HBC under fire for selling 'skinny' T-shirt

By Sonja Puzic - CTVNews.ca

Published: June 24, 2014 at 12:41PM EDT

Critics say this T-shirt, sold at HBC, promotes eating disorders. (Source: Twitter / Samantha Cambridge)

The Hudson's Bay Company is getting bad reviews on Twitter over a T-shirt that critics say promotes eating disorders. The white T-shirt depicts a mock food nutrition label and reads: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." It was spotted at an HBC store in Toronto.

View the story "HBC under fire for selling 'skinny' T-shirt " on StorifyHBC under fire for selling 'skinny' T-shirt The Hudson's Bay Company is getting bad reviews on Twitter over a T-shirt that critics say promotes eating disorders. The white T-shirt depicts a mock food nutrition label and reads: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." It was spotted at an HBC store in Toronto. Storified by CTVNews.ca· Tue, Jun 24 2014 16:35:36Plz RT: @TheHudsonsBayCo is promoting #eatingdisorder culture. We are #NotBuyingIt http://t.co/rY8kteVcRmKathleen PyeThe motto was made infamous by supermodel Kate Moss in 2009. Ads for a children's T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan were banned in Britain in 2011 after outraged parents complained.
Really, @TheHudsonsBayCo?! This is the message you want to send to your customers? Disappointing... #notbuyingit http://t.co/UH67Zvz8jhSamantha CambridgeOne Twitter user who complained directly to HBC said she received this response:
Update on @TheHudsonsBayCo #tastesbetterthan tee: received sloppy, canned response to my emailed complaint. Excerpt: http://t.co/syBy6u4MiCKristin FosterAfter several angry tweets directed at HBC, another user noticed that the T-shirt may no longer be available for purchase online.
Is @TheHudsonsBayCo pulling back? "We're sorry you have reached a product page that is no longer available." http://t.co/jbF96bf6gS #EDDysthymic DadThe T-shirt's designer, Christopher Lee Sauve, defended the use of the slogan. He wrote on Tumblr that the T-shirt is actually a "protest" against "absurd" statements in the fashion industry.
Nothing Tastes As Good As Skinny FeelsI am being bombarded with hate mail, tweets, Facebook messages from people protesting my design "Nothing Tastes As Good As Skinny Feels" selling at The Hudson Bay and Patricia Field. The design was not intended to be pro-anorexia but the opposite. Clearly the nutritional label that is on the t-shirt states that you are not consuming any calories or nutrition by not eating therefor <a class="profileLink" href="https://www.facebook.com/katemoss" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1437354003182442">Kate Moss</a> statement from 2009 is ridiculous and therefor the t-shirt is a protest against her actions and the absurd remarks that occur in the fashion industry as all of my work portrays.Sauve got plenty of support from those who accused critics of overreacting and failing to see the T-shirt's "real" message.
Stop being so inflexible, @chrissauve tees are always thoughtful art waves, not random tacky propaganda. Think more! http://t.co/OZiT10NRV0Sally McAlister@chrissauve Stop overreacting people! It's so not pro-anorexia.NaomiBurtonIsaacs@chrissauve nothing feels as good as your tees on me! You're brilliant. Not at all hateful. #misunderstood #loveRobyn Roberts But not everyone was convinced that Sauve is a misunderstood artist.
@SterlingJoy94 @chrissauve @AnnieBee_61 I'm sorry...but how is reprinting a hollow nutrition label & stupid pro-starvation quote "art"?Recovered Anorexic