The activewear industry has built a substantial part of its brand equity on a single claim: that wearing its products makes women feel better about themselves. Confidence. Empowerment. Body positivity. These messages are the central narrative deployed by leading brands to justify premium pricing, justify lifestyle positioning and justify the category’s extraordinary expansion from gymwear into full everyday dress.
A peer-reviewed study published in April 2026 in the journal Behavioral Sciences puts that claim to a rigorous test. The…
