It took a year to bring this idea to the brick-and-mortar business, but the company ultimately decided it was necessary: "The more time we spent in stores, the more groups we saw shopping, the more we realized that women are being left out, especially when it comes to shopping specialty retailers in malls. I am sad to say that this hasn't been the case for me. Someone who is bigger can rock the same exact thing as the next person, I promise. Shes going to be on the window, we want [the jeans] everywhere.. Get email updates with daily headlines and weekly recaps. This restrictive policy means I will no longer be able to have an at-ease shopping experience at American Eagle in College Mall. Take a look at the amount of posts under that hashtag right now. American Eagles dedication to inclusivity is a direct reflection of its sister brand Aerie, which hasseen a 14 percent comps gain in the first quarter thanks in part to its focus on body positivity. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. This $68 Bra Has a Cult FollowingAnd Now Its Majorly Discounted at Nordstrom, Courtesy of American Eagle/Photographed by Mayan Toledano. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. "We were up to 16 in stores and up to 20 online, but we just felt like that wasn't inclusive enough," he says. American Eagles decision to only sell plus sizes online merely adds to the lack of safe spaces for plus-sized people and continues to cater to the idealized body type. Ad Choices, American Eagle Jeans Will Now Be Available in Sizes 00 to 24. For now, though, "we're starting with jeans because that's the leading category," he says. "We had a model in our window wearing a size that we don't carry in stores," he says. American Eagle is joining Anthropologie and Loft in expanding its sizing, both in stores and online, starting with its fall 2019 women's denim assortment. Copyright 2022 Sourcingjournal Media, LLC. "We felt reflecting that assortment in the windows and in the mannequins was just as important as in the inventory," Kessler says. Why should plus size people be forced out of a social activity. I instantly felt gawked at and excluded. As part of its ongoing inclusivity initiative, American Eagle added a new curvy fit to its womens line earlier this year. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. This petition starter stood up and took action. I would love for boys who are bigger sizes be able to feel good in their skin and look good to! Find out what the IDS is saying about IU basketball. Restaurants of Monroe County Exhibition to open Aug. 2, Indiana Senate passes Senate Bill 2 to help increase supportive funding for expecting mothers, Indiana Senate barely passes abortion ban, COLUMN: Reactions and takeaways from Indiana footballs Big Ten media day. Discrimination is not only bad for a societys culture, but it is also bad for business, Gossage said. Its grown by more than 4 million. All Rights reserved. The Daily Rundown is published Monday through Friday and gives you a quick look at the day's top stories. Every month is Pride Month if you're doing it right. A person walks in front of American Eagle Outfitters on Nov. 14, 2021, at the College Mall on East Third Street. Why would a popular chain suddenly hop on this discriminatory bandwagon? We had a model in our window wearing a size that we dont carry in stores, Chad Kessler, American Eagles global brand president, toldGlamour. American Eagle Outfitters Women's Plus Size Jeans for Women. I could see maybe not having these sizes pre 21 century, but this is 2016 with people living in all shapes and forms. This is the beauty brand's first-ever retailer partnership. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. There seems to be a problem serving the request at this time, One stop shop for all things from your favorite brand, American Eagle Outfitters Size Tall Jeans for Women, American Eagle Outfitters Regular Size 14 Jeans for Women, American Eagle Outfitters Women's Plus Size Shorts for Women, American Eagle Outfitters Cotton Plus Size Jeans for Women, {"modules":["unloadOptimization","bandwidthDetection"],"unloadOptimization":{"browsers":{"Firefox":true,"Chrome":true}},"bandwidthDetection":{"url":"https://ir.ebaystatic.com/cr/v/c1/thirtysevens.jpg","maxViews":4,"imgSize":37,"expiry":300000,"timeout":250}}. Honestly, going into the store and only finding two returned jeans in my size was shocking. Men's denim will now be available in sizes 26 to 48 as well. Despite this upsetting reality, American Eagle has been my rock when Ive felt like no other store supports me, especially given its 2019 decision to offer up to a size 24 jean in store. Shes wearing jeans that we carry online. I am going off to college soon and any college student will tell you that one of the best aspect of college is a new start. ", And Kessler teases that there's more to come: Next spring the 00 to 24 range will be across all women's bottomsjeans, shorts, pantsin stores, and