SIX WOMEN SIZES 2XL TO 4XL SHARE HOW THE ACTIVEWEAR INDUSTRY IS FAILING BIGGER BODIES AND HOW IT CAN BE IMPROVED
Speaking with Chika, 24, it’s clear that the activewear industry excludes women with larger bodies.
“I want to be able to go on a website like everyone else, pick something I like, find my size and buy it like everyone else and not feel ‘othered’ or ‘separated’ or have to investigate to find it.”
But with some of the most prominent players in women’s activewear only offering sizing up to a UK 16, this is not an option for thousands of women. “Most of the time, an activewear brand will have new ‘drops’, but I can’t click and buy because they don’t have my size.”
“I always find that when I shop activewear, they don’t take into account the parts of me that are bigger than somebody who is a size 12. The proportions are really different, and just because a brand can make a bra in a 3XL, it doesn’t mean my boobs are going to look great in it if they haven’t considered the different proportions,” says Systems Analyst Harriet, 25. “I don’t need my own plus-sized shop. I just want to shop and be able to do that online or on the high street.”
When asked ‘what role a brand should play in helping shape a sense of confidence’ for Harriet, the answer is clear. “It’s about being able to hang out with anybody and shop in the same place. I have plus-sized friends and friends who are smaller women. To be able to have the same leggings or sports bras as my friends who are a completely different size and shape - that’s confidence boosting to me. That’s society saying to me, ‘you’re accepted,’ which women with bigger bodies don’t get often.”
Regardless of stamina or strength, many women work out purely to do something for themselves and to feel in tune with themselves mentally and physically, but marketing and advertising of female fitness would have many believe that the goal is always weight loss.
For Louisa, 33, this is true not only in fitness marketing but in day-to-day life. “For larger women, the main social standard is that ‘you’re plus-size, so you go to the gym to lose weight’. Wrong. I love going to the gym to get strong, but you always get unsolicited comments and advice from other people telling you about what they do to lose weight.”
According to Louisa, the solution is obvious. “People and brands need to change their mindset that plus-size women go to the gym to lose weight. We go there to feel confident and fit as f**k!”
Model Pearl, 23, having first-hand experience from the other side of the lens, highlights the problems with terms like ‘body positivity’. “A lot of gym wear, underwear and fashion brands do this thing with their marketing where plus-size women are linked to the term ‘body positivity’ and look all smiley in the photos when actually it’s like ‘I’m fat, and I’m sexy’, and I’m not going to apologise for that.
When you’re shopping online, you’ll also often see a straight-size model as the first model on a website, and it’s like, ‘why are they first, and why am I second’ also, why do I have to spend more time online to find the women who look more like me.”
Senior TV Producer Emma, 27, also highlights the issues with the marketing of plus-size activewear. “When I look at ‘curve’ models, half of them still have a flat stomach. It’s not representative of me. My hip area is where I carry, so immediately, that’s what I look at when I’m shopping. So as soon as I see a model with a flat stomach, I think I’m not going to get an item because it’s not going to look like that on me. Brands need to show plus size women with lots of different shapes.”
Another common issue women with plus size bodies find when they eventually find inclusive brands is fewer options for style and colourways.
“Half the time, the colours brands are not offering in plus size is the colour I actually want. It happens all the time.” says Emma.
Content creator and model Shannon, 27, highlights the damaging impact this lack of inclusion has on women. “From my experience working and shopping with a lot of brands, you almost feel like an afterthought or an inconvenience when ranges don’t offer full colourways or styles for plus size, and once again, you have to settle for something you don’t actually want.”
“A brand can’t say it has a full range unless the product and marketing actually reflect society accurately. It’s not a full range if you don’t cater to everyone.”