[News] [USA] What’s the Fitting Room Policy for Transgender Women at H&M, Zara, and Urban Outfitters?

[Stephanie Stevens]

Styleite, NY, USA


What’s the Fitting Room Policy for Transgender Women at H&M, Zara, and Urban Outfitters?

by Ashley Hoffman | Friday, November 21st 2014 at 10:38 am


At Petticoat Fair in Austin, Texas this year, a retail worker suggested that transgender woman Kylie Jack have reassignment surgery if she wanted a bra fitting. Suffering a salesperson who refuses to serve you, or asks you for your license is a continually popular dehumanizing bonus that comes with your dressing room experience if you’re transgender. Some stores feel that women might have trouble focusing on whether or not their ballet skirt fits when there’s a possible penis next door. Others are all good with providing stellar service and access for whoever rolls in.

We cold called six mass market stores — H&M, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Victoria’s Secret, Forever 21, and American Apparel — to get the official policy about fitting room access for different gender identities. (We’re still waiting to hear back from public relations representatives from each store.) Most of the stores have unisex fitting rooms and were exceptionally excited to serve transgender people, but Zara and Victoria’s Secret employees weren’t as prepared. See below for their responses.

1. H&M

"Transgender people are the same as everyone else, you can take your things to the women’s area or the men’s. All of the fitting rooms are unisex, like there will be a fitting room on the men’s floor, but anyone can change. There’s a women’s fitting room by the women’s clothing, but anyone can try on clothes there.”

2. Urban Outfitters

"If you’re transgender, it doesn’t matter. Anyone can go into either of the fitting rooms, like we have a men’s floor fitting room, but people use whichever one they want. That’s our official policy, anyone can try on in the men’s or women’s areas, anyone.”

3. Zara

"No, if you want to go to try some clothes, you are not able to do that. If a man wants to go, no we don’t allow that. It’s because that’s our policy, we don’t allow men to try some clothes, and vice versa for women.” If the ‘man’ identifies as a woman? [After a hold....] “You can talk to the manager. if you have any issue or concern, you can go to the customer service department.”

4. American Apparel

"If you’re transgender, there’s absolutely no problem, you can change. A man or a woman can go to the fitting rooms, they wouldn’t have to be concerned. We’re not one of those stores. You can be perfectly comfortable if you choose to try anything on. We would help you.”

5. Forever21

"In most stores, there aren’t women’s or men’s fitting rooms, the fitting rooms are for both men and women. If someone’s transgender, yeah that’s totally fine, yeah it’s totally… there’s no preference. If someone wants to try on clothes you can try them on. There’s no discrimination against anybody.”

6. Victoria’s Secret

"Well because sometimes, women feel uncomfortable, it would have to be more on the side to make sure other women aren’t there feeling uncomfortable, but we could allow it [a transgender woman or man changing.] It really depends on the management and how people feel, but it should be fine, you would just have to ask the manager.”


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