Dear Brandy,
I would just like to start this letter off by admitting that I have personal biases regarding this issue. There are times when I worry about my body. I have days where I don’t feel good about myself. I also have close experiences with people I dearly love not seeing themselves for how beautiful they are because of misconceptions about their size.
While I acknowledge my bias, I also hasten to point out that it would be difficult to find an advocate who can say she hasn’t endured similar struggles with body image. While I do not consider myself ultra-feminist, I am ready and willing to acknowledge the many ways women are made to feel insignificant and insecure. One of these ways, I have come to find, is your method of sizing clothing. Okay, so I understand the purpose of the whole “one size fits most” business model; you only have to produce one type of each product, and less variety keeps production costs low. But here is the problem: One size does not fit most. Not even close.
The average dress size for an American teenage girl today is size 8. Just a few minutes on your website, BrandyMelvilleUSA.com, makes evident the fact that you are making virtually no attempt to include average women. Many products are one size, with that size being “X-Small to Small.” I couldn’t find a single pair of pants bigger than a size 27 (or a size 4 in American sizes). To top it all off, your size chart for Italian sizes only goes up to a size 5. Size 5. At least you are transparent about it.
For me, the problem was not the fact that I couldn’t purchase your merchandise. The root of my frustration is in the humiliation I felt when I realized that as a size 28 (or 6 in American sizes), I just wasn't good enough for the Melville brand. I got the message loud and clear: “If you don't have an 'ideal' body type, we would rather you not wear our clothing.”
One quick search on Twitter yields a host of complaints from young girls. Many even accuse Melville employees for "fat shaming" them while they shop (I feel like "imperfect body shaming" would be a better substitute here). It is evident that my frustration is nothing groundbreaking. It seems, however, that you have yet to take action to alter this highly negative public perception of your company and your brand. Hopefully this is not what you intended. Hopefully you were oblivious to the fact that most women today are not 110 pounds and a size 0. Hopefully, you are of the mindset that we should celebrate all healthy body types and did not fully understand the impact these subliminal messages could have on young girls’ self-esteem. Hopefully, but probably not.I will end by pointing out that you have the power to change these policies. For sure, your company will be different, but I would like to believe that when you recognize that your products and policies hurt your customers, you will be willing to change them. It is never too late to promote inclusion rather than exclusion. It is never too late to teach women that it is okay for them to be themselves.
Sincerely,
Andy
