Why the fuss over paying more for bigger dresses, says Rachel Moore. After all, we happily pay more for a larger coffee, don't we?

If you buy a large coffee, you expect to pay more for it than for a small or regular.

A lump of cheddar weighing 200g costs more than 100g. A family box of cereal costs more than a small box.

So why should a size 24 dress cost the same as a size 10? Bigger means more, which means more expensive.

New Look, doyenne of fast fashion, has been accused of imposing a 'fat tax' by pricing plus-size clothes more expensive than standard sizes. Sizes 4-16 are labelled at one price, while sizes 18-32 cost up to £6 more for the same garment.

Shopper Maria Wassell discovered a pair of green striped trousers in New Look's Curves plus-size range were on sale for £22.99, compared to £19.99 in its standard range. A red floral dress was £24 in the Curves range while just £18 in 'standard sizes'

Ms Wassell, a size 18, was outraged and said she felt discriminated against for being plus-sized.

New Look defended its pricing by saying the products might look the same but they were actually slightly different. Whatever.

It feels fair to me.

Now slimmer people can complain they have been subsidising bigger people for years.