Thursday, May 27, 2010

An open letter to a retail chain

Dear Merchandise chain that uses a bullseye shape as part of it's logo-

I am a regular customer of your establishment, but after last night's visit I am wondering if you understand the concept of clothing , in particular for women. We come in all shapes and sizes- a fact that you seem to be aware of by your inclusion of regular, woman's and maternity departments. However i think you fail to understand that real women are not all in their teens and 20's, attempting to dress like something that could be found on down time on the set of Sex in The City. After a certain age ( chronologically or mentally), we are no longer hearing our biological clocks screaming and therefor dressing to impress the other half of the species. We are looking for clothing that is functional, wearable, washable, fireproof and not apt to be caught in elevator doors, escalator stairways and so forth. In short, a bright colored bra that looks like it was a pair of sanded down traffic cones topped with a thin enough to see that bra tee and an equally thin "let's make em look like they are hidden in a smokescreen" vest with something that looks like ruffles gone to seed is not something many women want.We have enough to explain to our children in life- why mommy is wearing a lime green bra that is broadcasting through the sort of kelly green tee shirt is not a necessary discussion.

And while we are on the subject, real women wear bras that extend well beyond size 40. And not every woman beyond size 36 is a D cup , and not every bra needs to look like you are wearing a temprapedic mattress on your chest. Looking at your offerings I am beginning to wonder if your design team is subconsciously worrying about global warming and the ice cap melt. That might explain why your offerings remind me of personal flotation devices.

I will continue to do business with your chain for a great many things, but you have lost my faith in your clothing line. I will do buisness with chains that understand that a woman's real worth comes from what she is and does in the world, and she wants clothing that allows her to do just that. Lime green bra/flotation device or not.

Sincerely,
A woman who is simply looking for a sleeveless top

4 comments:

WWSuzi said...

Very true!! I have a heck of a time finding a bra that's big enough for me :)

Leslie said...

Love this and I totally agree. The only clothes I buy at Target now are warm up pants and warm up capris. Now for my 26 y/o size 4 daughter, I can load the cart and she likes most of it. BTW, she lives in the Dominican Republic in the Peace Corps and I periodically buy her new stuff to send via Mom's Care Package. She's informed me that Target vanity sizes which is why she wears a small in their clothes. She's 5'10 and average sized.

And your bra comment was GREAT too! I currently wear a 42 band size, but only a B cup. Virtually impossible to find.

Diane FIt to the Finish said...

I know your pain. I do not buy clothes at Target because 1) they don't hold up, and 2) so many of them are way too low cut or tight for my comfort.

This post made me smile today! I hope you and your family have a nice weekend.

Pam said...

i TOTALLY agree! When I was pregnant, I looked through their maternity clothes - what a joke - 90% of them were size XS - apparently, "fat" people don't get pregnant, so I must have been a freak of medicine! (Still shop there weekly for everything else though - just totally skip the clothing section for everyone but our toddler)