Never heard of “thin privilege?” Look no further ― writer Cora Harrington just explained it perfectly.
Harrington, founder of The Lingerie Addict and author of the book In Intimate Detail, dropped some serious wisdom in a now-viral Twitter thread posted on Sunday.
“Hey, you don’t have to ‘feel thin’ to have thin privilege. Thinness isn’t a feeling,” Harrington tweeted. “If other people perceive you as thin, you are thin. If you are able to walk into any clothing store and expect to see a wide range of options in your size, you are thin.”
Harrington went on to explain that as a lingerie expert, she looks at thin models in underwear all day. She may not look like these models, but she still has thin privilege.
“My job involves looking at photos of models who are much thinner than me, so I rarely ‘feel’ thin,” Harrington tweeted. “But I can walk into almost any clothing store and expect ― without even thinking about it ― to buy something in my size. That is thin privilege.”
Read her full thread (story continues below):
As of Tuesday afternoon, Harrington’s Twitter thread had amassed more than 40,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
Many people on Twitter agreed with Harrington, sharing their own stories of fat-shaming while shopping, eating in public and even going to the doctor. Others argued that thin people have issues finding clothing, too, and often face discrimination in the form of questions like, “Do you even eat?”
Harrington told “Good Morning America” that some people were so upset with her take on thin privilege that one person told her to hang herself.
Still, Harrington is sticking to her argument.
“Society, in general, is structured around the assumption that people will be or should be a certain way. Thin privilege is a system of benefits or advantages that society gives you for looking or being a certain way,” she told “Good Morning America.”
“People of all sizes should actually be able to shop for and find products in stores,” Harrington continued. “That’s a starting step, because if you can’t even find clothes that fit you, then so much that happens in the fashion industry is not going to be applicable to you.”