Editor's Note: Don't mess with a woman's chest

If nothing else this recession has proved a bloody boon for those of us in the business media.

Without putting too fine a point on it if we're not flat stick chasing after administrators or sifting through the grisly financial ashes of burnt companies, we're busy fielding calls from large and small businesses keen to share their tips for surviving the great GFC.

But even with all the interesting strategies we have bore witness too, few have been quite so innovative as the one adopted by UK retail group Marks & Spencers.

The venerable old Marks & Sparks became a headline writer's dream last month after announcing it intended introducing a £2 ($A4.06) surcharge to all bras above a DD-cup.

The group's rationale was that bigger bras required more specialist work and the additional charge was as a result of extra support for larger cup sizes - not to mention the added cost of materials, transport, storage and display.

It would be fair to say the decision went down about as well as Matt Johns' apology to his wife.

Campaigners from all corners took to the streets to protest against the move, arguing it discriminated against well-endowed women. Social media too played its part with a Facebook page of larger women set up with nearly 8000 members joining under the appropriately titled banner 'Busts 4 Justice'. Others went so far as to become shareholders of the listed group to ensure they could personally voice their objection at the group's next AGM. In fact they put so much pressure on the retailer it later shelved the plan.

Despite the fact the status quo was retained, the question remains, does it make sense to pay more for something that costs more to make? The good news for Australian consumers is that without a national sizing standard we are unlikely to see any similar initiative taken up here.

My guess is that Australian department stores would suddenly implement their own sizing assortment where the smallest cup size available was labelled an E. The debate on sizing has always galvanised the industry - not least because, from a consumer's point of view, it is such an emotional issue.

As you will have read in these very pages, organisations such as the Fashion Technicians Association of Australia and the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia have long been lobbying the government for action. And  in last month's budget came the news that finally their persistence had paid off with K Rudd agreeing to commission further advice on introducing a voluntary national sizing standard and anthropometric database.

The issue has again been drawn into the spotlight with consumer action group Choice unveiling a detailed report which details the frustrations felt not only by female consumers but also by their male counterparts. Comments posted by Ragtrader Online readers also revealed the problem extends to buyers and retailers, and footwear and belt makers.

But is it possible for us all ever to work off the same page? And is it even up to consumers to dictate the business practices of individual labels? Would love to know your thoughts.