In this interview with activist and artist Jes Baker, she explains what motivated her to write a public letter to the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch after he had been quoted saying that they did not offer women’s sizes over a size 10 because “We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” This is an example of how institutions (in this case business) influences gendered norms because while there are XL and XXL men’s sizes at Abercrombie, you won’t find larger women’s sizes.
Baker has prompted a change.org petition and created a Abercrombie ad parody to “challenge the separation of attractive and fat.” Check it out!