The world of fashion is always buzzing. Whether we’re talking about trends, luxury fashion or high street brands. Recently a much-loved high-street brand, New Look was caught in the crossfire for something known as
Fat Tax
. The store’s ‘Curves’ section housed a pair of pants that cost £3 ($4.04 in US dollars) more than the same pair in the store’s main collection as found by Maria Wassell, New Look‘s retail supervisor.
If you don’t understand what Fat Tax is exactly, let’s break it down together.
What is Fat Tax?
Fat Tax is when a store or brand puts a higher price on a larger piece of clothing when its smaller counterparts are of a lower price. Eg. A size 4 dress costs ₹1500 whereas the same dress in size 16 costs ₹2000. Fat Tax is exactly what it sounds like. Paying more money for being sizes higher than the average.
The larger size (left), in the Curves range, costs £22.99, while the very similar pair in the standard range cost £19.99
What does it imply?
By giving us better for lesser prices, the store is subtly dictating that women need to look a certain way. We live in a day and age where every body (yes, every body) is beautiful and, size is just a number on the back tag of your denim. Applying a higher price for the same clothes in a larger size is a clear sign of discrimination against individuals who might not have control over their size or height.
The Good News
New Look said in a statement: “We are in the process of reviewing the pricing structure of our Plus Size collection in a way which works best for our customers and our business.
Some retailers claim that a higher price is put on plus size clothing because of the extra materials needed—Do you think that is a fair justification? Let us know in the comments below.
Until then, keep loving yourself because you are magic!
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