Dear Joe The Art of Coffee:
Yesterday as I walked past your fine establishment on Waverly Place in the Village, I couldn’t help but notice the chalkboard sign you’d planted in the middle of the sidewalk:
Get Your Bikini Bod Back. Skim Lattes Are Here!
See Why It’s Called a ‘Skinny Latte!’
Really, Joe’s? Seriously? The only way you can sell your fucking non-fat lattes is by shaming your customers about their bodies? That last fucking thing we need is some overpriced caffeine pusher adding to the steaming pile of bikini-related guilting that women already have to put up with this time of year.
For the record, PilgrimSoul and I are both fans of your coffee. But no more. We’ll be joining sarah.of.a.lesser.god at her beloved Starbucks from now on.
Sincerely,
BeckySharper













AUGH. This is like when the baristas ask me, “skim, right?” about what milk I want in my hot chocolate. No, bitches! I want fatty milk! Because fat is delicious! I drink hot chocolate for joy, not to make me look good! Grumble.
Anyway, if you are a chocolate-y kind of person, I recommend double chocolate chip fraps. They are delish on a summer’s day.
I used to volunteer working on a recycling project and the skim milk jugs that weren’t rinsed all turn this weird neon green color when they’re thrown away, the whole milk jugs don’t. I don’t have any meaning to place on this, but no longer drink the skim milk.
Becky, if you really like the coffee, then you and Pilgrim Soul should tell “Joe” what you think of the sign! If it’s a chain, I bet they have those comment cards for customers; otherwise, maybe you can tell “Joe” him/herself! Sometimes people just need to be educated, and it would suck to give up great coffee just because the owner bought into the pervasive “bikini bod” lingo.
Umm, Becky? I wih I was as strong as you, but there’s no way I can opt out of Joe’s coffee. It’s so. good. I often make a special stop on my way into work to get it.
@PSoul: It’s good (and so are their baked goods), but I won’t give money to a store that fat-shames women into buying their product. Maybe Kirvin’s right and we should just let the owner know…
@baraqiel: I get that kind of thing with diet coke. On the very rare occasions that I drink soda, I usually order regular coke–because it tastes better. But more than once I’ve been brought a diet coke in a restaurant because, obvs, I’m a woman and women don’t/shouldn’t drink real coke.
bella, the green coloring in the jugs may have to do with whey/riboflavin content. I just made some yogurt a few days ago, and I like it thicker (“greek style”), so I strained it for 24 hours to get the whey out. I saved the whey to put in smoothies or whatever, and noticed that it’s a greenish-yellow, which is because whey is really high in riboflavin. Just a guess.
I agree with Kivrin. You should tell them the sign offends you. The “summer’s-coming-bikini-body!” thing is so common, I bet a lot of people don’t realize it’s fat-shaming until someone calls it to their attention. As for NYC coffee, I love Oren’s.
@PhDork: Greek yogurt from scratch? Between this and the bacon cake, I’m very impressed by the Harpies’ way with the domestic arts!
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