Hollister is under fire after a plus-sized influencer accused the brand of using her content for marketing without permission. In a viral video that has been viewed over 4.3 million times, TikToker Samyra (@samyra) called out the company.
“Hollister used me to sell their clothes without my permission,” text overlaid on the clip read.
Did Hollister use the woman’s content for profit?
According to the woman, Hollister “used her” to market its clothing without her permission.
However, she was even more upset by the fact that the store had a disappointing selection of plus-sized clothes. On its website, there is no plus-size section for women or men. However, there is a section for women’s “curvy” bottoms that goes up to size 20. Its selection of tops for women and men goes to XXL. Men’s bottoms go up to XXL and size 40.
“Hollister, if you’re gonna use me to market your clothing,” she began in the clip, “the least you could do is make plus sizes.”
She then shared another clip of her review of the store’s clothes for plus-sized women.
“Why is it always Snoopy?” she said as images of plus-sized clothes featuring the cartoon character flashed across the screen.
The review went viral and racked up a ton of views. Hollister even shared it on its TikTok page.
According to her, the brand pinned her review to its profile and put it on its “bestsellers playlist.”
Samyra believes this indicates the company made money from her review.
“Now, over 11,000 shares, half a million views, and God knows how many sales later,” she continued, “you have effortlessly proved my point.”
She accused brands of profiting from “co-opting” plus-size messages and missions while not actually serving the demographic.
“Our voices are good enough to include, but not our bodies,” she said.
Ultimately, the woman urged the company to remove the video.
“So, to avoid further trouble for yourself, I suggest removing the video immediately,” she concluded.
The content appears to no longer be pinned to the store’s TikTok profile or in its bestsellers playlist.
@samyra @hollister ♬ original sound – Samyra
Brands often face backlash from plus-sized consumers
Hollister is not the only brand that has faced backlash from consumers over its treatment of plus-sized shoppers.
A woman recently called out Target after she said the company put its plus-size clothes on a back wall where she could not easily find it. Another woman accused Forever 21 of getting rid of their plus-sized section altogether.
Last year, an influencer slammed Spirit Halloween for having disappointing options in plus sizes.
There is no shortage of content by plus-sized shoppers criticizing clothing brands for a lack of inclusivity.
Commenters share thoughts
In the comments section, many affirmed that the woman’s content still appeared on Hollister’s social media.
“HERE WHILE THE HOLLISTER VID IS STILL UP,” user Spencer | music curator wrote.
Another agreed that the woman should be outraged.
“I haven’t shopped at a Hollister since middle school and I still struggled to find sizes then. It’s insane,” user Sydney Grace said.
“What’s crazy is from what I recall Hollister has NEVER been inclusive of plus sizes so this is wild for them to [do] this. You did the right thing calling them out. 100%” user Nostalgia Nerdess commented.
However, some defended the store.
“There’s over a thousand videos with that sound I don’t think they used it in spite more like just using the sound bc they have snoopy themed things like the other ppl using the sound,” user Slap commented.
“Honestly I have the opposite issue, Hollister is the ONLY store that fits me because I’m in-between adult and kids sizes,” user Matt said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Samyra and Hollister via email for comment.
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