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Body Image

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Body Image: Plus Size Shopping

With over a third of Americans qualifying as obese, you would think plus-size clothing would be ever present in retailers across the country. While plus-size clothing is (relatively) plentiful online, it can be nearly impossible to find in stores. Speaking from experience I am someone whom loves to spend the day at the mall, walking around window shopping looking at all the beautiful fall, summer or spring styles. At 5’11’ and roughly 240 pounds I learned quickly that those trendy styles in my “size” would not be available within a store.
I would walk into a store and thumb though the racks going through each item checking the label for an XL or a size 20 to purchase. To no avail I would move on to the next store and do the same thing by the fourth or fifth store fighting the onsets of depression, looking at my reflection in each store window passed, I would start to wonder why my size was so hard to find. Did I miss a huge sale? Are there that many people out there the same size as me? Or do they just not cater to someone of my size? I approached the next store that had a cute little outfit on that tiny little mannequin. I walked in and straight to the associate and asked “Ma’am what is the largest size you carry?” Her reply while looking at me as if I should have already known. She replied “Ma’am the biggest size we would carry is a 10.” “Thank you” I replied and walked out a little hot under the collar whether from embarrassment or anger.
Once home I notice a Victoria Secrets’ Magazine came addressed to me. After what I went through, I was curious to see what they would have to offer for someone of my size. I get online and set up an account and start shopping. This was easier than I thought shopping for a bra was nice, and they had a very nice selection of those trendy styles. Since things were going so well I thought it would be nice to have a matching set. The search began I picked panties in the drop down, selected my size and click search. The website does its thing and cycles back up, more than half the selection that had been visible had little red crosses on their pictures indicating that those where not available in the size selected. While frustrated I figured I would go to the store and see what they had to offer. Once arriving back at the mall, remembering what I learned previously that day that apparently no store in the mall carried bottoms of any sort in my size, I immediately found the associate and asked that dreadful question “Ma’am what is the largest size panty you carry?” Her reply did not shock me “large”. How difficult is it for a plus-size shopper to find her size in brick-and-mortar locations of the 10 most popular stores. Here's what they found: (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/21/plus-size-clothing-online_n_3479724.html)

Retailer Online Sizes In-Store: New York City In-Store: Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Gap 00-20 00-16 00-16
Old Navy 0-30 0-16 0-20
Urban Outfitters 0-12 00-12 00-12
Anthropologie 00-16 0-12 0-12
H&M* 2-24 4-14 2-14
Express 00-14 00-12 00-12
Abercrombie & Fitch 00-10 00-10 00-10
Talbots 0-24 0-16 2-24
Ann Taylor 00-18 0-14 0-14
J. Crew 00-16 00-12 00-12
American Apparel 0-14 0-12 0-12

Once reviewing the chart, I realized that I would not be able to buy online no matter how cute the trend is. One store stood out the most Abercrombie & Fitch. Being a very trendy store I was shocked that the biggest size they sold both online and in stores was a size 10. Being one of the stores that I walked into, I was curious as to why? I searched the internet and found this headline at: (http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-wants-thin-customers-2013-5)
“Abercrombie & Fitch refuses to make clothes for large women.” Intrigued, I continued to read the article; they do not stock XL and XXL for women, and they do not want overweight women wearing their brand. I continued to read that they only want “cool kids,” and do not consider plus size women in that group. It's not surprising that Abercrombie excludes plus-sized women considering the attitude of CEO Mike Jeffries, said Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail and CEO of newsletter The Robin Report. “He doesn’t want his core customers to see people whom aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothes should feel that they are one of the “cool kids.” In fact the only XL and XXL clothing they sell is for men probably to attract the “cool Jocks” such as beefy football players. Jeffries also states “including everyone would make his business boring.” http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-wants-thin-customers-2013-5)
While the specialty retailers of places like Abercrombie & Fitch can’t be expected to appeal to everyone, the brands standard of beauty is quickly becoming stale. In case no one has noticed “Plus-Sized” is no longer a “niche” market: 67% of the apparel purchasing population fit the label, and is growing. I am one of those women at 5’11” tall and 240 pounds I will gladly save my money and spend it in a store that embraces changes and accepts me and 67% of the female population as the size of the future.

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