It’s not very often that a piece of junk mail can truly make me lastingly angry.  But congratulations to Acacia for making your mark.  I received this unsolicited catalog and flipped through what seemed to be just another slightly upscale home accessories catalog.  I was amused to find it also had a lot of yoga products and wondered how I might possibly have ended up on their mailing list.  And then the amusement came to a screeching halt at the first in a barrage of clothing products.  Here’s a prime example:

Live Happy and Don’t Be Mean Shirts

Be nice. Be content. Maybe life really is this simple. 100% cotton tees flatter a woman’s curves. Sizes S(4–6), M(6–8), L(8–10), XL(10–12), XXL(12–14). Machine wash. USA.

Ummmmm….

What woman in a size 0 has curves?  And in what universe is a 12-14 an XXL?  And how on Earth could a woman walk around happy as a 12-14 knowing they have branded her size XXL?  Don’t be Mean?  Practice what you preach and change your sizing chart.  Here’s another ironic example:

Be.You and Be.Kind Tees

Positive messages make us stronger—mentally and physically, inside and out. Simple words express your commitment to be and do your best. Be.You on brown says “This is who I am!” Be.Kind on pink makes the world a better place. Both long-sleeve tees are 100% supima cotton—soft, lightweight, with a tapered waist and contoured fit to flatter a woman’s curves. Sizes S(0–2), M(4–6), L(8–10), XL(12–14). Imported.

Apparently you can only be you and kind if you’re smaller than a size 14 first of all, and secondly well sorry ladies but that makes you an XL; you’ve got some work to do.

It’s really as if they’re saying hey, if you’re bigger than we are, we kind of hope you don’t feel ok about yourself because we think you’re not ok.  You should feel bad, and look bad and then you’ll have the motivation to turn yourself inside out to be like us.  Guess what?  If you are bigger and you feel bad about it, you’re a whole lot less likely to say hey, you know, I’m going to do this because I’m important to me.  And people come in different sizes and are born to be that way.  Yes, I have weight to lose but no, I’ll never be a size 4 no matter how much I lose.  I could be on a feeding tube and not be a size 4.  I seriously doubt that healthy for me would be less than a 14 ever.

Just to see if I was over-reacting, I spoke to some friends about my reaction.  One’s response was, “yeah, ‘Be You, Don’t Eat.’” and another’s was, “How are we supposed to feel good about getting fit, working out, & buy what Lewis Black calls ‘the costume’…when we’d have to order a XXXXXXXL just to have something that was comfy? B*stards.”  Amen sister.

And yes, I think positive messages do make us stronger.  Perhaps you could start with the tags on your clothing lines Acacia.  I’m certain I’ll express my best in another way, and will find clothng that truly compliments the actual curves of an actual woman.

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