Did Wet Seal Deny A Rightfully Earned Contest Win to This Plus Size Blogger?

Earlier this week, fast fashion mall staple Wet Seal announced the winners of its “Wet Seal Believes in You” competition. One winner that was strangely absent was blogger Kierra Tanner. Tanner, like the other contest entrants, had entered the contest by uploading a video according to the competition’s specifications and spreading the word, hoping to earn votes.

Like the other participants, Tanner was under the impression that the most votes would secure a win. She tells Wear Your Voice that by the time the voting period had closed on December 4th, she was at the top of the heap with over 2,000 votes and a 700 vote lead. The winning entrants were supposed to be notified on the 16th, but ended up being notified on the 24th. Tanner was never contacted.

Tanner was understandably surprised when she didn’t hear anything from Wet Seal. She voiced her frustration on Facebook, citing Wet Seal’s history of allegations of discrimination.


Kierra Tanner

News of Tanner’s strange loss soon spread, and many supporters have posted to Wet Seal’s Facebook Page demanding to know why Kierra Tanner wasn’t given her rightfully earned win.

While the contest’s official rules do state that Wet Seal has the final say on who can be awarded a contest win, the situation seems reminiscent of the controversy surrounding a modeling contest run by American Apparel back in 2011. In this case, the contest, which was conducted to find a model to sport the company’s new plus size offerings, was technically won by an entrant who didn’t appear to take the competition too seriously. Blogger Nancy Upton, who submitted images that were intended to be a scathing commentary on American Apparel’s business practices, received the most votes, but was denied a win. She also received a harsh letter from the company’s then creative director outlining why she wasn’t chosen.

Eventually Upton worked something out with American Apparel, but so far there’s no telling if Kierra Tanner can reach any sort of agreement with Wet Seal.

In the meantime, Tanner is hoping for any apology and for Wet Seal to do the right thing.

“I believe this particular contest was done in such an underhanded way (to promote) beauty ideals that I don’t fit, like fair skin and thin bodies,” she says. “A major part has to be looking good for their barely there consumer base, instead of Wet Seal choosing the people’s favorite.”