Story highlights Comments made by Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO offended some consumers

"Militant Baker" blogger Jes Baker spoofed the retailer's ads by making her own

The blogger says plus-sized women like her get short shrift from retailers

Baker says women and men can be "attractive and fat," so retailers should take notice

Jes Baker is cutting retailer Abercrombie & Fitch down to size.

Baker, who blogs under the name "The Militant Baker" and wears a size 22, changed the brand's A&F logo to "Attractive & Fat" in a mock, black-and-white Abercrombie ad to challenge the line's branding efforts.

The photos come as a provocative response to contentious comments Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries made in a 2006 Salon article about the multibillion-dollar brand's target audience.

"In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids," Jeffries said. "Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

The divisive remarks resurfaced earlier this month after a series of protests went viral, from Greg Karber's video of himself giving homeless people Abercrombie clothing to a Change.org petition for larger sizes by a teenage eating disorder survivor.

The plus-size community particularly took umbrage to the CEO's business model because the retailer currently does not offer clothes above size 10 or large for women.

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"I challenge the separation of attractive and fat, and I assert that they are compatible regardless of what you believe," Baker, 26, wrote in a public letter addressed to the CEO.

Jeffries has since apologized in a statement: "While I believe this 7-year-old, resurrected quote has been taken out of context, I sincerely regret that my choice of words was interpreted in a manner that has caused offense."

Baker spoke to CNN about Jeffries' comments and her motivations to address them. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

CNN: You start your letter with a preface that Jeffries' opinion "isn't shocking; millions share the same sentiment." The comments are from 2006 -- what motivated you to act on them?

Jes Baker: It really wasn't upset or outrage at all. I've been an art major for the majority of my academic life, and so I am always trying to find opportunities to do something artistic.

I just thought we don't see the juxtaposition of typical and atypical bodies in advertising specifically. Since I am a woman and I am fat and that's what I have to work with, I wanted to show that contrast by finding a male model.

Really, it just came because I wanted to not be angry about it. I wanted to not say, "This is an outrage, I've never heard of this before," but say, "OK, well, look at this. Look at how awesome this is."

And, I think when you're talking about really serious subjects, and this is kind of serious, it's important to be a little bit cheeky and pull in a little bit of humor so that it's approachable -- and it worked.

CNN: In your letter, you credit Jeffries with creating "an incredible opportunity for social change." What did you mean by that?

Baker: In the body-positive world, which is still a subculture, fashion for fat people -- In the body-positive world, which is still a subculture, fashion for fat people -- what they call "fatshion" -- is a really big political statement. So is the concept of, for example, a fat person walking around wearing cut-off shorts and not apologizing for their body being so observable.

Being positive and having confidence is a huge deal. Through a very, very large company that deals with fashion and also deals with unrealistic body images, it's a perfect opportunity. You're bringing in fashion, you're bringing in body consciousness in general, you're bringing in kids who shop at the mall -- it's all these wonderful things combined in one opportunity.

CNN: Have you always been comfortable in your own body?

Baker: No, no, no. I think of all of us, to some certain extent, feel the same things. I was crippled from shame my entire life. Only in this last year have I been so dedicated to this journey of learning how to survive bad days and find wanted days. If anyone tells you they have 100% good days, they're probably lying.

I have 26 years to undo and rewire and I'm still working on it, but it's definitely a very conscious decision. And writing has really helped, as well.

CNN: The response has obviously been huge.

Baker: It's wonderful. I'm sure there are negatives, but for every negative, there are 20 positives.

The most powerful part is saying there is a reality that you can exist in where you're OK, and it doesn't make you gullible or delusional, it makes you strong.

For a lot of people, it's just a light bulb. I know I had one where I said "What? I don't have to live in self-loathing for the rest of my life?"

People are entertaining the idea that maybe there is a piece of self-worth for them out there somewhere. And once it starts, it grows.

CNN: Let's talk about the actual photo shoot. Were you nervous?

Baker: I had never met the model until that day. I credit the majority of this to the photographer, I had never met the model until that day. I credit the majority of this to the photographer, Liora , because she really made it come to life.

He was the most genuine, down-to-earth person. It was so much fun.

In the beginning, I was nervous, but mostly because I had never modeled with other people. I have done solo fashion modeling, but never with another person and never in a sexual manner -- so it was a really interesting experiment.

CNN: Have you heard from Jeffries or Abercrombie & Fitch?

Baker: No, I didn't write this letter technically for them. I like to not invest a lot of my time in people who are dedicated to misunderstanding me. What I wanted to do is reach women who look and feel like me. We never see this pairing; we never see a fat woman in a positive light. I want to empower the individual woman.

When Mike Jeffries is gone, there's going to be another company. It's not about the extra-large shirts at Abercrombie; it's about teaching the world that everybody is equal in value.