There are many opinion pieces on this controversial clothing brand. Some despise the company, others defend it. But I believe that the issue with this company is more complicated than many make it out to be.
Brandy Melville is a fashion brand with clothes that are 'one size fits most' That size? Small. The brand's target demographic is teenage girls that are sizes 00-2. This is a large portion of many people's issue with the company. Now, there are many problems that people have with the company, but for the sake of making this article an article and not a novel, I'll stick with talking about the sizing issue.
The lack of inclusivity in their sizing ostracizes many tweens, teens, and young adult women that cannot fit into a size small. At this age, young girls are learning their place in the world and learning about themselves as people. When they see a brand that only promotes thin, long legged girls and they don't look like that, that can take a giant toll on their self esteem and body image. But there is a flip side to this sizing issue.
As a nineteen year old girl, I completely understand and relate to the teen girl issue of body issues and low self esteem. But I was on the other side of the issue. I was stick thin and gangly and awkward. I have been called names and been teased for being 'boney' and having no curves. For a long time, and sometimes still, I felt like being built this way made me 'less of a woman'. I would see girls in magazines and in ads in stores, and I looked nothing like them. They had wide hips and big chests and they were 'womanly', and I just wasn't. But when I see pictures like girls in Brandy Melville clothes, I see girls that have similar body type as me. They are thin and not especially curvy. I could imagine myself in those clothes and feel confident.
Now, I know what you're thinking. I am in no way comparing the plights of stick thins girls to those of plus size girls. I always could find clothes that fit me in stores, and the modeling industry is predominately thin, long legged girls. Plus size girls never really had that until recent years, but it is still a HUGE issue in the fashion world. Plus size girls still don't have the representation and The world of fashion and modeling have made a few steps in the direction of size inclusivity, but they have a very long way to go.
That is why I don't like the 'one size fits most' ideal of Brandy Melville. I understand the idea of having really small sizes for tiny girls but I believe that expanding their sizes to include all body types would be a step in the right direction. Not only would it promote body positivity and inclusivity, but it would make so many girls more confident and comfortable in themselves.
While seeing stick thin girls was helpful to me, it can be harmful to other girls. When young girls are only shown skinny girls that they don't look like, it often leads to low self esteem, extreme body issues, and eating disorders. I reflect on how I felt when I saw girls with bodies like mine, and I want girls of all shapes and sizes to feel that way as well.
So let's ditch this 'one size fits most' idea and include all bodies and all sizes. It's 2020, and I think it's time we evolve and be inclusive to all body types. Let's not just show the tiny girls, but let's show every girl. Tall or short, petite or plus sized. Because girls from sizes 00 to size 22 are all valid, and they all deserve to feel like a woman.
