Stop up-charging for women's plus-sized clothing

The Issue

Every woman knows how hard it is to find a good pair of jeans:  a pair that is the right fit at the right price. That’s why I was shocked when, during a recent visit to Old Navy’s website, I noticed that they were charging $12-$15 more for plus-sized womens jeans -- but not upcharging jeans for “big” men. If they are charging plus-sized women more to cover the cost of the fabric being used, then why aren’t they doing the same for men?

I was fine paying the extra money as a plus-sized woman, because, you know, more fabric equals higher cost of manufacture. However, selling jeans to larger-sized men at the same cost as they sell to smaller men not only negates the cost of manufacture argument, but indicates that Old Navy is participating in both sexism and sizeism, directed only at women.

For example: Old Navy’s Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans cost $27 in a size 6. The same jeans in a size 26 cost $40. Alternatively, the men’s Slim-Fit Jean costs $25--no matter the size.

Old Navy even takes it one-step further, by separating out “Women’s Plus” clothes into a completely different section of the website, but keeping all of the mens clothes together. I don’t understand why me and women like me are being singled out and forced to pay more by Old Navy, when our male counterparts are not.

This is entirely unfair and offensive on many levels. For a company like Old Navy, who claims to be inclusive and strives to provide affordable clothing for everyone, this practice completely undermines their mission.Please join me in calling on Old Navy to take a stand as a leader in their industry, and tell them to stop their discriminatory pricing practices and offer products at a fair cost to ALL people of size, not just men.

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Renee PoseyPetition Starter
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Confirmed victory
This petition made change with 94,542 supporters!

The Issue

Every woman knows how hard it is to find a good pair of jeans:  a pair that is the right fit at the right price. That’s why I was shocked when, during a recent visit to Old Navy’s website, I noticed that they were charging $12-$15 more for plus-sized womens jeans -- but not upcharging jeans for “big” men. If they are charging plus-sized women more to cover the cost of the fabric being used, then why aren’t they doing the same for men?

I was fine paying the extra money as a plus-sized woman, because, you know, more fabric equals higher cost of manufacture. However, selling jeans to larger-sized men at the same cost as they sell to smaller men not only negates the cost of manufacture argument, but indicates that Old Navy is participating in both sexism and sizeism, directed only at women.

For example: Old Navy’s Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans cost $27 in a size 6. The same jeans in a size 26 cost $40. Alternatively, the men’s Slim-Fit Jean costs $25--no matter the size.

Old Navy even takes it one-step further, by separating out “Women’s Plus” clothes into a completely different section of the website, but keeping all of the mens clothes together. I don’t understand why me and women like me are being singled out and forced to pay more by Old Navy, when our male counterparts are not.

This is entirely unfair and offensive on many levels. For a company like Old Navy, who claims to be inclusive and strives to provide affordable clothing for everyone, this practice completely undermines their mission.Please join me in calling on Old Navy to take a stand as a leader in their industry, and tell them to stop their discriminatory pricing practices and offer products at a fair cost to ALL people of size, not just men.

avatar of the starter
Renee PoseyPetition Starter
Media inquiries

Confirmed victory

This petition made change with 94,542 supporters!

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The Decision Makers

Gap Inc.
Gap Inc.
Responded
“To Renee Posey and our valued Old Navy customers: Recently, important questions were raised about Old Navy’s women’s plus size line, which has given us an opportunity to hear invaluable feedback from our customers. What we’ve heard from you has inspired us. We’d like to keep the conversation going. There’s a lot of room for improvement in the way plus-size clothes are designed and marketed throughout the industry-at-large. At Old Navy, a significant amount of work is invested in making sure plus-size women feel beautiful and on-trend at a price they can afford when they wear our label. Not many apparel brands can say that they’ve had a dedicated plus size line for as long as we have (since 1994). But, we always want to learn and see how we can improve. Today, it starts with doing more. We will do a better job communicating the value we provide to plus-size customers and begin forging a stronger relationship with customers. As a result of customer feedback, we are updating our policy to allow in-store returns of women’s plus size clothes, starting December 5. We also hear loud and clear that Old Navy needs to be better about engaging with our plus size customers. To that end, Old Navy will be forming a new customer panel to gather insights that will further enhance our plus size collections. This group, which will kick off in January, will focus on discussion, fashion brainstorming and product feedback directly to the Old Navy design and marketing teams. Meeting four times a year, they will test drive new Old Navy women’s plus designs and serve as a sounding board for the Plus Design team. We are excited about the ways in which their input will enhance the Old Navy customer experience. Some of our customers have pointed out that our women’s plus line is priced differently than our men’s extended sizes line and they're right – it is. It’s priced differently because it is different. We invest more in our product, and we’re proud of what we deliver. Looking back, we have not done enough to celebrate what is unique and special about Old Navy’s plus line. Thanks to the work of a dedicated plus design team – a rarity among our competitors -- we create patterns specifically for our women’s plus size line to ensure the best fit and experience. The reality is that while our men’s line is meant to provide affordable, fashion-forward options for various shapes, sizes and heights, men have different needs when it comes to fashion. Our men’s line embraces the same values of fun, fashion and family, but our extended-size menswear is the exact same design and therefore the exact same price. We plan to continue to offer women's plus fashion essentials at accessible prices. Clothes are meant to be empowering, flattering and a way to express your personal style. Old Navy is proud of the clothes that we create for fashion-forward women of all sizes. Sincerely, Edie Kissko, Old Navy spokesperson ”
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Petition created on November 4, 2014