Dear Ashley Stewart & Company:

I was so excited to find out that someone had taken the time and careful consideration to create a bra for women that are not designed for mannequins (of ANY size). Me and 7 of my best friends rushed to the local A.S. store to purchase one in EVERY colour. Imagine our complete & utter disappointment when we were told that the bras were only available for fitting in 5 stores or online! (And guess what? Your store managers are just as mad! You’re ruining their customers’ confidence thus profit margins.)

Here we go again… the run-around being given to plus-size, normal women. What should have been a joyous occasion once again being ruined by corporate America. Anyone that knows anything about women can testify that no pair of breasts – save a pair of 30A – fit in any ONE size of bras. If a woman states she always wears a size yadda-yah bra, she has worn many ill-fitted bras in her lifetime. My point is that all bras run different sizes depending on the stretch of the fabric, construction, manufacturer, etc., even if they are all labelled as size 40C’s. The majority of women – especially plus-sized women – will not purchase a bra sight unseen much less without trying it on for fit. Most women won’t order intimate apparel online UNLESS they’ve tried it before, want more of the same, and find the fit consistent within a certain company OR they have time to waste AND find a company that has a vvvvery liberal return & shipping policy. Even comparing one’s own measurements via measuring tape to what SUPPOSEDLY should fit is a crap shoot.

There are 7 very angry women here that have told their closest friends & relatives and so on (Lousiana, New York, California, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Hawaii, New Mexico, you get the gist). If this doesn’t mean anything to your company, it should. In the New Orleans area, EVERYone refers to their friends as ‘cousins’. Furthermore, we like to enjoy life – music, food, culture, diversity – in this city, so there are plenty of plus-sized females constituting a potentially huge client base. This holds true for much of the deep South. The bad word of mouth could potentially damage your bottom line across state lines and in ways that you could only begin to imagine.

Your marketing & distribution team should be cleaned out for its ill-conceived concept. Whether it’s the truth or not, the lack of distribution to all of your stores looks – to the average customer – as if women that don’t live in specially-selected cities are not worthy of your product. We really wanted to believe in Ashley Stewart as a company that provided for woman of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds. It’s beyond comprehension that Jill Scott’s name is associated with this! Off to http://www.jillscott.com now…

Deeply southern & deeply insulted,

Teresa