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Thin supremacy — why the question “how would you treat me if I was thin?” doesn’t take Fat Advocacy far enough
For anyone who feels frequently seen as ‘less-than’ and who finds themselves on the receiving end of a (less than) therapeutic encounter, sometimes the goal is just to get through it. As a bonus, maybe we might actually get some sort of help.
Once, when I did an especially rubbish job of advocating for myself in a therapeutic situation, I was mightily glad that a friend pointed me towards the activist website Recovery in the Bin. I was in a bleak place and then — voom — look! People who get it! Ha, the relief, oh, the relief! It was huge. The timely find of a group of people who could relate to my experience boosted my hope and anger in equal measure. I am glad I found this community of critical thinkers. Not least as it provided me with a place to go for Self-Advocacy ‘top tips’ should I ever make another attempt to navigate the perils of (‘feminist, socially responsible’) therapy.
For a fat person suffering from knee pain, hypertension, a cancer scare, or any number of other medical conditions; asking a clinician, or other health practitioner, “how would you treat me if I was thin?” is a Top Tip for Self-Advocacy. Realising that you can ask this question, that you are not alone, and knowing you deserve better, can amount to a…
