Search results for: thin privilege
11 Assumptions About Being Butch – And Why They Need to Stop
Have you made any of these assumptions about what it means to be butch? They’re way too common – and you might not realize how much they recreate patriarchal thinking. It’s time for a reality check.
Read More20 Stages of Struggling with Self-Love as a Hairy Brown Girl
The awful impact of society’s beauty standards is so clear in this young Indian woman’s story of how she was treated growing up. Can you relate to her struggles?
Read MoreThese 6 Chilling Facts Prove Size Discrimination Against Fat People Is Real
The second one really scared us, and it’s something nobody talks about. Do you have other examples of how people discriminate based on weight?
Read MoreThis Is Why It Hurts When You Say These Things to People with Chronic Pain (And Some Ideas on How to Support Instead)
These innocent assumptions can do a lot of damage. Are any of them assumptions you’ve made?
Read More6 Racist and Sexist Things You Should Never Say to a Mixed Race Woman
Wanna find out why “you’re so exotic” is not a compliment? Most of the comments mixed race women get don’t come from a place of malice or hatred, but a lack of understanding. And navigating a multi-racial identity can be hard enough without factors like racism and sexism. So avoid being racially sensitive by starting with Marina Watanabe’s tips on what not to say.
Read MoreWhy We Shouldn’t Call Little Girls ‘Bad Asses’
I am all for rethinking, reforming, and in most cases, smashing gender-based norms. But if bucking gender norms is going to be the key criterion for bad-assitude, I wonder: Would a boy earn bad-ass points for choosing a Tinkerbell Halloween costume, or for getting a pedicure, as my son once did with me (at his request) before he stumbled face-first into the gender divide? My guess is no.
Read MoreIs the Childhood Obesity Crisis a Big, Fat Red Herring?
Kids are, allegedly, getting fatter. But not a single study shows that weight loss works for more than 5% of people, and, by the way, despite fears about obesity, U.S. life expectancy continues to rise. So why are people continuing to fixate on childhood obesity? I think maybe because it’s obscuring a much bigger, scarier issue. This issue being childhood poverty.
Read MoreI Was Raped By a Woman (And Then Dated Her for Two Years)
(Trigger warning: rape.) Like most college freshmen, I drank too much. And one night, I drank too much and was pitched out of a frat house in the dead of winter. I woke up in my lofted bed. My clothing was on the floor, and I felt an invisible miasma of shame engulfing me. And my coping mechanism was to make my rapist my partner, giving purpose and intent to something horrible.
Read MoreLet’s Show Our Bodies Some Love!
I like my body! I may even love my body! More days than not, I look at my reflection and smile with gratitude. And this is a huge deal – because for the majority of my life, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin. It was a long and complicated process that has taken me nearly two years of hard work, but here are some of the major factors that led me to where I am today.
Read MoreThe Real Deal On Body Acceptance
Body acceptance is not about disregarding your health. Its about loving and accepting your body and wanting to take care of it. There is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” body, and it is important to listen to your body and all the signs and signals it provides you. Accept yourself and your beautiful form, and this will encourage those you interact with to love their bodies as well.
Read MoreAging Gracefully in an Anti-Aging World
Fine lines, dull skin, loss of muscle tone, gray hair – all these trappings of a mature body that society has deemed shameful pop up on my radar now more than ever. Some of these traits are starting to show up in my own body and some are yet to arrive, but the messages about their insidiousness are penetrating my consciousness now when they used to just bounce away like so much noise.
Read MoreBeing in a Romantic Relationship When You Don’t Feel Like You’re Lovable
Being happy in a relationship is nearly impossible if you feel unlovable. You’ll either ignore your needs and act from a place of keeping your partner happy rather than yourself or push your partner away in order to confirm your belief that you’re unlovable. But we all have flaws and being lovable doesn’t mean being perfect. So here are a few steps to help you believe that you are, indeed, lovable.
Read More5 Reasons Not to Bring Up ‘Health Concerns’ in Fat Acceptance Discussions
From magazines plastered with the latest stars’ weight gain, to diet ads featuring people grabbing and pinching their flesh, the message is clear: “Fat is bad and you better do something about it.” The way people justify this contempt is bringing up concerns about “health” and individual responsibility explanations. But these explanations fall flat. Here’s why.
Read MoreFive Ways to Support a Loved One in Eating Disorder Recovery
Eating disorders are difficult – not just for the sufferer, but admittedly for the people who care about that person, too. This is an article specifically for those of you who need a place to start, who are saying, “I know that my friend or family member has a history with an eating disorder. Now what?”
Read MoreDon’t Tell Me To Just Get Over It
People usually tell me to “get over it” when I’m being vulnerable, insecure, or afraid. They think you shouldn’t bother or aren’t interested in your feelings. “Get over it” is a cruel phrase. It means, “Not only do I not care about how you feel, if you were smarter, you wouldn’t care either.”
Read MoreHaving a Healthy Diet Out of Love and Not Fear
Why do we diet? The truth is people diet for various reasons. You can have a healthy diet out of fear or love. This is something that both larger and smaller people can do since just because someone is thinner doesn’t mean they’re necessarily healthy. Allow me to explain.
Read MoreHow the Media Affects Your Daughter and What You Can Do to Help
You know at times the media portrays girls and women in a less than positive light—as sexual objects, victims, or the lesser half of a romantic relationship. But how do you help her not believe them for herself?
Read MoreI Chose To Live As A Flat Chested Woman After Breast Cancer
I decided not to have reconstructive surgery after cancer and am still figuring out how to navigate the world as a flat chested woman.
Read MoreThis Frida Kahlo Comic Will Remind You Why It’s Awesome to Be Strange
Do you ever feel out of place? Frida Kahlo was considered strange, too. This touching illustration captures how it feels to be misunderstood – until you get a life-altering change of perspective.
Read More4 Ways the Animal Rights Movement Uses Human Bodies to Sell Animal Rights
This article was originally published in RESIST, a publication that is no longer in print, and cross-posted here. (Content warning: animal exploitation; examples of sexism, ableism; descriptions of women in sexually or domestically abusive situations) The animal rights community has a serious exploitation problem. I am never surprised to hear when a non-vegan believes that…
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