New Look sparks online outrage after T-shirt is accused of promoting fad diets

A T-shirt sold by New Look has sparked an online furore after being accused of promoting fad diets.

The incriminating "night shirt" bears the slogan: “My heart says donuts but my jeans say juicing” and costs just £5.

Eating disorder specialists and mental health campaigners have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns that the top perpetuates a disordered eating narrative.

“Fashion should empower women to feel incredible, that’s how you win at marketing,” tweeted leading Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert.

“Instead @NewLookFashion promote fad diets #cleanseyourPR”

New Look’s help team responded to Lambert in a subsequent tweet, writing “We will pass this over to our Escalations Team to look into as a matter of urgency #NLCaroline”

"It is irresponsible for such an influential brand to promote juicing and elude that it will help in becoming thin," Lambert told The Independent.

"This inappropriate message will resonate with impressionable youngsters and only contribute to an unhealthy relationship with food."

Whether it was intentional or not, the line “my jeans say juicing” inadvertently implies that "juicing" (i.e. juice cleanses or fasts) are synonymous with fitting into your jeans and losing weight.

The top could therefore be seen as encouraging restrictive fad diets, which nutrition experts have cited as hugely detrimental to one’s overall health.

However, when it comes to clothing which promotes an unhealthy relationship with food, New Look’s humble "night shirt" is far from the biggest offender.

“It’s 3 years since Urban Outfitters came under fire for selling a shirt with a slogan saying ‘don’t eat’. Why is this still happening now? I don’t understand. It’s not cool," says eating disorder campaigner Ilona Burton.

"I’m beyond outraged now, I’m just tired and frustrated of high street retailers continually re-enforcing dangerous messages about diet and disordered eating to young, often vulnerable and impressionable customers. It needs to stop,” she told The Independent.

A recent slogan hoodie sold by Amazon also shocked shoppers by trivialising eating disorders, it read: “Anorexia (an-uh-rek-see-uh) Like Bulimia, except with self control.”

Beth Grant, who has struggled with anorexia for 13 years, said that the product was “absolutely disgraceful.”

"It could be extremely damaging to anyone suffering with either bulimia or anorexia.

"I think it could damage their mental health even further and cause them to potentially harm their life," she told BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire program.

The hoodie has since been removed from the site.

For eating disorder charity Beat, this is something that they see time and time again in the fashion industry, however, they explained that items of clothing such as these should not necessarily be conflated with eating disorders triggers, which are typically multifaceted.

“Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses and their causes are complex,” a Beat spokesperson told The Independent.

“The suggestion that the fashion industry is the 'cause' of an eating disorder oversimplifies the issue.

“But we do know the ideals presented within the fashion industry can exacerbate and prolong the illness, and we would encourage the promotion of healthy eating habits and body images in this area.”

In response to this article, New Look provided the following statement to The Independent:

“We apologise for any offence that may have been caused by the item in question. As a result, we have taken the decision to stop selling this item immediately.

"New Look takes its responsibility in promoting body confidence very seriously and we pride ourselves on creating fashion-forward, quality clothing for customers of all body shapes.”