The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2018
Revolve sold a 'Being fat is not beautiful' sweatshirt — and put it on a thin model
In September 2018, Revolve listed a $168 sweatshirt reading 'Being fat is not beautiful. It's an excuse.' on a size-S website model. It was pulled within hours.
Revolve
What happened
On September 12, 2018, Revolve's website began selling a $168 'Paloma' sweatshirt by label LPA, printed with the words 'Being fat is not beautiful. It's an excuse.' The text was drawn from real trolling comments left on model Paloma Elsesser's Instagram. The capsule collection — a collaboration with Lena Dunham, Emily Ratajkowski, Cara Delevingne and Elsesser — was meant to spotlight cyberbullying, with proceeds benefiting Girls Write Now.
Revolve released the sweatshirt a day early, without context, on a thin model. The message, stripped of its anti-bullying framing and displayed on a body that matched the troll's ideal, read as straightforward fat-shaming. Model Tess Holliday called the brand 'a mess.' Critics noted the sizes only went up to XL — the women the shirt was meant to empower could not fit into it.
Within hours the sweatshirt was marked sold out. Revolve pulled the entire collection and apologised on Instagram: 'We messed up big... SO SORRY for hurting and offending.' LPA formally apologised. Lena Dunham withdrew support. Paloma Elsesser said she was 'disgusted.' Revolve donated $20,000 to Girls Write Now.
Why it happened
- The concept was anti-bullying; the execution was bullying. A troll's words printed on a $168 garment and shown on a thin model delivered the troll's message, not the rebuttal.
- The rollout skipped the framing: releasing the piece early, without the campaign context, meant the first impression was a retailer selling fat-shaming as fashion.
- The size range contradicted the cause: the shirt was designed to confront trolling against a plus-size model, yet XL was the largest size — the target audience literally could not wear the garment.
- Every collaborator distanced themselves: Dunham, Elsesser, and LPA's Pia Arrobio all issued statements, leaving Revolve alone holding the product on its site.
The lesson
A good cause cannot survive bad staging. The troll's words, the thin model, and the missing context turned solidarity into the thing it opposed.
Sources
- Business Insider — 'Revolve and LPA fat-shaming sweatshirts, explained', 2018-09
- Glamour — 'Revolve Removed Sweatshirts From Website After Accusations of Fat Shaming', 2018-09
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Mattel printed a porn site's URL on Wicked doll boxes meant for WickedMovie.com
Bath & Body Works pulled a 'Snowed In' candle whose snowflake label read as a KKK hood
Target's Pride collection triggered a boycott that erased a decade of sales growth
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.