical, and emotional health all impact each other – is another important step.
Additionally, working with a treatment team that specializes in the treatment of eating disorders is an important part of recovery work, regardless of body size. As a society, we can strive to accept, respect, and value bodies in all shapes and sizes, recognizing that body size does not define a person’s health, character, or worth. We can practice identifying our own internalized implicit biases. By educating ourselves on body acceptance and engaging with resources that encourage ongoing self-reflection, we can become more aware of our implicit biases – and begin to challenge them rather than letting them influence us unconsciously.
Conclusion
Recognizing and acknowledging thin privilege helps bring attention to the very real challenges and unequal treatment that people in larger bodies experience. While implicit biases – for a variety of things – are a constant in our lives, we do not have to continue letting them blindly influence us.
By becoming more aware of thin privilege, weight stigma, and implicit bias, we can start to recognize when these forces are at play – especially in medical and mental health spaces. This awareness is a powerful first step toward challenging unfair treatment and creating a more supportive, inclusive experience for ourselves and others. Advocate for your needs to be heard and seek out supports who listen to your concerns without dismissing or minimizing them. It is important to remember that regardless of our size, we are all inherently worthy simply by being who we are. Each of us has inherent worth and brings unique value to the world.
Never believe the lie that size defines your worth or overlook the amazing gifts you bring to the world and the meaningful connections you create with others. By acknowledging these truths and supporting one another, we can build a future that honors and respects every body, every story, and every individual.
Struggling with disordered eating or body image? The Renfrew Center provides compassionate care for all bodies. Contact us today to get started.
If you, a loved one, or a patient is experiencing an eating disorder, help is available. Contact The Renfrew Center’s team by phone at 1-(800) 736-3739 or complete our online form.
