The body positivity movement is going strong, and the clothing industry is finally starting to cater to the "plus-size" market more. There are more options for plus-size clothes than ever, which is largely because of the magic of the internet. You'd be surprised at how many cute clothes you can find on Amazon!
But one online clothing company seriously dropped the ball. This is a spot-on example of how NOT to advertise to plus-size women.
Plus Size Baby is a web store that specializes in, you guessed it, plus-size clothing for women. And yet! It features thin, straight-sized models in its underwear photos. The models wear plus-sized undies, stretching them out with their hands to emphasize that the clothes are… too big for them?
This was not only an extremely confusing marketing decision, it was also an insulting one. If the company's goal is to sell to plus-size women, then why wouldn't it show what the clothes look like on actual plus-size models?!
Needless to say, people on Twitter basically tore Plus Size Baby apart.
It's no secret that the clothing industry is biased toward thin women. Despite the fact that most real women are not a size 2 or 4, retailers tend to model their clothes on women at those sizes.
As a result, it can be tough to find (actually cute) clothes in sizes bigger than a large or extra-large in regular stores. Add vanity sizing into the mix, and you have a truly nightmare shopping experience for TONS of so-called "plus-size" women.
Thanks to social media and the body positivity movement, clothing companies are finally catering to plus-size women more these days. There are now online shops that sell clothes specifically designed for plus-size women only.
But it's not enough just to sell cute clothes in bigger sizes. Plus-size clothing companies also need to, y'know, respect their customers. And that's where one company, Plus Size Baby, went horribly wrong.
Plus Size Baby's website features a very wide range of clothing, including underwear, swimwear, sportswear, and everyday clothes. All of the clothes come in plus sizes only.
Most of the product photos feature plus-size women, because hello, the clothes are made for them!
This dress, for example, comes in size XL to 6X.
The store's underwear section, though, is an absolute cringefest. All of the models are thin women, even though the underwear is still plus size.
The models even stretch the underwear with their hands to emphasize the size, which doesn't make any sense on any level. It's insulting, and plus, how are customers supposed to know how the underwear actually fits?
Apparently, NOBODY on the Plus Size Baby team thought this was a bad idea. The company even tweeted one of the photos as a promotion.
But if there's one place where people will tell you exactly where you went wrong and how, it's Twitter.
People responded to Plus Size Baby's tweet with anger.
Some explained exactly why these photos are so… wrong. Wrong in every way.
And others couldn't help but mock the company. Honestly, it's hard to believe that the photos aren't a joke in themselves.
One Twitter user also discovered that the company doesn't just use this tactic with its underwear listings. It also advertises a pair of leggings in the same way. Big sigh.
And that's not to mention the photos on the site that simply show thin models in straight-sized clothes. On a plus-sized clothing website.
Let this be a lesson: Not every "inclusive" company is as inclusive as it seems!
