Forever 21, a fast-fashion retailer of clothing and accessories, is facing scrutiny after customers accused the company of secretly making a major change to a popular section in its stores.
In a recent TikTok video that went viral, a content creator named Remi Bader claimed that Forever 21 is pulling back on its investment in plus-size clothing. The company recently deleted its Instagram account dedicated to the category.
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“I'm in awe that Forever 21 deleted their plus-size account on Instagram, like it's gone, like there's no more,” said Bader in the video. “I also noticed on their plus-size section on the website that they're now doing like 70% off everything, and clearly, this means that they're no longer making new plus-size clothes.”
Bader claims that the change comes after she was allegedly ghosted by Forever 21 after it asked her to be a consultant to help improve the sizing of its plus-size clothes.
“I was really excited about this, and we were waiting for a big offer from them, and I was literally waiting since last November,” said Bader.
She said that every few weeks, for months, Forever 21 would follow up with her and say that it was still working on giving her an offer for the opportunity, but by August, she said that the company had “completely ghosted” her.
“We had to stop following up because it was just like obvious it wasn't happening anymore,” said Bader.
Bader said Forever 21’s recent move is “beyond fascinating” and that companies should be more transparent about reducing their plus-size clothing instead of doing it “sneakily.”
“If you're taking it away, clearly you're having much money issues, because that's the last priority for them, like these brands, their last last priority no matter what is plus size, which it shouldn't be that way, but it is,” said Bader.
@remibader Damn @FOREVER 21 My photo was in store in times square in dec in front of the plus size section. Sad to see it go.. @Samyra
♬ original sound - Remi Jo
Forever 21 is indeed facing major financial difficulties.
In 2019, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after its sales declined due to increased competition and other factors. The retailer has since closed hundreds of stores across the country and has been asking some of its landlords to reduce their rent by as much as 50%.
Forever 21 accused of cutting plus-size sections in stores
Bader’s video comes after a TikToker named Samyra went viral last week after she filmed herself visiting five Forever 21 stores in Los Angeles, CA, to find that only one of them had plus-size clothing for sale.
“If Forever 21 actually cared about plus sizes, they would have them in stores,” said Samyra in the video. “And Forever 21 is part of the reason why shopping at the mall isn't fun when you're plus size, because you can’t get any clothes.”
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Many TikTok users commented under Samyra’s video claiming that they, too, have noticed a pullback in plus-size clothing at their local Forever 21.
“They’re removing the plus size section at my forever21 too,” wrote one user in the comment section.
“I went yesterday, and there was NOTHING for us. I even saw a Diet Coke shirt in the plus size section, like what @FOREVER 21 ??!” commented another user.
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“Speak on it!! They removed all but 2 racks in my stores plus section when I went a few months ago,” said another user in the comment section.
Forever 21 responds to the scrutiny
In response to the allegations and backlash, Forever 21 made an Instagram post on Aug. 2 denying that it has eliminated its plus-size clothing category.
“Earlier this year, we combined all our social accounts–Men's, Kids, and Plus–into one Forever 21 account,” said Forever 21 in the post. “Our goal is to create an inclusive space where everyone feels at home, regardless of size, gender, or race. We haven't eliminated Plus or any other product category; in fact, we have actually expanded our offering into categories like Lingerie, Sleepwear, Active, and Swim, and the collection is now available in 165 stores nationwide and online at Forever21.com.”
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