Today, we look at Patagonia’s approach to sizing, the world around us today and other companies’ approach to addressing the calls for inclusivity.

Reading Yvon Chouinard’s Let My People Go Surfing that was published in 2005, led us to believe that being size inclusive was on the back burner for Patagonia. It is difficult for us to comprehend his way of thinking in today’s world, especially when a lot of companies now strive to be inclusive of every body shape. Chouinard says,

People who aren’t in the clothing business can count themselves lucky to not have the problem of fit. The way a company sizes clothes – what you call a small or medium, whether you design for physically fit people or those who aren’t – will always satisfy some customers and distress and turn away others. At Patagonia we pattern our sizes to our core customers, who are active and in better shape than that average snowmobiler or bait fisherman. This may mean we lose potential customers in order to keep our core customers happier. So be it. (p. 97)

Patagonia’s target audience are athletic people; therefore, they are mainly in the XS to XL size range that fits a little bit smaller than your typical clothing lines. Not only is Patagonia all about efficiency and creating sustainable products but also ensuring that “their fit is consistent throughout the line” (p 98). This begs the question; do they think that expanding their sizing options for men and women contradict their goal to cater to their target audience and do they believe that they won’t be considered by the athletic audience if they are more inclusive?

We would like to point out that this book was written in 2005; however, should you look at www.patagoniaelements.ca, you will find that they have adjusted their sizes a little. In the men’s section you can see that they have 54 XXL products and three (3) XXL women’s products as opposed to the 200+ products in size L or XL for men and women.

We believe Patagonia’s views and morals on sticking to an athletic audience is bizarre. Why is there a stereotype put out that you must have a smaller body to be athletic? Just by being present on social media, everyone can see that you can be active regardless of your size and/or BMI.

It’s becoming more OK to accept what your body looks like, no matter the shape or size. I believe this to be a great change in society as it can help with disorders many people suffer. Something we see regularly on social media is ‘body dysmorphia’. Body dysmorphia is defined as a “pathological preoccupation with an imagined or slight physical defect of one’s body to the point of causing significant stress or behavioral impairment in several areas” (Merriam-Webster, 2022). Brands can improve these issues by being inclusive in sizes and advertising. Patagonia argues that they target outdoorsy and active people; however, who are they to decide what an active body looks like?

We also read that “activewear can be incredibly fatphobic” (Sims, 2021). That was not surprising to us! Sims notes that in 2013 the founder of Lululemon replied to a complaint about their leggings by saying “sometimes a woman’s body just doesn’t work for their pants” (p.2). That was a problematic situation that received a lot of backlash from consumers and it eventually led him to leaving their company a couple years later. To say you’re offering plus sizes is different from having plus size clothing that compliments the larger body. Looking further into other companies, it’s come to our attention that there are plenty of brands who claim to be size inclusive, but have very limited items or tend to be problematic. In 2020 the popular brand Hot Topic was ranked to have the smallest amount of plus sized items in their women’s clothing, with only 0.7%(pretty progression pp. 1). Luckily since 2020, Hot topic has expanded and has over 2,000 items supporting plus sized women. Another popular clothing store, Urban Outfitters tried to be more size inclusive however in their dresses category only 1 out of 546 dresses had sizing above size 14 (Sims, 2021).  

Although Patagonia along with other brands continue to view sizing in a different perspective. Plus size clothing is almost a must when running a clothing company in today’s world. We know that we want everyone to feel included in today’s society. We need companies to follow that same ethical approach.

Lakayla Franklin
Melida Argueta 

References

Chouinard, Y. (2005). Let My People Go Surfing. U.S.A: Penguin Random House.

Merriam-Webster. (2022, March 07). Retrieved from medical dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/body%20dysmorphic%20disorderSims, J. (2021, December 28). 5 Plus Size Activewear Brands That Are Truly Size-Inclusive . Retrieved from InStyle: https://www.instyle.com/fashion/clothing/best-plus-size-fitness-clothes