Forever21 has come under fire from furious fans after they received an unwelcome surprise in their packages. While it's not unusual to receive a free gift from online outlets, including ASOS and Boohoo, the US-born store missed the mark when they sent free Atkins diet bars to mostly those ordering plus-size clothing.
Customers took to social media to call out the fast fashion outlet and share photographs of the bars in question. One user tweeted, '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?'
Another branded them 'distateful,' tweeting, '@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'. Another echoed the sentiment, adding, 'Plus size clothing brands being fatphobic is the most oxymoronic thing I’ve read today.'
Some shoppers even decided to boycott the site. One customer tweeted, 'Used to spend soooo much money there..... BYE @Forever21 !' Another agreed, 'So @Forever21 You think it's funny to put Atkins bars in Plus Size orders? Lifetime Boycott! At Bdays & Xmas I drop alot of cash there for my God Daughter & Nieces! You will NEVER see another penny from me! Body shaming IS UNACCEPTABLE!'
Since being slammed for the partnership, Forever21 have removed the bars from all orders and released a statement that reads: “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. 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.”