By Adam Darby
The Kansas City Star
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) A new campaign at Kmart changes the name of the “Plus Sized” category to “Fabulously Sized.” It comes at a time when body positivity is on the rise with fashion shows adding curvier models and celebs fighting back against body shaming.
The Kansas City Star
Kmart is rebranding its apparel for “plus sized” women to something more celebratory: “Fabulously Sized.”
Kmart’s new “I Can” ad celebrates women of all shapes and sizes and marks the expansion of its signature brands — from Joe Boxer and Basic Editions to Jaclyn Smith — to larger sizes such as 1X and 5X, Forbes reports.
Kmart is the only U.S. retailer to extend the sizing in all of its apparel brands and product categories, Kelly Cook, chief marketing officer of the 432-store chain, told Forbes.
“When we reached out to our members on social media, they told us we needed to have a better assortment and that we should we call it something different,” Cook said. “They absolutely love this whole mantra of ‘Fabulously Sized.'”
There was a smattering of positive reaction on social media.
But mostly ridicule.
The campaign comes at a time when body positivity is on the rise with fashion shows adding curvier models and celebs fighting back against body shaming, Fox News reports.
But this also seems like a risky move for a struggling company that is closing 28 stores by mid-November.
Sears Holdings Corp. recently said it will continue to “transform” its business model so the number of its physical stores, as well as its online presence, matches shoppers’ needs and preferences.
Already, Sears has closed 180 stores this year. An additional 150 stores that were slated for closing are to shut by the end of next quarter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
