Lilly Pulitzer Apologizes After Fat-Shaming Cartoons in Headquarters Surface

"Just another day of fat, white and hideous. You should probably just kill yourself," one caption next to a cartoon of an overweight woman reads. "Put it down carb face," says another, next to an illustration of an overweight woman in a bathing suit.

The cartoons appeared on the desk of a Lilly Pulitzer staff member. They were photographed by a New York magazine photographer during a tour of the Pink Palace, the company's name for its headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

After the magazine put up a digital slide show of the tour, featuring the cartoons, many people pointed out on social media that the cartoons were fat-shaming and a poor reflection on the brand. Lilly Pulitzer, which does not make plus sizes, came under fire for allowing these cartoons to appear in their headquarters.

Lilly Pulitzer, the woman, began the brand in Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1950s. Her iconic shift dress, made famous when Jackie Kennedy wore it on the cover of Life magazine, was designed to hide a woman's "gin pouch." The term, really a cute phrasing for a beer gut, was common among women with leisurely Florida lifestyles that allowed them to attend and throw lavish parties—at which they consumed a fair amount of gin.

Pulitzer's company runs up to a size 14, the industry standard, though a collaboration it created with Target sold in plus sizes online. Beyond gin pouch, the brand has steered clear of weight-related comments.

Earlier this year, Lilly Pulitzer made headlines when its collaboration with Target upset many brand loyalists, who worried the big-box retailer would cheapen the historically posh brand. Regardless of those concerns, the collaboration was an incredible success. The line sold out almost instantly and brought Black Friday–style traffic to the Target website. As a result of its popularity, many of the goods ended up on eBay, sold at tenfold the original price.

"These illustrations were the work of one individual and were posted in her personal work area. While we are an employer that does encourage people to decorate their own space, we are a female-dominated company and these images do not reflect our values. We apologize for any harm this may have caused," the company said in a statement.