COURTESY OF ELIZABETH LICORISH
THE BIG SQUEEZE
Far from an accident, the exiling of larger clothing by Lululemon is a central piece of the
company’s strategy to market its
brand as the look of choice for the
stylishly fitness-conscious, according to former employees and
consumer advocates. They say this
treatment of larger clothes and
customers reflects the culture that
Lululemon represents — one that
falsely suggests skinniness is the
paramount feature of health.
Lululemon declined to comment.
A similar mode of image maintenance determines what lands
on shelves at many major retail
outlets, experts say. The dearth
of plus-size products reinforces
an implicit message that larger
Americans have been absorbing
for years: Shop only at select retailers that welcome your body
type. Plus-size women between
the ages of 30 and 45 are supposed to peruse the aisles at Lane
Bryant. Younger women and teens
are expected to drive to their local
mall and go to Hot Topic’s plussize specialty spinoff Torrid.
The definition of plus-size clothing varies, with PLUS Model Magazine setting the break-off point at
size 12, while The New York Times
and the Chicago Tribune have put
HUFFINGTON
08.18.13
it at size 14. The average dress size
among American women is a 14,
according to a 2011 report from
Women’s Wear Daily.
In recent months, prominent
brands such as Abercrombie &
Fitch have drawn criticism
from consumer advocates for
messages that have seemed to
reinforce their labels as status
symbols for the young, white
and classically attractive.
But while Abercrombie, which
refuses to sell clothes that are
larger than size 10 despite the
outcry, has felt the brunt of consumer outrage, numerous other
brands market themselves to the
same segment, touting them-
“All the other
merchandise
in the store
was kind of
sacred