We’re sorry, but who on the Forever 21 marketing team thought this was a good idea? More than a few Forever 21 customers have found diet bars stashed in the same box as their online clothing orders. Specifically, they have found Atkins-brand lemon “snack bars.” The bars, which flaunt three grams of net carbs and one gram of sugar on the front of the box, are marketed online as snacks. But linked to the Atkins brand, which is renown for its diet products, the bars are leaving a bad taste in Forever 21 customers’ mouths.
What’s worse is that most of those who have reported finding these bars are those who have ordered plus-size clothing.
“Forever 21 really put a fucking diet bar in with my plus size clothing order… I f#$%ing can’t,” one customer wrote on Twitter on July 22nd. Obviously, the implication that someone who is purchasing plus-size clothing may want to lose weight is really quite insulting.
Jezebel reached out to Forever 21 for comment on July 23rd. A spokesperson responded, saying that the company often sends free samples to their customers. “From time to time, Forever 21 surprises our customers with free test products from third parties in their e-commerce orders,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
Forever 21 really put a fucking diet bar in with my plus size clothing order...I fucking can’t. 😡
— ✨💕Kat Ravioli💕✨ (@PinkMaggitKat) July 22, 2019
“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,” the spokesperson said.
It’s truly boggling how no one thought placing an Atkins bar in a box of plus-size clothing would be offensive.
Diet bar plus bathing suit purchase equals self consciousness. No?
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
— femcel era (@caileecomments) July 23, 2019
It’s just…shocking. Who okayed this?
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
— Kатя 🇺🇦✨ (@wisekatya) July 22, 2019
Although Forever 21 denied targeting their plus-size customers, those who ordered plus-size clothing are seemingly the only people to be speaking out about the faux pas. That’s very sus, in our opinion.
Even if they did send them to all their customers, that doesn’t make the situation right. No matter someone’s size, the implication of receiving an unsolicited diet bar is majorly offensive.
“I’m tired of diet culture and fatphobia, I’m tired of people thinking this is okay. I’m tired,” this Forever 21 critic captioned a July 23rd Instagram post. “It is so dangerous to body shame and suggest that someone eat less or go on a diet, you don’t know their history with food.”
The fact that Forever 21 didn’t think that a diet bar could be potentially triggering for customers is beyond disturbing, and frankly, dangerous. “As someone recovering from an ED, this would’ve set me back so far,” the above Instagrammer wrote.
How many people did this idea go through before it came to fruition? Shame on all of them.
Unfortunately, an apology from Forever 21 may not be good enough. We’re crossing our fingers this marketing ploy didn’t cause some serious damage.
@Forever21 #F21xMe Wish this could have been a pic of me in my #Plussize swimsuits. But no. Its a pic of what jerks you guys are. An Adkins diet bar in my order is NOT COOL pic.twitter.com/64IQMIKrVd
— Libs (@Libby40119) July 23, 2019
For many, this will probably be the last time they’ll be shopping at Forever 21. And we can’t blame them.
Now ya'll motherf*ckers put a diet bar in one of my plus-size babe's orders????????????? @Forever21 @Forever21Help lowest of the LOWS pic.twitter.com/agrYm4kmjL
— nic (@nicmckeev) July 23, 2019
If Forever 21 is going to continue with their “freebie” promotion, then they may want to rethink the items they include for free with each purchase. Send a keychain; a set of hair-ties; literally anything besides a diet bar.
We truly feel for anyone who was offended by this marketing campaign. We would have been, too!
at 27 i can look at this story and be like "wow, shitty brand partnership job idiots" and move on, but as a teenager, getting an atkins bar in a box of new clothes would have absolutely crushed me https://t.co/cMTyhBLCGL
— Megan MacKay (@mmmegan) July 24, 2019
Let this be a wakeup call for Forever 21 and all other clothing brands. If a freebie can offend people, it’s not worth putting it in the box.
“No matter how you square it, it’s shaming.” We couldn’t agree more.
My wife ordered men’s clothing from Forever21 recently and got an Atkins bar, as well. No matter how you square it, it’s shaming — clothing that automatically comes with an implicit suggestion to go on a diet; a message that you are not Good Enough as you are. https://t.co/80fL4tihKX
— Alex Berg (@itsalexberg) July 23, 2019
Be better and brighter than this, Forever 21.
