Due to the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement  this year, you have probably heard the term “white privilege” being tossed around a lot. You might have even been called out and told your “white privilege is showing.” For a lot of people in America the idea of being told they have any type of privilege, defined as “a special advantage or right possessed by an individual or group,” is seen as an insult because we have been taught and encouraged to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,” meaning that successful Americans have achieved the American dream because of their hard work alone. Thus, saying someone had any type of advantage to get where they are today can be hurtful to some people and disrupts their notion that individualistic hard work leads to success. However, privilege exists and we all have it in one form or another. In addition to racial privilege, there are other types of privilege that impact someone’s life. These types of privilege include but are not limited to: gender, sexuality, citizenship, ability, socio-economic/class, and religious privilege. All of these are important because these identities overlap.

The idea of overlapping or intersecting identities comes from the feminist theory of intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, in order to explain how Black women are oppressed by both their race and gender. It is important to know that theorists and activists have been discussing overlapping and multiple oppressions before the term intersectionality was coined. According to Crenshaw in a recent interview with Time, intersectionality is critical to fighting injustices because “We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status. What’s often missing is how some people are subject to all of these, and the experience is not just the sum of its parts.” In sum, intersectionality is crucial for us to understand because we might experience oppression and privilege in multiple ways at the same time because of our race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. which leads to us having different disadvantages and advantages in society. Due to these social identities, some people, like queer black women, might have mostly or all disadvantages and face more oppression than others. Thus, intersectional feminism is seen as more inclusive than the traditional “white feminism.” Traditional white feminism has centered middle class, cis white women and has primarily focused on issues of sexism and gender issues like suffrage. Intersectional feminism includes and centers on women of color, disabled women, queer women, and trans women. Now let’s discuss some of the privileges I listed above, my own experience with them, and the importance of recognizing privilege! At the end of the article I give real life examples of intersectionality to help you see how all these social identities actually impact our lives.

In sum, intersectionality is crucial for us to understand because we might experience oppression and privilege in multiple ways at the same time because of our race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. which leads to us having different disadvantages and advantages in society.

Let’s break down white privilege first. The term white privilege was first coined by Peggy McIntosh in 1988 in her paper “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies.” She defined white privilege as “an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks.” Having white privilege does not mean you have not had a difficult life or have not been oppressed in any way. It means that your race has not made your life harder and that you have advantages because of your race. This occurs because our society was built on and thrives on white supremacy and racism. I have white privilege because I am white. I am Italian. I also have Spanish roots as a person of Mexican descent, and have light skin.

 Examples of this white privilege include but are not limited to:

  1.  I won’t be followed into a store because of my skintone
  2.  I am less likely to get killed by the cops if I get pulled over
  3. I can easily find my makeup shade
  4. I won’t get denied a job just because of my name
  5.  I don’t have to worry about being the only person of my race in the room or expected to represent my whole race
  6. School curriculums are catered to white people’s history and achievements
  7. White people are highly represented in the media compared to other races
  8. White people receive lower sentences for crime when a person of color gets a higher sentence for the same crime or less serious crime. 

When you are white what you think is “normal” is not the case for everyone else. You can experience white privilege if you are a person of color who is light skin/fair skin or passes as white. This is due to colorism, defined as the favoring of lighter skin tones and the discrimination of darker ones. Even if you do not consider yourself white, but are light skin/fair skin and “look” white you experience white privilege. For me it was hard to recognize my white privilege because I am Latinx and have indigenous roots. However, I had to realize that because I am part white, have fair skin, and because my last name is Italian, I am treated differently than people of other races and skin tones. I am also treated differently than a Latinx person with a Latinx name. 

Gender privilege is basically cisgender male privilege. Cisgender refers to when a person’s gender identity (the gender a person identifies with) matches their biological sex (the sex they were assigned at birth). Cisgender men have privilege because of the patriarchal society we live in (where men hold the power). Being someone who identifies as a woman, I do not have this privilege and have to worry about walking down the street at anytime of day (especially at night), getting paid less than a man for the same job, being slut shamed, being taken less seriously in the workplace, being marked as a sexual object rather than a person, and having my bodily rights be determined by the government. 

As reported by Maisha Z. Johnson from Everyday Feminism, those with male privilege: 

  1. Are not scrutinized for aging
  2. Are seen as a natural leaders or bosses
  3. Are encouraged to take up more space, such as “manspreading”
  4. Can work without being made to feel guilty for not being at home with children
  5. Can sleep around without repercussions
  6. Have been taught their pleasure is the most important in sex
  7. Are represented in government and media

 There is also cisgender privilege which I do have because my gender identity matches the sex I was assigned at birth. It is rather easy to forget about cisgender privilege because being cisgender is so normalized in our society.

