Cassidy Lane, known as @body_positive_bartender on TikTok, goes viral when she breaks down crying sharing her experience with gaining weight as part of her recovery from her eating disorder and how that impacted her as a bartender.
Lane started by stitching her video with a TikTok from @lizagnabathwater who said:
"Hey if you've had pretty privilege your whole life can you stitch this and tell me what your world view is?"
"Like do you think people are really nice?"
The term "pretty privilege" is the systemic advantage and benefit of people who are conventionally attractive based on beauty standards set by society. This can impact your economic gain, social status, and popularity on and offline.
Though attractiveness is subjective, beauty standards that are reinforced by media can influence a persons privilege. Often, pretty privilege is intersecting with privileges of race, gender or class.
For Cassidy Lane, she noticed right away that she lost her pretty privilege as she returned back to work after gaining weight during isolation.
She started by saying:
"So I work in the service industry. I'm a bartender."
"If you are unaware, the way you look influences a lot. Whether that's tips or how people treat you, it just does."
"And when I tell you my whole life changed when I started getting help for my eating disorder, which resulted in weight gain during the pandemic."
@body_positive_bartender Visit TikTok to discover videos!
Lane began to cry:
"People don't even look you in the eye anymore. They're not nice to you. Especially men."
She explained that she no longer receives the same kindness in social interactions during her bartending that she used.
She ended with:
"And for people who say this doesn't happen, please raise your hand if you would willing like to live as a fat person."
"And the fact that no one raises their hand makes the point."
"And it just makes you feel hopeless, like, am I ever going to be worth more than my looks?"
With over a million views and 16 thousand comments, many other TikTokers began sharing their experiences with being treated differently based on their weight.
@teresaelena77/TikTok
@mikachan365/TikTok
@spookyvegan/TikTok
@sunshine.n.swords/TikTok
@amyohmnis/TikTok
@glowboots/TikTok
@ymaharanee/TikTok
@xtineager/TikTok
@iorek316/TikTok
@stilljusttif/TikTok
@gingelizabeth/TikTok
@janiemarie97/TikTok
@bribriallen/TikTok
@hope_zuckerbrow/TikTok
According to ANAD, a leading peer support nonprofit for people with eating disorders, says that 9% of the worlds population have an eating disorder.
If you believe you may have an eating disorder and would like help, you can call, chat, or text the National Eating Disorder Association for help today.
