I went from being plus sized to being an xs so here are some things I do just to not be an asshole to plus sized people.
-if i have a friend sleeping over especially multiple times and i know their size ill keep an extra outfit for them just in case they forget and need a change. I dont want them to have nothing to wear and I was always super embarassed when I asked for a change of clothes and my thin friends would insist they had nothing that would fit me.
- I dont shop at stores that only sell small sizes. If they didnt want my money when i was plus sized then they dont get it now. If im out with friends i still avoid those stores because I felt horrible when id shop there and they had nothing that would fit me.
- I dont assume skinny is healthy and fat is unhealthy. I was more healthy when I was plus sized and now that im smaller I have heart issues. Starvation is worse for you than over eating and eating disorders are incredibly deadly. I know plenty of plus sized people who helped me get in shape and are incredibly healthy and athletic and are still plus sized.
- I dont shame people for eating junk food. Its so much more affordable and readily available in many places.
- I dont give people weight loss tips unless they ask me. I think its rude to look at people and assume based on their body they want or need to lose weight.
- I dont complain when I cant find xs in store. I can order it online. When I was bigger me and my mom could only shop at Torrid and a few other places for functional plus size clothing. If its not available online I buy a size up and it still fits but when you cant find a XXL an xl will not fit comfortably.
- I dont compare my experience as an xs person to a plus sized person because ive been both and I am treated way better as an xs. If people comment about my weight its out of concern for relapsing into an ED or jealousy and not to make me and my body a joke and dehumanize me. I literally left the pool crying as a plus sized teenager because the other girls laughed at me so much. Being plus size is treated so much worse its not even comparable.
- I dont tell people they look good "now that theyve lost the weight" because whenever it was said to me my first thought was that I didnt look good before.
-I dont comment on other people or celebrities weight gain because its not my business and could be due to a lot of reasons.
- I dont assume the cause of a plus sized persons chronic health condition is their weight. Sometimes struggling to lose weight is the symptom not the cause and there are a lot of other aspects to health. Again- more health issues now that I am "skinny" than when I was plus sized.
- I do still get mad when a skinny actress is cast in the role of a plus sized character. I would have loved that representation as a kid. There are so few roles showcasing plus size people as people and not jokes so it feels distasteful to me to purposefully make that change rather than have authentic and genuine representation.
- I dont comment on how much other people eat. Its none of my business. The skinniest person i know could out eat me at my highest weight and not gain a pound- it is not necessarily correlated and weight is heavily genetic.
- I dont shame plus sized people at the gym. Im just not an asshole and they have every right to be there to better their health. Not lose weight necessarily but better their health and yes those are different.
- I dont tell children in my family to eat less or they'll get fat and use that to scare them. It treats being plus sized as some great evil that must be avoided at all costs. I do agree with healthy portions for children and not letting them over eat but I do it without using weight gain as some sort of scare tactic because thay creates an unhealthy relationship with food and body image. Some people are just naturally...not skinny and no amount of dieting will change that. Instead healthy food options and exercise they are interested in and no comments about how they should lose weight unless it is medically relevant.