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PMM Exclusive: Lane Bryant Responds to Critics of #PlusisEqual Tees

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Photography: Marc Watley (http://superobvio.us)

Plus size fashion retailer Lane Bryant has been receiving criticism regarding from their #PlusisEqual campaign, including some critics speaking out publicly about the free t-shirts given out at their Times Square rally on Monday, September 14.

Read moreDid You Miss Lane Bryant’s Times Square #PlusIsEqual Rally & Celebration? Click here…

The purple tees had a plus icon on the front and read “Lane Bryant #PlusIsEqual” on the back. The tees were being handed out at a booth during the rally to attendees. And the criticisms regarding the tee are size-related.

According to author and activist Virgie Tovar in her article on Ravishly.com, the only sizes available were small, medium, large and extra large.

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Photography: Marc Watley (http://superobvio.us)

Why would Lane Bryant hand out t-shirts in non-plus sizes at a plus size event with the hashtag #PlusIsEqual? That is the question Virgie and others have asked.

We reached out to Lane Bryant for a statement and this is what they had to say:

“Over 2000 shirts were handed out in Times Square at our event. Sizes were evenly split including plus size. We are very sorry that not everyone was able to get a shirt. Next season, we will make an effort to have even more on hand!”

This is what we know…

The message behind the campaign is about starting the conversation about body diversity in the media and marketing campaigns.

It appears that Lane Bryant is willing to take the steps to start that conversation and send a powerful message that other retailers do not seem to be willing to engage in.

In a world where a size 6 and above is considered plus size in the fashion/modeling industry, when the average size of the American woman is a size 14, this is a conversation that needs to be had.

Many plus size women have been asking to see larger women featured in marketing campaigns and there have been some amazing campaigns that have…

Eloquii’s size 26/28 lookbooks:

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Catherines latest #denimdebut campaign featuring many plus size bloggers over a size 20:

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And… Redbook Magazine featuring women of varying sizes on their Sept 2015 cover:

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But these campaigns have never gone viral or garnered as much attention as #PlusIsEqual. Why is that? Are we truly ready to see larger, visibly plus women in campaigns and in the media?

We want to know what you think. Please leave us a comment below and let us know.