Macy’s faced massive backlash podcast host Alie Ward posted a complaint about one of its products on the social media platform Twitter.
The plates that Ward grabbed a photo of feature concentric rings to show gradually larger (or smaller) portion sizes. One of them says “foodie” for the small portion, and “food coma” if you actually use the space on the plate. The other one, which is even worse, has its smallest ring labeled “skinny jeans,” and middle one labeled “favorite jeans,” and the largest one labeled “mom jeans.”
“How can I get these plates from @Macys banned in all 50 states,” Ward wrote. Somewhat surprisingly, that actually worked.
Somehow, I go with her…
What right does a plate – or rather, the maker of the plate – have to determine how much we should eat? Everyone has a different lifestyle and a different diet – a small portion for one person might be a large portion for another and that’s perfectly okay.
It’s incredibly dangerous to suggest you have to eat the amount determined by a small circle in order to fit the category of ‘skinny jeans’ – where the emphasis seems to be on the skinny. It could lead people to feel guilty or uncomfortable about eating anything more than what the circle suggests, which in turn can have a harmful impact on mental health and food.
The department store responded by immediately pulling the plates off of shelves.
The company also sent a statement to TODAY Food, which read: “We apologize to our customers for missing the mark on this product. After reviewing the complaint, we quickly removed the plates, which were only in our STORY at Macy’s location in Herald Square.”
Meanwhile, the Founders of Pourtions, Dan and Mary Cassidy, provided a statement to TODAY: “As the creators of Pourtions, we feel badly if what was meant to be a lighthearted take on the important issue of portion control was hurtful to anyone.”
The statement continued, “Pourtions is intended to support healthy eating and drinking. Everyone who has appreciated Pourtions knows that it can be tough sometimes to be as mindful and moderate in our eating and drinking as we’d like, but that a gentle reminder can make a difference. That was all we ever meant to encourage.”
Ward, along with numerous other Twitter users, accused the store of promoting eating disorders and contributing to a culture of fat shaming and there are some who found it funny.
One comment read, “This is a toxic message, promoting even greater women beauty standards and dangerous health habits.”
“The issue is that it’s perpetuating the messages that a) you’re only attractive if you can wear skinny jeans and b) the only way you can wear skinny jeans is to eat tiny amounts. Neither message is true and just promotes poor body image and eating disorders,” another wrote.
However, some found the plates funny, with one person tweeting: “I LOVE those plates, where can I buy a set before you remove them. Don’t pay attention to people with no sense of humor!!!”.
Sources: OpposingViews, USA Today