Apparently a group of ample chested ladies are going to storm the
next Marks & Spencer annual meeting as the chain store is charging more
for bigger bras.
The ever-reliable Daily Mail reports that
M&S have pissed off a huge number of women by charging £2 for bras bigger than a DD cup as they "require more engineering and materials."
The Busts 4 Justice Facebook group (of course there's a Facebook group)
has over 8,000 members and declare:
"M&S argued that bigger bras have bigger overheads and so must
retail at a bigger price. Note here that other high-street lingerie
retailers don't feel this need to distinguish between these 'costs' and
operate a one price for all tariff.
"Nor do M&S apply the
same policy to their other items. They would never charge you more for
an extra large t-shirt, or less for a smaller pair of trousers."
Beckie Williams, the cofounder of Busts 4 Justice, explains that M&S's claims of needing to up the price on bigger cup sizes because of
the extra materials is bollocks, as she says there is the same amount of
fabric used on a D cup with a 38 inch back as a DD with a 30 inch back.
And excitingly, unlike other Facebook groups, this group is actually taking action as they've purchased shares in M&S and have warned the retailer that they will take their campaign as shareholders to the AGM in July. This might actually get something done as Williams says, "They haven't
listened to us as customers, so now maybe they'll have to listen to us
as shareholders."
However, Marks & Spencer claim that women say they'll
"happily" pay the surcharge of £1.50 - £2. They claim that the extra materials and
engineering that goes into bigger bras as to ensure the breast tissue
is "properly supported and protected", and really, isn't that worth the £2, ladies?
Um, no, and here's why:
Marks & Spencer should always be using engineering and materials that will ensure all of their bras, even the A cups, are properly designed so that a woman's breast tissue is properly supported and protected.
This shouldn't be a fancy new feature that a bra actually fucking does what it's meant to.
Just as importantly, M&S should be making sure that their customers are wearing the
RIGHT size bra. I know more women who have gone to M&S and
told they were a 38C when they were actually a 32DD than any other
store.
I'd gladly pay an extra £2 to make sure I was wearing the right size - but not as a penalty for having more breast tissue.
Busts 4 Justice make the excellent point that
other high street shops and retailers do not charge extra for larger
cup sizes. Take La Senza for example, whose marketing director, Lisa
Bond, says that: "We don't
believe that you should discriminate against women because of the size
of their chest."
And really, how can M&S actually believe it's OK to do so?