There's no question that thin people get preferential treatment in our society — just take a look at the body types that flood the media.
Yet, some people still don't believe — or don't want to believe — that thin people are treated differently. So, for those people, body-positive vlogger Grace Victory (@GraceFVictory on Twitter) posted two images and their responses right next to each other: one of a thin woman who ate a massive burger and then dessert, and one of a plus-size woman who wore a swimsuit to the beach.
Put in conversation, the reactions to these photos make a stark point about how plus-size people — especially women — are treated.
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Incase you wondered what fat phobia and thin privilege looks like. ??♀️? pic.twitter.com/obmr6RbVoI
— Gracie ? (@GraceFVictory) June 15, 2017
In the first set of photos, a young, thin woman stares down at a burger called the "big tower of meat" that looks to be at least four large patties and several buns high. She finished the whole thing and still had room for a happy, smiling photo of herself eating a sundae.
Reactions to that photo praise this woman for her seemingly endless stomach, calling her "wife material" and "sexy."
The next photo, though, got much worse responses — and it doesn't involve anyone eating a ton of food.
A thirteen-year-old plus-size girl worked up the courage to finally wear a swimsuit at the beach. While many of the responses to her photo actually were positive (we wrote about them here), many were also disgustingly fatphobic.
Put in contrast with the first image, these responses prove how terribly fat women are treated.
"eww this makes me wanna puke she needs to take care of herslef [sic] instead of eating everything she sees," one person wrote.
Many of the other comments also talked about how "unhealthy" this girl is, and how her wearing a swimsuit to the beach "encourages obesity."
So, to recap, it's totally okay and actually sexy to eat a giant burger and then go back for dessert as long as you're a thin woman. But if you're a plus-size person just trying to enjoy a day at the beach with your friends then you're not only unhealthy yourself, but also a health risk to everyone around you.
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Great.
It should go without saying — but we'll say it anyway — that this kind of thinking is beyond screwed up. You can't tell anything about someone's health based only on their body size. So, can we please just let this girl enjoy her day at the beach?
Refinery29 has reached out to Victory and will update this story if we receive a response.
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