Macy's pulls plates with "mom jeans" and "skinny jeans" portions
- Macy's said it's halting sales of novelty plates that outline "mom jean" and "skinny jean" food portions.
- The decision comes after consumers complained the plates promote body-shaming and are insensitive to people with eating disorders.
- The manufacturer said the plates were meant to provide a humorous way to focus on portion control.
Macy's said it has halted sales of novelty plates that outlined "mom jean" and "skinny jean" food portions after consumers on social media said the design body-shamed people. The retailer apologized "for missing the mark on this product."
"After reviewing the complaint, we quickly removed the plates, which were only in our ... Macy's location in Herald Square" in New York City, a Macy's spokesman said in an email.
The plates were called out on Twitter on Sunday by Ali Ward, a science correspondent for CBS's "The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca," who spotted the items at a Macy's store. The plates have three concentric circles, with the narrowest labeled with "skinny jeans" and the largest with "mom jeans."
How can I get these plates from @Macys banned in all 50 states pic.twitter.com/1spntAluVl
— Alie Ward (@alieward) July 21, 2019
Other consumers said the plates enabled body shaming and were insensitive toward people with eating disorders and other problems.
This is a toxic message, promoting even greater women beauty standards and dangerous health habits. These expectations can actually kill someone, and I know someone it has. @Macys, remove this from all of your stores and denounce the manufacturer.
— Anna L Puchkoff (@AnnaPuchkoff) July 21, 2019
The plates are still available at its manufacturer's site. Pourtions, the company that makes the item, told the Huffington Post that the plates weren't meant to offend anyone. The plates are "meant to be a lighthearted take on the important issue of portion control," Pourtions president Mary Cassidy told the publication.
The company's website advertises the plates as a way to keep consumers from overeating. "Research shows that people unintentionally consume more calories when faced with larger portions," the site says. "So, to keep you from overindulging, our tableware collection provides helpful —and hilarious—visual cues; simple guide rails."
Other plates have concentric circles that read "feed me" and "food bag" and "spaghetti" and "get me to the spa," with the latter phrases representing the larger circles.