Skinny shaming is so accepted

[chickenbhunalambbhunaprawnbhunamuchroomrice]

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but skinny shaming is so wildly accepted and tolerated due to slim people being at an advantage due to their body size. As if it's acceptable, because they're slim. I've been body shamed my whole life for being slim. Right from when I was at junior school, to now at 30 years old.

I was relentlessly bullied at school and college. I am not an anomaly, I am a 5'5 size 6-8 female with a normal BMI. I don't need to be shamed about my body. The only people who have ever shamed or bullied me about my weight have been fat or obese people. And I'll be honest I'm trying my hardest not to judge them for their eating habits and size, but when it's a running theme I am starting to think that only fat people have a problem with slim people.

'Skinny privilege' shouldn't be an excuse to exempt bullying and shameful behaviour.
Stop trying to normalise skinny shaming just because it's the 'more desirable' image. It's not our fault that agenda has been pushed so much.

AIBU to think that skinny shaming is just as bad as fat shaming, and that slim people aren't to an advantage on this? I don't believe in the whole 'well at least you're skinny and being shamed.' Interested to know others thoughts.

No thanks, I'd rather not be the same as most of the UK population, which is being fat or obese.

Still doesn't mean being a healthy weight and slim should come with hurling insults because fat people are insecure.

Again, fat women are absolutely the butt of cruel and vulgar jokes about their sex lives, especially if in a 'mixed weight relationship' - the existence of that phrase in itself is a suggestion of surprise that a non-fat man would be attracted to a fat woman, and it's always the subject of a lot of insulting discourse.

There are loads of awful examples of terrible comments made to slim women throughout this thread, but please can posters stop saying 'imagine if that was said to a fat woman!' Every single one of these comments IS made to fat women ALL THE TIME, online and in real life and it's very rarely challenged.

Ultimately, I do feel society is much more anti-fat. In terms of frequency, fat people no doubt receive more negative comments than thin people.

What people need to understand though is that on an individual basis, being insulted for being skinny can be just as hurtful/embarrassing in that moment for thin people as it is for fat people being at the end of an unacceptable insult.

I don’t know why people are struggling with this.

I totally agree OP. My DF who has multiple health issues is often told 'you're too skinny, you should eat more' often by overweight people. Generally when said infront of people, nobody gasps, nobody calls the person out. If my friend replied with 'you're fat, you should eat less' that would be terrible of her apparently, even though the fat person started the healthy weight conversation. I see similar with my sisters husband with ginger hair, people tell her 'I can't believe your husband is ginger, aren't you worried your DC will have ginger hair ect'. It's like certain people are fair game to pick on. But fat people, many of which look the way they do through choice and laziness must be protected at all costs, even when they themselves are terrible bullies.

It sounds like she is really unusually thin though which is not the case for many of the posters on this thread, who are just slim/normal. Different situations.

Completely agree, it's as simple as that. But only the fat people are allowed to be offended.

No one should have insults hurled at them obviously. But this post really doesn't make you seem as upset as you are claiming to be...

@WickedStepmotherWasJustMisunderstood why are we so focused on clothes shopping? I went off this thread and it’s still about clothes. I do not understand the constant references to clothes being such a huge baseline. I buy my functional clothes in Tescos. I bought all my size 16-18 clothes in Tescos when I was larger. I’ve always shopped in supermarkets. I still do. Most of us are not shopping in Gucci on Bond Street like catwalk models. Why are clothes the epitome of privilege? I cannot afford expensive clothes I am not privileged with money. We live in an age where the high street is dying due to fast online fashion in every shape size colour you could ever imagine. If your whole basis of skinny privilege is about clothing sizes is what is driving your emotions in this debate please be aware that not all thin women are vain, vacuous bimbos who parade themselves around in expensive tiny leggings all we do is shop all day for our skinny clothes in skinny shops. It’s so offensive and stereotypical. Thin women have privilege of other things I’m aware but the clothing argument is incredibly weak nowadays when places like Shein are killing online retailers and stocks up to size 26.

I might have a body goal to some people but perhaps someone else’s body is a body goal. I have saggy skin. I read here all the time people are afraid of getting saggy skin. So perhaps I am not all to be jealous about after all in some people’s eyes.

