In recent months, there has been a huge debate about the weight of high fashion models. They are essentially glorified skeletons but in the casual/outdoor clothing world we don't often hear the same complaints, perhaps because models for Gap and similar chains tend be just a little less alien looking. Yet, Fabienne and I recently had a discussion after going to a local North Face store. I was complaining about the prices and the lack of sales items, whereas she was saying that she couldn't fit into any of the the women's size clothes. Fabienne is tall, almost 6 feet, and not exactly skinny but compared to most Americans she is quite possibly svelte. So how come, at a time when 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, North Face, Patagonia and other chain stores refuse to carry bigger sizes?
I immediately responded with a stereotype. "Well, maybe fat people aren't exactly the most active and outdoorsy people." Ouch. Not my finest moment but could this be the rationale that keeps these stores from releasing plus size clothes? It's kind of like a chicken and egg thing. If fat people are discouraged from buying workout clothes are they less likely to work out? Maybe not, but I think we got ourselves a niche market that's just begging for a new business venture.
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