Recently, one of the UK’s largest retailers, B&M, came under fire for selling bathroom scales emblazoned with the famous Kate Moss quote, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Then came the inevitable backlash from customers who felt the scale promoted anorexic behavior, and boom: it was removed from stores. Facebook user, Rachel May Shevlin called them out.
Of course, the chain acted appropriately in this case, but the fact that they used the quote in the first place is also interesting. It devalues enjoying food and puts slimness on a pedestal, and people still fail to recognize that good food can be part of a happy and healthy lifestyle, and that deprivation isn’t glamorous, in 2016.
Another interesting aspect of this quote is that Kate Moss got some backlash when she said these famous words a bajillion years ago, but she’s still widely regarded as the end all be all model. She’s fine, but with a store, there’s an instantaneous call for removal of the product. In the end, customers are more upset that this body shaming product is actually for sale than they are with anything. The store might not sell it anymore, but it still exists proving we all need to learn about how to enjoy delicious food, and life, which is never a threat to health.