Brandy Melville; odds are you have seen this fashion brand on the bodies of many Gen Z girls. But with its “one-size-fits-all” policy, Brandy Melville has separated itself from the new world of inclusive fashion. The clothes from this fashion tycoon fit only one body type; stick thin. So as this brand markets to mainly young women with the promise of easy shopping and fashionable clothes for a mid-range price, we have to wonder what type of message this brand is portraying to the young girls that don’t fit into their clothes.
Advocates of Brandy Melville defend the brand by saying that only offering one size is not discriminatory, because plus-size brands do the same thing but on the opposite end of the spectrum. But here’s the problem with that; plus-size brands like Torrid and Maurice’s don’t offer only one size of their clothes. Plus-size brands aim to create a place for all types of plus-size women to shop, as larger sizes are not usually seen in your average clothing store. These brands usually offer sizes 1XL to 4XL, which is still a wide range of sizes that can fit a variety of plus-size bodies. Brandy Melville specifically targets one body type and only offers clothing that fits one body type. There is no inclusivity in this brand, and to compare Brandy Melville to plus-size brands is simply inaccurate.
Young women already have unrealistic beauty standards pushed onto them from a very early age, and Brandy Melville is adding to this unrealistic standard with its one-size-fits-all policy. When I was younger, brands like Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch fit a very limited amount of body types, and I quickly became someone who was not able to fit into those brands. Fashion is so important to young girls, as it can help them express themselves in different ways. The clothing from Brandy Melville is trendy and cute, which makes the brand appealing to many young girls. Brandy Melville wipes out half of its market base by only offering one size, and hurts young women in the process. Not only does Brandy Melville limit their sizing, but the brand also lacks diversity in its advertising.
If you scroll on the Brandy Melville website, you will see mostly white models in their clothing. I found very few diverse women represented on their website, which is a huge problem. Young black girls already lack representation within the media, and to see a lack of representation within a popular fashion brand is equally disheartening. Once again, this brand has decided to cut off a portion of its market, all in the name of promoting a certain body type and tone as beautiful. Brandy Melville has a lot of work to do to ever get a non-white and non-thin person’s business. Every body is beautiful, regardless of the skin tone, size, scars, or stretch marks on that body.
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