"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
> On 5/18/2013 12:22 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>
>>> On 5/18/2013 10:27 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>>>> We have a saying, 'There is no such thing as bad publicity'
>>>
>>> Ambercrombie and Fitch must be delighted!
>>
>> I had to look on line to see who that was, but there is no clue to
>> explain your remark. Do tell? )
>
> It's a clothing store chain, it is geared to younger people
> and by that, I mean the thin, beautiful young people. They
> don't carry over a size 10 and most of the stuff in the store
> is much smaller.
>
> The CEO is on record for saying he only wants cool non-fat
> people in his stores or wearing their clothing. I'm paraphrasing.
>
> I don't know what started all the uproar, I don't think the comments
> are new. The idea that some stores cater to skinnier people is no
> big secret, not all stores are all things to all people, but now it's
> got people demonstrating in front the the stores, giving away their
> A&F clothing. Some guy bought a lot of it and gave it away to homeless
> people.
>
> So, the CEO is trying to figure a way out of this mess. The bad
> publicity is not working for them.
>
> nancy

When I was a teen, we had a shop called 579. Not sure if they are still
there. They were recommended to me when we couldn't find a bra to fit me.
I was pathetically skinny and in those days, the standard women's size was
usually an 8. This store purportedly sold smaller sizes. But not small
enough for me! These days they go down to a 0 or 00. I also realize that
whatever number is sold these days is far larger proportionally than it was
in the 1970's. They say now that the average American woman wears a 14. A
few years ago, I found a pair of my pants from high school in the rag drawer
at my parent's house. They were labeled as a 14. They were tiny! Today's
size 14 is much larger. I know because we do have some pants of that size
here. Not mine. I wish!

I don't think the issue is necessarily with them not selling larger sizes.
But the fact that they said they won't want people like me wearing their
clothing. More and more clothing companies are expanding their sizes.
About a year ago, I couldn't shop at Chico's. Their clothes only went up to
the size below what I wear. But now they not only sell my size but some
things one size larger. Granted, they don't make everything in my size.
But that's probably a good thing! I do think certain styles look better on
certain body types and sizes.

Look at all the flak that Kim Kardashian is getting these days. People are
calling her fat. She's not fat. She's pregnant. The problem? She's
trying to wear clothes as if she were not pregnant. And that generally
doesn't work. When I was pregnant I said to myself that I would never wear
maternity clothes. Thought I could get away with just wearing a size up.
And I could for a while but then the day came when I had no choice. The
pregnant shape is just not such that a larger size will be flattering after
a while. Because with a larger size, they assume that your arms and legs
are bigger around. And that doesn't necessarily happen when you are
pregnant. For me it was the belly and boobies that got bigger. And then my
feet and ankles. Terrible swelling. When I went up to a larger sized
pants, I looked like I was swimming in them because there was so much
fabric. But maternity pants in my size had the expandable middle but they
were more form fitting in the legs.

I once had a beautiful gauze tunic with sequins and beads on it. I got tons
of compliments everywhere I went, until I lost some weight and then I was
swimming in it too. My mom told me to stop wearing it because it was no
longer flattering on it. Fine. No longer have it. But when it fit, the
owner of my health food store that is no longer there, asked me where I got
it because she wanted one. I told her that it wouldn't work for her because
I got it at a store that only sold larger sizes. She still persisted saying
she wasn't all that small. True. Tall and not tiny but not sure this would
have fit her. This place sells size 12 and up but I still think she was
smaller than that. So it can work both ways.

Now if Abercrombie wanted to smart about this, they could come out with a
totally new line for larger people and put some other name on it. The
clothing could be similar. But I suppose some people would still bitch.