Busty Women Protest Extra Charge for Large Bras in U.K.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Print LONDON — Busty women have banded
together to battle Britain's largest clothing retailer over a surcharge for
extra-large brassieres.
Frustrated with failed attempts to convince
Marks & Spencer to drop a 2 pound ($3) extra charge for sizes DD and larger,
the women plan to take their fight to the company's annual meeting.
"They aren't listening to customers, maybe they'll listen to
shareholders," said Beckie Williams, a founder of Busts 4 Justice who has
purchased a share of M&S stock so she can attend the meeting. "People think
it would be great to have big boobs, but it's an emotional issue, it can make
you feel isolated, and shopping at Marks & Spencer can make you feel like a
freak when they charge you extra."
The group, which has grown to several
thousand members via Facebook, seems to have tapped into a reserve of
resentment.
"Women have kept this to themselves," Williams said. "The
outpouring has to do with women venting their frustration."
The issue is
important for M&S, which has long sold mid-priced underwear to a large
segment of the British population. The venerable institution is positioned
between high-class lingerie shops like Rigby & Peller (which has the queen's
imprimatur) and bargain-priced chains like Primark.
The company says the extra engineering and material needed for a
large size bra justify the markup, but the women say the policy is unfair,
especially since clothing stores do not charge more for extra large pants,
socks, or men's briefs.
The issue has simmered for nearly 10
months, but erupted several days ago when M&S officials publicly rebuffed
calls to change policy, prompting several female columnists to complain.
Prominent TV personality Ulrika Jonsson wrote Thursday in the Daily Mail
that the M&S policy is misguided.
"There aren't enough negative
adjectives to describe how much I hated having big boobs," said Jonsson, who
recently had breast reduction surgery. "So the suggestion that I'd have to pay
over the odds for a bigger bra is not only appalling; it's deeply insulting."
Britain's cleavage-friendly tabloid press jumped into the fray Thursday,
with The Sun taking an editorial stance against the extra charge. The newspaper
quoted some of its Page Three girls — who usually appear topless in the popular
feature — denouncing the surcharge as discriminatory.
The newspaper
illustrated its article with photos of prominent, bikini-clad show business
personalities who would have to pay the surcharge if shopping at M&S.
M&S spokeswoman Jessica Harris said in a
statement that it would be impossible to cut prices on large-size bras without
reducing quality.
"At DD and above, the weight of a woman's breast
requires additional support, fabric and structure in a bra and from our years of
experience we know it's critical not to cut corners on this," she said.
The conflict has given other retailers a chance to cut into
M&S' traditionally strong hold on the British underwear market. A number of
specialty online retailers are offering larger size bras — winning praise from
Busts 4 Justice — and the retail chain ASDA is emphasizing its "one price for
all" strategy.
"Why should bigger busted women be
penalized?" said Leah Watson, spokeswoman for George, the in-house ASDA brand.
"Obviously the majority of women can't choose their shape. People who are
shopping on a budget shouldn't have to pay more to look good or to feel good."
She said the company loses money by selling oversize
bras for as little as 4 pounds ($6), but does not want larger women to be
charged extra.
Notice the sections I highlighted in red. Women are complaining it is "unfair", however it costs more to make the bigger bras, and retailers that are selling them at the same price as smaller bras admit they are losing money. Basic economics, people. Shit like undercharging is why companies go under. (Or need to be bailed out)
Notice the green highlighted section. Recent studies have shown that women do have bigger busts, on average, than they used to. The reason? Women tend to be fatter, on average, than they used to be. Don't like the extra charges for all that breast fat? Get off your fat ass and exercise! I know, some women have bigger breasts just because of genetics. But a large (pun intended) majority of women with huge breasts have huge breasts because they are overweight. Don't tell me that is something that you can't change and shouldn't be charged for.(And yes, I do agree with charging ridiculously overweight people for two seats on a plane or a bus. You would too if you ever got jammed in next to one on a 12 hour flight.)
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