This is something I’ve wondered about and struggled with: Do we have an ethical obligation to buy sports clothes only from manufacturers who make a full range of sizes? I’m not small, I weigh a lot, but I fit within the usual size range so I can buy work out wear wherever I want (except Lululemon–their size range leaves me out!) but I often feel torn about it. When I blogged about finding a sports bra that fit–see http://fitisafeministissue.com/2015/05/16/oiselle-bras-reviewed/–a few readers commented that I ought to have spent my money elsewhere since the Oiselle large (which fits me) is only a 12, not even a 14-16. And I agree that in a world in which 14 is the average size it’s odd to make your large smaller than that.

So part of me is with the people like Leah who advocate spending on our money on stuff made by companies that support body diversity. The other part of me thinks it’s okay if companies specialize and that we can spend our money on products that fit us and not worry about those who are excluded.

I’m curious. What do you think? Is there an ethical obligation to buy from companies who sell a full range of sizes? If not an obligation (maybe that’s too strong) is it better, ethically speaking, to buy from companies who sell a full range of sizes? Let us know what you think.