across other apparel categories online. American Eagle would obviously never come out and say theyre a biased company, but its the only feasible explanation. Hello,My name is Kobe Brown and I am an 18 year old living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A new start involves new clothes, and who doesn't enjoy shopping! A weekly guide to everything you should add to cart, but havent yet. I can confidently say my waist is larger than the average womans. She is a member of Chi Alpha. We said, This is silly. Take a look at American Eagles sizing chart. Global brand president Chad Kessler tells Glamour that, as one of the top purveyors of denim for women in the country, American Eagle wanted to make sure it was making its star product available to the majority of shoppers, both online and in its stores. The lack of future, positive experiences is extremely damaging since Ive already found the thought of shopping to be mentally and emotionally draining as a young woman in society. "She's wearing jeans that we carry online. We need to fight this rising opinion that plus-sized bodies dont deserve a place in fashion. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. If the largest womens jean size American Eagle carries in store is a 16, which falls more than 4 inches short of women's average waist size, they are catering to smaller-than-average women. American Eagle Mens Active Flex Casual Trouser Pants, Beige, 29W x 32L, American Eagle Mens Airflex + Casual Trouser Pants, Black, 34W x 32L, American Eagle Womens Chambray Casual Walking Shorts, Blue, Large, American Eagle Womens Plaid Pajama Lounge Pants, Multicoloured, Small, American Eagle Womens Solid Cardigan Sweater, Black, Medium, American Eagle Mens Striped Pocket Basic T-Shirt, Blue, X-Small, American Eagle Womens U-Plunge Strapless Bra, Beige, D, American Eagle Womens Front Stripes Sweatshirt, White, Small, American Eagle Mens Solid Rugby Polo Shirt, White, MT, American Eagle Mens Flex 9" Inseam Underwear Boxer Briefs, Grey, X-Small. "We've seen great response whenever we've had diverse modelssizes, shapes, colorsin the campaign," says Kessler. American Eagle is becoming more size inclusive. IU announces masks are optional starting in March, Booster shots offer strong but waning protection, study says, State COVID-19 public health emergency order expires, A University of Melbourne study on body positivity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The World Health Organization defines weight bias, GUEST COLUMN: My Mandela Washington Fellowship Experience at Indiana University Bloomington, OPINION: Weekly episodes are better than binge watching, OPINION: We need to increase funding for science research and education, Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition-United Electrical Workers condemn new contract for student academic appointees, Order up! To make plus size bodies all over the world feel welcomed would be the best Christmas present ever!Lets make the world a more welcoming place one thread at a time!-Kobe. In the wake of this rapidly growing movement, this regression in American Eagles previous progress perplexes me. From high schoolers to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, everyone loves the brand's jeans. Some bodies arent meant to be thin and perfect. Mine is one of those. And the message is growing louder in the denim category. The World Health Organization defines weight bias as negative attitudes towards, and beliefs about, others because of their weight.. 30 Prime Day Competitor Deals to Keep on Your Radar. By including clothes of all sizes, brands not only expand their shopper base but also contribute to making the world a more inclusive place for adolescents and millennials suffering from body image issues., Receive Our Daily Newsletter & Special Offers. Its utterly disappointing that my local American Eagle is now holding me to the same unattainable beauty standard that much of society has held me to since the beginning of my time. Starting immediately with its Fall 19 denim collection, the specialty retailer will offer for the first-time mens denim for sizes 26-48, and its expanding its womens jeans from 00-20 up to size 24. A University of Melbourne study on body positivity said #bodypositive had around 12.6 million Instagram posts last year. We just have to break that stigma. Additionally, mannequins sizes 4, 8 and 16 are set to hit stores later this month. One of the first times I was made aware of my size was when I was 11 years old. ", 2022 Cond Nast. Yet, its taking away worthwhile experiences for plus-sized people to preserve the publics perspective of them. (At the top of the website page for the Curvy Jean, you can see how it fits on models who are sizes 00, 6, 12, and 22.) In a college town like Bloomington, theres absolutely no rhyme or reason, socially or economically, to exclude the majority of customers from having a worthwhile experience in its stores. Elizabeth Valadez (she/her) is a freshman studying English and political science. I weigh 291 pounds and I am 5'10. The sad truth is this feeling has yet to disappear because lets face it: The fashion industry doesnt always cater to bigger bodies. "We have regular and curvy mannequins. We want to represent that across the product, and especially in our jeans brand and in our stores. American Eagle's latest denim collection has more than 30 different pieces, in varying fits, rises, and degrees of stretch. Shopping for clothes should be an activity for everyone.Women clothing markets are making steps (tiny ones) in including plus size bodies, but the mens clothing market is just slim to none. For American Eagle, denim is big business. But a few weeks ago, my positive perspective was dampened when I stepped into American Eagle at the College Mall and was told that now, the largest jean size theyll carry in store is a 16. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average waist of women 20 and older is 38.7 inches, which is a little larger than a size 20 at American Eagle. Its marquee style is its Curvy Jean, which was first introduced in February and will be available in 12 new washes for fall 2019. This could change. Big, small, short, tall, bigger on top, bigger on the bottom, slim, built, you name it, people come in all shapes and sizes. I don't really think about my weight sometimes but my recent relationships with clothing stores has forced me into a negative space that I am sure many other plus size men face. I still dont have the answer, and I dont know that I ever will. By Spring 2020, the company promises extended sizing for all womens bottomsnot just denimboth in-store and online. The brand previously offered its jeans in sizes 00 to 20 online; now they'll go up to a 24, and all sizes will be available both in stores and on its website. All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. Friday's weekly recap will let you catch up on the most important and most popular stories of the week. Not allowing me, or the average person, to comfortably find a new pair of jeans in a safe environment plays into weight bias and fatphobia. She's going to be on the window, we want [the jeans] everywhere.'". DL1961s Spring 19 collection was its first to offer sizes 14w to 24w. If you think that these popular stores should carry plus size please help out and sign! "We'll see where the customer takes us. They are just as worthy as anyone. I went into Justice, a store beloved by everyone I knew, and they didnt carry my size. Reformation permanently added size 14-24 to its denim range last year. The Monday edition, distributed during the IU basketball season, includes links to articles, columns, podcasts and more. Roland Gossage, CEO of e-commerce data company GroupBy, said recent inclusivity initiatives adopted by popular retailers are as good for society as they are for business. Will you do the same? Glossier Is Coming to Sephora Early Next Year. Being told the news of its new and exclusive practice was even worse. Inclusivity is one of our brand platforms, and we wanted to include all of our customers. All sizes will be available in stores just in time for the back-to-school shopping season. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Because this is American Eagle, they're all very affordable, with most coming in at $49.95. ", Models Denise Bidot and Nina Agdal at an American Eagle event, both wearing AE jeans, Starting on July 23, American Eagle's commitment to inclusive visuals goes a step further with new mannequinsin sizes 4, 8, and 16in its stores. In men's, we have regular- and athletic-fit mannequins too. Looking for clothes at stores like American Eagle, H&M, Forever 21, and Gap corporations can be pretty difficult because they don't carry plus sizes in stores. 4 Red Flags to Know to Avoid Buying GreenwashedJeans, How One Gender-Free Jeans Brand Is Rethinking OfficeAttire, Pacsun Celebrates Denim Relaunch With NYCParty, Kohls Exclusively Selling Levis Loose-Fitting 90sCollection, Circular Catalyst: Denim Library Makes Vintage JeansAccessible. All rights reserved. "I think people appreciate seeing people who are either like them or like their friends, who look like people who they see in their lives or that they can relate to. And starting this month, even more people will be able to wear them. Ultimately, the goal will be to have as many products in as many sizes in its stores as possible, according to Kessler. We said, 'This is silly. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. ", There was one specific event that really made this decision clear to the team, according to Kessler. Why include plus sizes when they are so stigmatized, right? View cart for details. Glamour may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. old Navy does offer a plus size section but it is only available online. Something went wrong. Previously, the retailer had been selling its extended womens sizes online only.