Shopping is already a struggle for me. I’m a size 14. So many stores just don’t carry my size. If they do, the clothes that are in my size aren’t the same style that I find in the rest of the store.
In spite of all this, the most frustrating thing is when I come upon a tag that says “one-size fits all.”
One-size does NOT fit all.
Women come in so many different shapes and sizes. Saying that one-size fits all is so ludicrous! People are all different heights, weights, bra sizes, waist sizes, etc. It just doesn’t make sense to say that one article of clothing can fit every body shape.
Photo Credit: Buzzfeed.com
One day when I was shopping with my younger sister we went to Brandy Melville. Most of the clothes had one thing in common: all their labels said one-size fits all.
Brandy Melville and other stores selling one-size fits all clothing perpetuate the struggle with self-confidence and body acceptance among young women. One-size fits all completely disregards the struggle women face when shopping, especially plus size women. It basically says that if you can’t fit into this, you’re not worth it. A mentality that is highly detrimental.
“My problem with Brandy is that it is absolutely unaccepting of diverse body types. I have seen how horrible the store makes girls feel about their bodies, and I’ve felt it myself. I’ve seen my friends scroll through Brandy’s Instagram feed, gaze discontentedly at the gaunt, digitally-edited models flaunting the store’s cute clothes, and say, ‘I wish I could look like them.’ I’ve walked into the store, regretfully picked up a doll-sized shirt that would never fit me and, bam, my self-esteem is automatically lowered for the rest of the day. I try not to let the store get me down, but when you’re a teenage girl full of insecurities, that’s hard to do. Brandy Melville preys on teen girls’ self-doubts, and instead of encouraging us to love our bodies and wear clothes that make us feel good, they promote an exclusive, 90-pound ideal for all of us to worship. I want to love my body. I want my friends to love their bodies. Brandy Melville is not helping,” says Abby Richmond a high school student quoted by Womens Enews.
This idea of feeling less than is more prominent when shopping in stores like Brandy Melville. Brandy Melville is one of the most popular clothing stores among young women. The clothes are really stylish and good quality, but the store’s target audience is teenage girls that are around a size 0 or 2 as seen on their Instagram.
This is unattainable for the majority of young women in America. According to a study in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education the average sizes of American women are sizes 16-18.
One argument for one-size fits all is that it promotes body positivity. Which is absolutely false. Body positivity isn’t abolishing sizes. Body positivity is accepting sizes.
Stores need to STANDARDIZE their sizes. Women shouldn’t feel dread when they’re a size 10 in one store but a size 14 in another store. So many stores will make their clothes run larger to give shoppers a confidence boost. This marketing strategy is so against the body positivity movement.
Sizes don’t determine the worth of a person. Sizes don’t define someone’s beauty.
Photo source: studybreaks.com
You are beautiful no matter how small you are or how big you are. You are allowed to wear whatever you want. And you should be able to walk into a store and buy whatever clothes make you feel comfortable and beautiful. Adopting a one-size fits all policy or not being size-inclusive prevents people from doing this.
Body positivity is size inclusitivity. Body positivity is not one-size fits all.
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