As an individual who embraces alternative fashion, I deeply appreciate stores like Hot Topic that provide a diverse selection of clothing styles. Such places offer comfort, cater to individuality, and become a safe space for self-expression. However, as a plus-sized person, my experiences at Hot Topic are far from perfect. The reason? Plus sizes ranging beyond a certain point are virtually absent from their physical stores, and can only be found online. This practice hinders an efficient shopping experience due to the widely acknowledged problems of sizing and detecting fine details of the clothing online.

It's not just me who experiences this. Hot Topic, being popularly associated with counterculture, alternative, and pop culture-related styles, caters to a vast customer base with various body sizes. The average American woman, for instance, wears between a size 16 and 18, a range that falls into the plus-size category in many clothing shops. Yet, consistent with my personal experience, we find our sizes absent from the shelves in Hot Topic stores.

Clothes represent identity, personality, and culture, and everyone deserves the opportunity to express themselves through fashion, regardless of their physical appearance and size. Making our sizes available in-store won't just be beneficial for us, it may also advance business for Hot Topic, given the reported $21.4 billion spent on women's plus-size clothing in 2016 (NPD Group).

The time has come to promote inclusivity in all spectrums of retail fashion. It's time Hot Topic, a personal favorite amongst many in the alternative dressing community, eliminates the restriction of plus sizes to the online platform. We, the undersigned, urge Hot Topic to carry all sizes, including plus sizes, in their physical stores. This will foster greater inclusivity, promoting body positivity and a more comfortable shopping experience.

We make this call not just for ourselves, but for every uniquely styled individual who has been limited by the lack of size variety. Time to initiate change. Please, sign this petition.