Oh Uh Uh: Forever 21 puts diet supplements in Plus Size Orders
Ganiella Garcia, who often shops at Forever 21, received an online order this week with two dresses, two skirts, and a cami, all from Forever 21's plus-size section, and an unappreciated addition.
"I opened the bag and took the clothes out. Everything was fine. And then when I was trying things on, at the bottom there was a card and there was an Atkins bar in a little bag," she told BuzzFeed News.
"It was very insulting, and honestly I like shopping at Forever 21 — but I don’t feel comfortable buying clothes from a company that thinks I shouldn’t be the size that I am."
Heading to Twitter to see if anyone else had received an Atkins bar in their orders. Turns out she wasn't alone. Alarmingly, Ganiella found dozens of others who placed orders with Forever 21 and tweeted how the freebie felt like body shaming.
@girlwithnojob OG BREATHER AND toaster here..... @Forever21 is sending sample Atkins bars with their online plus size orders now. Got one today. #triggered— Lindsey Franks (@influlinzster) July 23, 2019
bought a swimsuit online from forever 21 and they sent me an atkins bar along with it lmaoo thank u for reminding me that i don't have a beach ready bod— Cailee (@caileeargudo) July 23, 2019
Hey @forever21 do you include weightloss Atkin bars in all your shipments or just in the ones for ladies over 1X ?? pic.twitter.com/ldajPJ81NM— Katya (@wisekatya) July 22, 2019
my mom ordered some clothes from @Forever21 ‘s plus size collection and they sent a Atkins diet bar along with the stuff she ordered💀 pic.twitter.com/Lxi6XnuOB1— jesse (@jessemarisaelao) July 19, 2019
I went from a size 24 to 18, still a plus size girl, so I ordered jeans from @Forever21 Opened the package, when I looked inside I see this Atkins bar. What are you trying to Tell me Forever 21, I’m FAT, LOSE WEIGHT? do you give these to NON-PLUS SIZE WOMEN as well? pic.twitter.com/ds8kUTs7T7— MissGG🏳️🌈 (@MissGirlGames) July 19, 2019
YES shame on me for ordering from @Forever21 but why do they have to push diet food on me?? It came with an Atkins bar?? pic.twitter.com/l8OWoMZw5P— chloe (@wtfxchloe) July 23, 2019
If this is indeed a brand partnership between you @Forever21 + Atkins I’d strongly suggest you reevaluate it Not only is it coming off as discriminatory but it isn’t even rolled out well - Its completely catching customers off guard with distasteful implied message to lose weight— Shelby Ivey Christie (@bronze_bombSHEL) July 23, 2019
"It's upsetting, and I feel like a lot of people are disappointed in them as a fashion outlet that they rely on," said Garcia. "They should acknowledge that what they did was wrong."
"From time to time, Forever 21 surprises our customers with free test products from third parties in their e-commerce orders. The freebie items in question were included in all online orders, across all sizes and categories, for a limited time and have since been removed," the company told BuzzFeed News. "This was an oversight on our part and we sincerely apologize for any offense this may have caused to our customers, as this was not our intention in any way."
I honestly thought that a progressive brand like Forever 21 would be above this. I am a plus size woman and I have purchased so many of my favorite pieces from Forever 21 Plus.
What is worse is that the sheer lack of publicity this story is getting shows the level of fatphobia that STILL exists in the fashion space. Looking at all of you blogs and influencers who are too shook to speak out because you want a partnership with Forever 21 still. Cue eyeroll. Forever 21, do better!
What do you think: brand placement gaff or fatphobia at its finest?
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