According to the article, “30+ Examples of Cisgender Privilege” by Sam Killerman, those who are cisgender like myself:

  1. Can use a public bathroom without being questioned
  2. Are not murdered or attacked just for not being cisgender
  3. Are not constantly asked about their genitalia
  4. Have their government documents such as their I.D match their gender identity
  5. Their gender identity can be checked off or marked on a form

When it comes to sexuality you are privileged if you are heterosexual. This is due to us living in a heteronormative world. Heteronormativity, popularized by Michael Warner, is defined as heterosexuality being the normal and default sexuality. Those that are heterosexual, like myself, do not have to “come out” to their parents because their parents already believe and assume their children are heterosexual. An important aspect of heterosexual privilege and heternormativity is assuming everyone is heterosexual like yourself. I remember watching an episode of America’s Next Top Model in which Tyra assumed all of the girls were heterosexual by using the term “boyfriend” when talking to the girls about their relationships. It is so easy to for those with heterosexual privilege to assume and use this exclusive language when talking about sexuality and relationships which is why we need to be more mindful.

According to to the article, “30+ Examples of Heterosexual (Straight) Privileges” by Sam Killermann, because I am heterosexual, I have privileges such as:

  1. I can walk down the street with my boyfriend while holding hands without worrying about being harassed and attacked
  2. My sexuality is highly represented in media
  3. I immediately got acceptance for my relationship
  4. If I want to adopt children I can, without the worry from others about teaching a “wrong” lifestyle
  5. I can get married and know that right won’t get taken away
  6.  I am not discriminated against on the basis of my sexuality 

Socio-economic or class privilege is also very important. Class privilege applies to those that come from middle or upper class backgrounds. Thus, the rich and wealthy have class privilege.  It is important to know that you do not need to be the richest of the rich to have class privilege. 

Class privilege includes being able to: 

  1. Live in a safe neighborhood
  2. Go on vacations often, see the best doctors
  3. Can afford private schools and not have loans for higher education
  4. Have access and can afford healthy food
  5. Afford new and expensive clothes
  6. Own reliable transportation
  7. Build and save for financial stability
  8. Have better educational opportunities

 Due to being low income, I worry about affording healthcare, I don’t live in the safest neighborhood where I can casually go on walks without worrying, and I am at a disadvantage since I live in Los Angeles without a car (which is a disadvantage because Los Angeles does not have the best public transportation). As pointed out by number 8 of the list above, class privilege is very apparent when it comes to opportunities in education. Those with class privilege can send their children to schools that are not underfunded. College for those with class privilege is more attainable because wealthy people have access to the best private tutors for SAT prep and could apply and attend any school without worrying about being unable to afford it. They might even have a connection with someone in the admissions office that can help them get into the college. College students with wealthy parents may have access to top internships because of these connections. They may also have the privilege of being able to focus on school without needing to work. A recent example of class privilege in regards to education was the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal also known as Operation Varsity Blues, where 30 individuals were accused of paying millions in bribes to get their children into top universities. As someone who grew up and still is low income, applying and attending college was different for me than those who are wealthier. Yes, I did SAT prep but it was not private and was instead in a group setting through the Boys and Girls club. I had to rely on applying for scholarships to have a chance at affording college. I also had to take out student loans and am now in debt because scholarships and federal and state grants only got me so far. I had to limit my scope of what schools I applied for, especially for grad school where I relied on loans because there is minimal federal help for low income students in graduate programs. However with all of this in mind, I know I do have some class privilege because I was able to go to a charter high school with a focus on college prep, my mom is college educated and we did not have to use welfare or other government aid growing up. Overall, when you have class privilege you have more overall opportunity in life and can create a stable financial future for your family than those from lower income. 

One of the privileges that many people tend to forget about is ability or being able-bodied, not being disabled. Ability privilege connects with ableism, the idea that able-bodied people are seen as superior to disabled people who are discriminated against. Disabilities can be both visible (including being in a wheelchair and using a guide dog) to invisible (such as mental illness, chronic pain disorders, and autoimmune disorders). Due to abelism disabled people are taught there is something wrong with them and that they need to be cured or changed. Instead of molding our world to accommodate disabled people we expect disabled people to mold into our ableist world . Thus, this world that we have is a privilege for abled-bodied people and oppressive for those who are not. When reflecting on ableism, I believe the public has such a difficult time with recognizing their privileges of being abled-bodied because we do not have enough disabled people represented in media (especially those that are disabled actors playing disabled people) and because many disabilities such as mental illness are still very stigmatized and not represented accurately. This leads to abled-bodied people forgetting there are more advantages than they realize. There are many types of privileges able-bodied people have since there are so many disabilities so it is rather difficult to list all of them. 

