Throwing Out The Skinny
March 31, 2008
Recently Starbucks changed their lingo on lattes (and other drinks) from “non-fat” to “skinny. As in, I’ll have a Quad Venti sugar-Free Vanilla SKINNY Latte, rather than “Non-Fat” Latte.
I’m not sure what prompted the corporate change, but one barista sure had a huge vent about the situation which included the politically incorrectness of the new calling/marking system.
Now personally I could care less about politcal correctness when it comes to ordering a coffee, but I sure have a problem with the word skinny.
When I first signed up for a fitness trainer, my one and only goal was to lose weight. To GET SKINNY.
The first 12 sessions with Homie G were all about weights. I lifted, sweated, grunted my way through set upon set of weight training, the entire time wondering when the skinny was going to set in.
I write about celebrities who seem to pop out babies and get back to their svelte figures before the umbilical cord is cut, and it’s disheartening as a mother of a 3.5 year old to know it’s taken, well, 3.5 years to do anything about my ice cream mac ‘n’ cheese baby weight.
Before kids, I was a skinny 118 pounds, underweight at 5′7″. No muscles. Scrawny. I couldn’t lift, push, pull, run. I smoked.
I was skinny fat. Sure, I was a cute little size 5/6, but I was unhealthy, weak, out of shape, and pretty lame at any sort of athletics.
Now I leave the gym, standing tall, feeling strong, and sure I still have actual fat to shed, but I’m much healthier now than I was when I was that cancer-stick-sucking-skinny rake.
So while I’ve been pining for my pre-baby body for the last 9.5 years, I gotta say, I’m starting to like this strong, smoke-free, muscle-bound, nutrient-filled, running body a whole lot better.
Screw skinny!
Embrace healthy!
March 31st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
They may have just switched officially, or in Canada, but that’s been the lingo at the ‘Bucks for a couple of years- at least around here.
It’s not just coffee, when I tended bar any drink with diet coke as a mixer was ’skinny.’ Jack and diet? Skinny Jack.
I suppose it sounds more appetizing than non-fat.
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March 31st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I always wanted to say, “I’ll have a short, squat, ugly latté, please.”
March 31st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
It was probably more to do with the whole ‘truth in advertising’ thing….non fat not being the whole truth.
March 31st, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Makes me glad I don’t drink coffee!
March 31st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
I’m gonna go in and ask if I can have a chubby chocolate latte and see what they say. Seriously though, I don’t care what they call the shit as long as it tastes good ;).
And woooo to youuu! Go healthy!
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April 1st, 2008 at 12:01 am
I hate the “skinny” term for my drink. I SO much prefer “nonfat.” “Grande nonfat no water tazo chai.” Totally rolls off the tongue with the alliteration and everything. “Skinny” will NOT do.
I, too, feel stronger and happier than I did when I was a pre-preggers size 0….
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April 1st, 2008 at 7:02 am
I refuse to order a “vente” or whatever, I just say “medium” or “large.”
(not that I shop at Starbucks that often, but sometimes it’s the only thing I can find)
I hear ya, if they wanted to stop saying non-fat they could have found some other description.
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April 1st, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Will order drink sizes by their assigned names. Will not say “skinny”. Ever.
Mainly because it’s a stupid word for a drink.
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April 1st, 2008 at 10:07 pm
When I was living on the West Coast and would order a non-fat latte the person taking my order would always turn around and call to the barrista, “Skinny latte” as if to translate. I just began using the term as a means of not feeling like I was saying the wrong thing. Now the Starbucks I go to is in a Target and I just pray I get something close to what I ordered, skinny or otherwise.
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April 1st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Good point about working out making you healthier… I have been working out at the gym a lot lately, and I have to keep reminding myself that it is good health I am seeking, not the skinny.
April 4th, 2008 at 10:36 am
I am scared to order at Starbucks anyway because of the one time I forgot which size was the large, so I just said the word large and got yelled at by the guy working there.
Anyway, I used to be skinny too, and while I weigh more now than I ever did then, I am strong and healthy and that is what it should be about. Hooray for you and your new strong body!
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April 5th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I am in total agreement with you on the skinny vs. strong argument. My thoughts on the Skinny Latte are a little different, though. I don’t go to Starbucks a lot, and so when I went there about a month ago and saw all the promo stuff about skinny lattes, I was completely stoked. I guess I wasn’t enough of a regular to know that non-fat sugar-free syrup was an option. Skinny made it easier for me.
I guess they could have put signs up saying, “Did you know you can order your lattes with…” but the “Skinny” thing made it easier for me, anyway.
Doesn’t make it any nicer of a word, though.
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