@Comedycook I have eaten large portions of food, a lot of it what you might call fattening, all of my life. I rarely did any exercise until recently, all in an effort to put weight on, and it has never ever worked. My body just burns it all off very quickly. My brother is the same, he eats non-stop, but even now in his early 50s he will wear two pairs of trousers to bulk out his legs a bit to look more normal. It is awful to feel ashamed of your body, whatever the issue. If either of us could just eat more and move less to gain weight, we would have done that. It doesn't work for us.

@Comedycook because i don't want to be fat? Aye okay 😂

If you think fat people are protected in society, you really are not paying attention to literally anything that is happening anywhere.

You're actually fat-shaming in your comment that fat people are lazy and choose to be fat - never mind that obesity and poverty are correlated or that dieting itself is one of the major predictors of weight gain (are fat people lacking in discipline when they lose multiple stones over a lifetime but, like 98% of dieters, regain the weight and more before they try again), never mind about eating disorders or trauma or any other factors that contribute to weight gain - you just want to shame fat people, and you don't see anything wrong with it because you live in a society that fat-shames so routinely it becomes invisible to a lot of people.

Here’s an example, when I was crossing an office and a woman shouted out in front of everyone “you’re too skinny, are you anorexic?” whilst pulling a face of disgust. I was a size 8 and perfectly healthy, but if I wasn’t, it would have been even more inappropriate.

But you're not actually genuinely hurt to your very core when people say things to you then? You're quite rightly pissed off at their rudeness but you're not actually deeply hurt? Be honest with us..

People are weird...I was a size 10 and a woman called me a fat bitch in the street

Weird? I would say rude and judgemental.

You are actually right and I agree that I would judge someone’s weight if they were bullying me about my size. In general I don’t think about other people’s body shape though. It is a matter for them.

Right??? This thread is driving me crazy!

But a size 8 and a size 10 are not particularly skinny or particularly fat....I wasn't fat at a size 10 and I doubt you looked anorexic at a size 8. The comments weren't about us, they were about them.

@Comedycook not deeply hurt at being called a did map with 'speed bumps' for bones when I was going through chemotherapy? Granted I wasn't looking my best, I've just gone out of a coma. But still.. nah, that didn't hurt.

Having my clothes taken and hidden in a changing room full of teens, laughing and mocking me, stood there pretty much naked? Nah, took that on the chin.

The time where I was told I was starving my unborn baby due to my bump measuring small? Nah, all good, fine to be told I'm participating in parental neglect.

If you can't see how any of those are deeply upsetting, then you are a very low, cold human being.

Yes of course it's not acceptable or pleasant behaviour....but in your last few comments you have seemed quite gleeful and happy that you're thin...and even slightly smug dare i say so I'm struggling to understand your true feelings

No one should be bullied about their weight or appearance in general. In relation to the OPs post I do not like the comment “I’m trying hard not to judge them for their eating habits and size” . If you think size is not an issue why do you have to try so hard not to judge ?
Also the comment “only fat people have a problem with skinny people”. This is a generalisation and the phrasing of it is very disrespectful using the word “fat” for a start. Sorry you have bad experiences with people you have encountered in your life. I’m sure most overweight and obese people couldn’t care less about anyone’s “skinny privilege” and are just minding their own business making their way through life .

Im guessing because not all the larger people are happy with their body shape, so perhaps the wound is deeper than for someone who likes their body shape?

No I came on here to share my personal experience. I said 'many of which'. These are people I know, wealthy people that are lazy, greedy and incredibly critical of others appearance. From my working life, from my schooling life, other school mums, relatives. I don't think anyone should be judging another's appearance but I do think we have a real problem in this country with overweight women with low self esteem, due to their own choices in life passing on their insecurities to others and feeling untouchable because their own insecurity is their weight.

Yes, but you would not know that if you met her and she certainly would not divulge her physical health problems which is under the hospital for. She hates clubbing as her friends wear skimpy tops and feels that she has to as well and expose her bony arms and shoulders.

If in passing she mentioned on here that she hated being thin and hated the insults, would you dismiss it? Would you believe that she is actually upset? Or would you just see her as another skinny person pretending to be upset by the insults, like you seem to.

In my case insults like but not limited to -

• Skeletor
• You obviously have an eating disorder
• Skinny bitch
• You won't get a bloke as there's nothing to grab on to/you look like a boy

Oh and the time someone compared me to a famine victim  that was a particularly high moment

I don't know why the nasty twats did it but they did. And clearly a fair few posters here would have expected me to suck it up because I'm thin.