Banana Fat-Free Republic
Warning, extensive use of the word fat. If you are fat, and don’t like being called fat (ie, you haven’t accepted yourself), then skip this entry. I’ve accepted it, my girlfriend likes the meat on my bones, and I can do most anything a skinny person can do. Except, apparently, shop at Banana Republic.
Check.
So I got this email from Banana Republic telling me that they now have a big & tall-friendly section of the website. Cool, I thought–as skinny people look good in clothes–it’s easy for them. However, buying clothes for the rest of us (the fatter crowd), it’s a gamble to see how the stripes look, how the clothes hang over certain curves that skinny people don’t have, and…of course…
the man boobs.
Trying clothes on doesn’t help, either, as the lighting in many clothing stores are flattering, plus people usually see themselves standing in front of the mirror. It’s sitting at a desk in front of a computer, or at a table in a restaurant, that people need to see themselves. That’s when good ol’belly can’t hang down and has no choice but to find places outward to protrude toward. That’s when the shirt wonders–hey, what’s going on here?
You see…skinny people don’t have to worry about this. Unfortunately, most American’s are not skinny.
So imagine how cool it was to hear about the new Banana Republic store carrying clothes made for the bigger person. And since you can’t try on virtual clothes, you would at least see it on someone that represents the rotund populace. Right? It is big & tall, after all.
Well, one quick look at the site and you can see, uhm…rather, not see, how fat-unfriendly the store is. There are over three hundred pictures specifically in the big & tall section. Probably closer to four hundred.
Not a single fat man picture.
Why don’t they just call it Banana Republic’s tall & pretty store.
And they aren’t the only ones (ahem, Gap/Old Navy–we know you’re the same company). Even stores that cater specifically to the “big & tall crowd are guilty. Go ahead…google “big and tall” and click on any of the first ten links–not a single fat person.
I am just bouncing on Banana Republic because they sent out a friggin’ email advertising the fact that they “cater” to the big people.
It’s a huge (pun) part of the population, people! It’s not hard. Make some clothes that look decent on large people–have them put it on, take some pictures, put it on the store’s website. Extra bonus points if you make a fat retail store display or even (gasp) a mannequin that’s fat.
A large friend of mine once said that if he were wealthy, he would create clothes for large people. You would think that someone out there who has the funds has had a vision like that and moved in that direction to make clothes for fat people.
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