courtesy of ebaumsworld and super-librarian
There was a short blurb in Yoga Journal‘s Yoga Buzz blog today about the obvious clothing bias in the yoga world towards curvy yogis. The blog cites a recent Vancouver Sun article that shows the Lululemon flagship store no longer stocking size 14, despite claims by corporate headquarters. (Makes me want to head over to the Prudential store here in Boston and check what their largest size is.)
Looking at the major clothing companies like Lululemon (the obvious first choice), Lucy, Gaiam and PrAna, it’s clear that there is little to no clothing marketed for women with significant curves or for women who aren’t at least 5’6″. Sorry all you petite yogis, you’re not wanted either. Because apparently short/fat/curvy/tall or muscular people can’t do yoga. Oh, and men? This means you, too.
Excuse me while I go bang my head against the wall.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a “skinny minnie” yogi. At 5’6″ I’ve always been pretty thin and, thanks to my teacher discount, tend to wear mostly Lulu clothing. I like the fit and they are the best I’ve tried for heated practices in wicking sweat away. BUT, even I have gotten the “up and down” when walking into a Lulu store.
Am I their target market right now? Yes. Will I be when I’m still practicing at 40 and have had children? Probably not. And that’s a damn shame.
As a teacher, I consider my most successful classes are those when I get a good cross-section of men and women, ages, sizes and abilities, and EVERYone leaves class with a smile on their faces and glowing from the inside. That is successful yoga. Successful yoga is not wearing $98 pants that hug your size 2 ass.
So, three questions for you:
- If you’re an extra-petite yogi or a yogi with curves, what do you wear to your yoga classes?
- If you were going to purchase yoga clothes, what kind of clothing would you like to see?
- Has not having appropriate clothing kept you from trying out yoga altogether or from trying a different style/type of yoga?
