This Amazon retailer has been accused of body shaming over the way it's selling these plus-size leggings

It's blatant body shaming.

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We bang the body confidence drum on the daily, but why is it that such an important message seems to consistently fall through the net when it comes to large-scale retailers? If it's not size 10s being listed as 'large', it's brands hiding the fact they're even releasing ranges for bigger sizes, and now there's this. A US Amazon Marketplace retailer's spectacularly insulting fail when it comes to selling plus size leggings.

It's great that there's choice out there for larger women when it comes to exercise gear; we all want to improve our health and fitness. But why on earth would you sell these leggings by using a non-plus size model who's pictured fitting both legs into one side of the leggings?

This just goes beyond unnecessary.

The picture was spotted on the online retailer's website by shopper Betsy Abel, who promptly uploaded it to Facebook along with a caption which basically read 'WTF were you thinking'.

"Here's one for today's 'Are You Freaking Kidding Me' file," Betsy wrote. "Scrolling through Amazon looking at leggings... Get to the bottom and see this pair of plus size leggings... That's fine, no shame if you need a larger size. So what the hell are they thinking using a slim model with two legs in one side???"

Betsy labelled the picture "disrespectful" and "poor taste", and she's completely right. Why is there a need to reinforce just how 'big' the leggings are by shoving a woman they're not designed to be worn by into one leg of them?

Others evidently agreed with the bad-taste nature of the image, with one person calling it "sad and disrespectful", and another adding: "Unbelievable".

Obviously Amazon itself is made up of a number of third-party sellers, but with such a big reputation to uphold, you'd think they'd try to vet the products that were being sold on the site and the way in which they were being advertised. Betsy did point out to TODAY Style that the initial seller of the leggings had removed the photo, but that the same image was being used by "several third-party sellers" on the site.

Not cool, you guys. Not cool at all.

Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to Amazon in relation to this article.

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