This is how you do it, folks. I'm so proud to add Superfit Hero to the companies I promote as fully inclusive!
I promoted their post, shown above, earlier this week and the responses were really interesting (if occasionally dismaying). There was a surprising amount of pushback (both on my page and on Superfit's) from thin folks who were offended and appalled that a company would dare to serve the largest sizes and not choose to serve people in thin bodies.
Given that Superfit is currently the only company serving high-quality, ethically-produced apparel up to 7X (yes, you read that right. Before now, there were zero.), we could spend a few hours on all the ways these outbursts are fatphobic, oppressive and just mean. Instead, here's the world's quickest Q&A:
“But if they don't serve allllll sizes, including down to 00, they're not truly inclusive.”
Yes, you are technically correct. Congrats! Is that worth ruining the joy for the people who finally, finally have ONE option? Maybe rethink your priorities.
“But my cousin wears a very small size and has trouble finding clothing. This is discrimination.”
Refer to my answer above about superfat folks now having ONE option on the planet.
“But these are really expensive! That's classist! I'm mad about it!"
Yep. You have two choices in apparel: sweatshop-made clothing that's cheap and easy to access, or ethically-made clothing that's…not cheap. Paying people a living wage is expensive. Producing goods ethically is expensive. Producing anything as a small business is expensive, since you lack economies of scale.
If you don't like their pricing and they are the only business that carries your sizing, that sucks and I feel you. (If you don't like their pricing and other businesses serve you, then why are you griping?) I hope that someday very soon superfat folks have just as full a range of apparel in size, pricing, level of quality and style that thin folks have. But in the meantime, the lack of options is the fault of capitalism, racism and fatphobia, not Superfit Hero. Leave them alone.
“Has talking about this cost you something personally?”
Why yes, actually, it has. I do place boundaries around what gets discussed in comments on my social media pages, to protect myself as a human being but also to protect my community from further marginalization.
When I posted about Superfit's business change, a number of people wanted to turn it into a gripefest about their pricing. When I asked them to stop and explained that I don't want my Facebook page to turn into a place where companies working toward inclusivity get endlessly bashed, someone was so incensed that they left my business a fake negative “review."
If you have worked with me and would like to share your experience, please consider leaving a review on my Facebook page (positive or negative, as long as it's real) to help balance out the revenge review. (I'd ask that you not attack the fake reviewer, since they've already been banned from the page.)