It seems like shoppers spoke, and Nike finally listened. In an effort to include more body types in its range of sizes, the athletic apparel company launched an extended size range. According to Today, Nike now will offer sizes XL to 3XL.
And, it looks like the company put a lot of thought into what consumers actually want.
“We know that body weights are distributed differently for everybody and as we look at plus-size, there is more variance,” Helen Boucher, Nike’s vice president of women’s training apparel, said in a statement, according to Today. “When we design for plus-size, we aren’t just proportionately making our products larger. That doesn’t work because as we know, everyone’s weight distribution is different.”
Specifically, this means more flattering color options and better fitting garments. Nike hopes this move will enable women to focus on strength, not size.
“The motivation in young girls today is to be strong,” said Boucher. “And while strong looks different for everybody, what’s consistent in athletes today is that fitness is very much a part of her lifestyle … Our motivation is to ensure she has the solutions to achieve her full potential as an athlete. Strong is the keyword for us; size doesn’t matter.”
While most of the public responded very positively to Nike’s news, the announcement didn’t come without some criticism. A handful of commentators took to social media to attack Nike as promoting obesity with its new line.
Plus-size Nike model and blogger Grace Victory responded by saying, “Fat shaming me and my girl on our Nike Campaign is hilarious. We be laughing all the damn way to the bank.”
