We don’t share a lot of kickstarter projects here but this one is one I can get behind.
Recently I reblogged Leah G’s piece THE DAY MY PURSE STOOD UP FOR BODY POSITIVITY.
She writes, “Ethical buying and consumerism. Its a concept that has grown rapidly and something we have probably been doing unconsciously for most of our lives as customers. I’m sure so many people out there already subscribe to an ethos when they purchase their clothing, but I must admit that whilst I do it with my grocery items, I’ve never done it with clothing – until now.
Today I have decided that I am going to buy ethically for Body Positivity.
As we all know, one of the major issues in my Body Positivity advocacy is to encourage sporting brands who stock sizes 14-up to actually feature athletes 14-up in their gear. As someone who has previously worked in fashion and retail for many years, I know that by doing this, they will not only have people running to their stores or jumping online to buy the product they now know will fit them, but brands become immediately more relatable.”
Her post provoked quite a bit of discussion about sizes, cost, and the ethics of shopping.
I’ve just spent a few days in Toronto–not a small city!–looking for running shorts that fit. Usually, especially when it comes to tops, I can wear a size 12 or 14. But with my cyclist quads, that’s getting trickier when it comes to fitted shorts.
There’s also, as Leah notes, an ethical issue about shopping. The average woman in North America is a size 14. But lots of athletic wear–here’s looking at you Lululemon and Oiselle!–stop at size 12. That’s clearly sending a message. And I say this as someone who buys Oiselle bras–they’re not padded and they’ve got lots of support.
Anyway, I loved the message in the video. Watch even if you disagree about the ethical push to buy size inclusive brands. Watch even if you hate kick starter. I gave them $35 b/c I want the #feminist tee and it it succeeds I’ll buy the leggings. The kickstarter campaign is here.
“We believe in the power of fitness to help women build strength and confidence to succeed in all aspects of their lives. We are committed to helping women feel confident and supported in their efforts with high fashion, high performance clothing designed to make them feel like superheroes.
But do we really need ANOTHER brand of activewear? YES! Most major active brands only make high performance women’s clothing up through size 12. The average American women wears size 14. Superfit Hero is a size-inclusive brand of high performance activewear for women size XS-3XL. Join us on our mission to make fitness more inclusive, body-positive, and empowering for women.”
