When I go shopping for clothes, I look for brands that are inclusive to its buyers and have a range of options for every body type. Even when I am on the search for my specific body type, I love to see that there are other sizes besides my own! When I go into stores like Pacsun, I immediately feel ashamed of myself. Don't even bother going into the fitting room if you aren't in the mood to break down and have a panic attack because you can't fit into the "one size fits all" skirt. I'm sick of clothing companies having so much power over our self-esteem. The high prices, limited options, and lack of representation has got to stop.
Here are the ultimate reasons I don't support the California lifestyle brand.
The models are only representative of one body type
There are no curvy girls here. There are no girls with large chests or girls with wide hips. I am not at all shaming women for being thin, but for a company to not have a range of body types in their ads and photos is just shameful. As women, we want to see ourselves represented, we want to feel included, and we want to see other women that look like us.
Not to mention, the celebrities that represent the brand are just as important. Kendall and Kylie Jenner, however beautiful they are, are toxic to the self-image of young girls who don't have the financial abilities to look like them. Use models that represent ALL women.
"One size fits all" is a lie
My sister brought home a skirt from Pacsun once and I tried it on because I couldn't believe it was labeled as "one size." Well, I couldn't even get it over my thighs and I'm usually a size eight in most jeans. It made me feel awful, but mostly angry that it was labeled that way. They should change it to "One size fits all...size zeros", that would've been a lot more accurate. Again, not at all hating on my skinny pals here, just wish sizing was more inclusive!
Less clothing, higher prices
I could go to Walmart, buy a t-shirt, cut it up, and make my own crop-top for dirt cheap. I like wearing trendy things like crop-tops, but nowadays they are made for petite people. I actually questioned whether Pacsun had a kids clothing section once, because the items were so shrunken. Some of the shirts I found were around $45. You get less and less clothing for almost double the price. I'm just fed up with it.
I shopped at Pacsun for the majority of my teen years. As I grew up, I slowly realized that the store was not accommodating to my body type anymore. It was a sad reality, but one that I can share with many women who are just as frustrated as I am. Thin women are not the target of this post, the corporations that fail to promote inclusivity are. Women want to see models that look like them as well as items in their size and price range. The only solution is to avoid these brands and support those that celebrate all body types. Always remember to love yourself a little extra in those moments of defeat and realize that it's not you, it's the clothes that were tailored for a very specific body type.