The Range has taken a number of items off its shelves after shoppers complained that they were 'sexist' and promoted 'bodyshaming'. The bargain retailer will no longer sell the items, which appeared to encourage women to lose weight for holidays and weddings.
The discontinued wall plaques contained slots with various weights written inside them, so women could save £1 for every pound of weight lost. The BBC reported that when shopper Emma Conway questioned whether there was a male version of the home decoration, shop assistants informed her there was not.
This is not the first time that shoppers have complained about the 'fun' and 'unique' items, as The Range describes them. The wall hangers also upset customers in 2019 and 2021.
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Ms Conway, a digital creator who goes by the name 'brummymummyof2', discovered one of the 'bikini body' shaped items in a The Range store in Birmingham earlier this week. Taking to Instagram, she wrote: "Dear @therangeuk. I just popped into one of your shops as I love your garden stuff. And was excited to get some bits and bobs.
"Imagine my shock when I saw two signs. One saying ‘Countdown To My Bikini Body’ and the other stating ‘It Could Only Take 10lbs To Drop A Dress Size’.
"Now I understand people want to lose weight for a variety of reasons. Not an issue. But I asked if there was one for men. Maybe a ‘Lose Chunk To Fit In Your Trunks’.
"There wasn’t. It was just for WOMEN. To get a bikini body. And to fit in a smaller wedding dress."
Ms Conway continued: "I left the shop shaking. In 2022. A large chain. Is feeding into the narrative that WOMEN need to be smaller. To drop a dress size. To put a sign in their houses which they would look at each day. To help them get ready to go to the beach. The motivation is not to get fit and healthy. But to shrink themselves. Remember ladies we need to be tiny.
"I know some people may not see a problem. And The Range obviously doesn’t.
"But anyone reading this remember how to get a bikini body is to…buy a bikini. And put it on your body."
Ms Conway's followers took to the comment section below her Instagram post to show support. Alison Perry said: "This makes me SO ANGRY! @therangeuk this might seem harmless to you but it’s really not!
"You’re perpetuating the belief that women have to fit into a narrow beauty ideal to be acceptable. It’s dangerous. Walking past this in one of your shops could trigger someone and set them off down a path of dieting or disordered eating. Not ok."
Dr Sarah Vohra said: "I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with your caption Emma. Whilst I appreciate that I come with a skewed view of what I see professionally (and it’s not always translatable to the general public).
"I think the idea of naming/specifying loss may lead those who are vulnerable (I see it all too often!) to feel they have ‘not achieved said goal’ or ‘filled all the slots’ and they continue well beyond a point that is considered healthy."
Cherry Wallis wrote: "God lord, that’s really sad to see. Sort it out @therangeuk."
The Range told the BBC in a statement: "We appreciate that every 'body' is 'bikini ready' all the time, but some of our customers have found this a fun way to help them reach a goal. This product has, however, now been discontinued and we will not be stocking it again."
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