Generally, as reported by Shannon Ridgway of Everyday Feminism, abled-bodied people:

  1. Can easily access any building (this does not apply to all disabilities since for some disabled people building accessibility isn’t a concern)
  2. Can drive without having to rely on public transportation or Ubers/Lyfts (of course not all disabled people are unable to drive)
  3. Are not seen as weak, need to be saved, or pitied
  4. Are not taught that they need to be fixed or cured
  5. Their bodies are not marked as diseased and nonsexual

Those using guide dogs due to blindness have to worry about being denied access to public places and Uber/Lyfts even though it is illegal to deny service animals entry. Those that are deaf may rely on closed captions and interpreters, and are left out if they are not provided. As someone who has a disability, stuttering, I have to worry about whether I can even say my name or my food order. I get anxiety when I have to make a phone call because I am not sure if I can get the words out smoothly. I am constantly thinking about my speech and wonder how great it would be if I could speak without any disruptions. What seems so small to able-bodied people are huge obstacles for disabled people. It is important to point out that disabled people can benefit from privilege as well by  “passing” as abled-bodied. I do not have any visual markers of my disability like using a guide dog, wheelchair, or cane so I do not automatically get treated differently or pitied. Thus, I have abled-bodied privilege until I start stuttering. 

Instead of molding our world to accommodate disabled people we expect disabled people to mold into our ableist world . Thus, this world that we have is a privilege for abled-bodied people and oppressive for those who are not.

Of course these are not the only privileges that exist in our society. There are many other important privileges beyond the ones I have listed (not realizing them is also a privilege!). If you are a citizen of the United States (or any country), like myself you have privilege because you do not have to worry about being deported or your family being taken apart. My first language, English, is the language that is predominantly spoken in schools in the U.S, so I have privilege. If you are a Christain in the U.S you have privilege because your religion is widely represented and accepted, unlike Jews and Muslims who have been attacked and killed because of their religion. 

So you are probably thinking: “Okay Ariana, I get it. I have privilege, why does this matter?” Well it matters because as I mentioned before all of these social identities intersect and can lead to more discrimation and persecution. To intersect all my social identities we see this: I have privilege because I white and a fair skinned Latinx person, heterosexual, cisgender, a citizen of the U.S, and I grew up speaking English. However, I have some disadvantages in society because I am low income, disabled and a woman.

Let’s lay out some other real world examples of intersectionality at play. According to a Pew Research Center study documenting race and wealth it was found that whites still have a higher income than black people and that black people are also more likely to be in poverty than whites and without employment. The study reported that in 2014 the net worth for white people is 13x greater than the net worth for black people. There was also a wide income gap reported between whites and Latinx people. In another Pew Research Center study conducted in 2015 analyzing income, race, and gender, it was found that even though there is some progress with Asian men making more money than White men, black and Latinx men still made less than White men. Men of all backgrounds still make more than women. Asian and white women make more than Latinx and black women. White and Asian women’s hourly earnings are actually close to white men. To bring sexuality into this mix it was found in a study done in 2017 investigating how health-related quality of life for older LGBT people differed on race that Black and Latinx LGBT people had lower quality of life than other racial groups. Black LGBT people specifically dealt with more discrimination than other groups. Therefore, when we look at social identities together and intersect them we can clearly see who has more advantages in society in a number of ways.

Now that you know about privileges and intersectionality, maybe you can reflect on your own life. I learned about my privileges through talking to and being around people with different social identities than myself. I had to listen to their experiences to realize that I am not oppressed in some of the ways others are. I also told people about my experiences to educate them about ableism and class privileges. Overall, we just need to listen and not get defensive. We need to reflect on our own lives. We cannot take down a system until we realize how we benefit from it and reinforce it. We also can’t just sit there and say “Oh yes I have privilege” and not do anything with it. We need to use our privilege to help others and align with others by lifting up marginalized voices. It is the only way we can truly be allies with others and actually make a true difference in society. Yes, it can be uncomfortable and even upsetting thinking about how we have had advantages while others struggled but that is work that needs to be done. By checking our privilege we are disrupting and unlearning the false American narrative that only hard work makes you a successful person and your own merit is the only thing that matters and gets you social mobility.