'New York Times' Takes On JC Penney, Fat People

When my friend jash sent me the following link to go in today’s “And Whatnot” post, I assumed it was just another one of his mildly amusing, borderline boring submissions that I’m obligated to post in the spirit of friendship. How wrong I was. The article, titled “Playing to the Middle,” focuses on the new JC Penney in Manhattan’s Herald Square, and needless to say, The Gray Lady is not kind to this Middle American intrusion on the heretofore upmarket fashion scene of New York City. Writer Cintra Wilson goes on to absolutely skewer JC Penney with one passive-aggressive observation after another, forcing me to wince at her obnoxiousness… and smile broadly at her snobbiness. Occasionally she inserts a cooly disingenuous compliment, such as when Wilson writes “AND herein lies the genius of J. C. Penney: It has made a point of providing clothing for people of all sizes.” However, she then follows that praise up with a decidedly withering observation that “[JC Penney] has the most obese mannequins I have ever seen. They probably need special insulin-based epoxy injections just to make their limbs stay on. It’s like a headless wax museum devoted entirely to the cast of ‘Roseanne.'”
Needless to say, for those of you who rant against the East coast elitism of The New York Times, I can guarantee that you will not emerge from this piece feeling warm and cuddly. For the rest of us, there’s a good chance you’ll be guffawing.
Nice find, JASH.
New York Times: Playing To The Middle