At the intersections of apparel, functional design, weight bias and diversity, Debbie’s research explores design methods for plus size consumers and other diverse body types. Her research and teaching is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves equal access to clothing they desire and that fashion designers have an obligation to design for every body type. She incorporates plus-size design techniques and weight bias education into her fashion design courses. Dr. Christel is also working to approve Fat Studies as a university diversity core course at Washington State University.