If you’re unfamiliar, Aerie is a massive women’s clothing brand that puts a whole hell of a lot of their marketing efforts into preaching body positivity. They don’t edit images of their models, they use models of varying shapes, sizes, and abilities. They’re known for their leggings, underwear and bras, and bathing suits. But it’s all lies and slander, and I’m so fucking sick and tired of them getting praised for not even doing a good job at the bare fucking minimum. The minimum being offering plus size clothing.
The largest size that Aerie offers is an XXL. About a size 14/16. How on God’s green earth can you preach body positivity, and make it your entire fucking brand, if you don’t even attempt to cater to larger sizes. There’s no “curve” or “plus” section. Nothing. Their largest bra size is a 42 DD, 42 being the largest band size they offer, and it is only offered in the DD cup size, and the largest cup size being DDD, only being offered with a maximum of a size 40 band. That’s simply ridiculous. Compared to Lane Bryant, one of the largest plus size retailers in America, who’s bands range from 34-54 and Cups starting at B and going to K. K !!!. Aerie could fucking NEVER.
It is just simply WILD to me that a company can put so much stock and effort into a body positive image and marketing agenda, yet not even attempt to sell to the exact women and people that created the body positivity movement. Body Positivity was created by and for FAT people. Not “midsize” whatever the fuck that means, not skinny, not thin, not “average”, FAT. Fat people needed a way to tell the world that their bodies were normal. That they deserved to be loved and adored, and treated like god damn human beings. Since the growth of the body positivity movement it has been twisted and contorted and lost a lot of it’s meaning. Aerie is perpetuating the idea that body positivity only counts for those individuals under a certain size. Even if that’s truly not their intention, they’re screaming it from the rooftops by not including extended sizing.
What’s even more mind blowing is that their parent company, American Eagle, does offer extended sizing! Their curve jeans are some of the most well made – and well sized – plus size jeans I have ever bought. They fit me in all the right places, and are consistent in their sizing. The capacity to create cute, trendy, and accurate plus size clothing is there, it’s simply not being implemented.
As a fat woman, and someone who used to even shop at Aerie, it’s just so incredibly disappointing to see so much love and attention on a brand that I can’t shop at. Body Positivity wasn’t meant to make skinny girls feel better about themselves, though it is one of the fantastic side effects, it was meant to show that fat people are beautiful too. That flaws aren’t actually flaws, that fat bodies deserve love and adoration.
So, Aerie, this is a fucking call out. Get off your high horse and stop pretending to represent body positivity if you can’t produce the size range to match it. There are no exceptions to body positivity. Stop making exceptions. You absolutely positively cannot be or claim to be a body positive brand without selling plus size options. And no, XXL is not plus size. an XXL is smaller than a 2X in plus sizing, making it closer to a 1X, which is just the very very beginnings of plus sizing. So frick off with that nonsense.
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