Macy’s has long been a front runner in fast and luxury fashion, but some shoppers weren’t so thrilled when the store started selling plates that they alleged were body-shaming.
Podcast host and TV producer Alie Ward took to Twitter to share her outrage over a set of plates she saw displayed in the 34th Street Macy’s location window in New York City. The dishware were created by company Pourtions, which also makes portioned liquor and wine glasses.
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One of the plates in question shows three separate circles indicating meal size, labelled “skinny jeans,” “favorite jeans” and “mom jeans” as they got bigger.
“How can I get these plates from @Macys banned in all 50 states,” she wrote in a Tweet that has garnered nearly 30,000 likes since July 21.
She’s not the only one outraged by the line of plates. One Twitter user even labeled it as “commodified starvation.”
Another pointed out that products like these fuel eating disorders. “These labeled plates are AWFUL and I am glad Macy’s has agreed to remove them,” she wrote. “This fuels eating disorders.”
One user responded: “All these people trying to defend the s**tty design… lol imagine thinking a circle labelled ‘skinny jeans’ big enough to hold like two chicken nuggets is demonstrating ‘healthy portion control’… The only thing it’s teaching is body shaming, and nothing to do with health.”
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The department store, which was founded in 1858, was quick to respond to Ward, writing: “Hi, Alie — we appreciate you sharing this with us and agree that we missed the mark on this product. It will be removed from all STORY at Macy’s locations.”
Her post has since attracted a lot of attention, even that of Good Place actress and body positive activist Jameela Jamil.
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While Ward never meant her tweet to be taken literally, she said it’s important to bring awareness to the subtle ways in which diet culture functions.
This particular product is just one of many from the same line of dishes with meal size suggestions, with other plates reading “foodie” and “food coma.”