BRANDY MELVILLE SETS UNREALISTIC NORMS

As I am 5 feet 9 inches, if I go into a Brandy Melville store and want to try on a skirt, I can predict before even putting it on that it will be inappropriately short. Yet, no matter how much I like it, there is only one size for me to try on. I still search through the hangers checking to see if there might be anything that I’d feel comfortable in, yet to my dismay, there isn’t much.

Teenage girls living in the U.S. and U.K. will have heard of the clothing store Brandy Melville. Their endless selection of casual wear, offered in only one size, attracts young impressionable girls. However, not all can fit into their “magic size.”

Although some of the jeans on Brandy Meville’s website come in two sizes, small and medium, the measurement of the small size is equivalent to a U.K. size two. This lack in size range blurs the reality that there are a variety of body types. One size does not fit all.

Brandy Mellville’s message is not only displayed in their single size stores where the shop assistants must fit the body mold and model the clothes, but also onto their website. The models online all appear to have the same skinny body type and because there is only one size on offer, they are advertising that this is the only “right” size. This hidden message provokes teens to try and emulate the look of the model, even at their own detriment.

While I recognize that my height is out of my control and is not something that makes me particularly insecure, my experience at Brandy Melville made me realize how the feeling of not fitting into the sizes could impact girls. Not finding anything at a store where many of your peers seem to be purchasing clothing can not only trigger disappointment, but can also persuade these girls into thinking that because they don’t fit this size, there is something wrong with them.

For generations, women have looked in the mirror and struggled with body image, not accepting what they see. Platforms such as Instagram create an environment full of unrealistic norms. Our generation, Gen-Z, has been bombarded with the extra pressures of social media on top of this sudden urge to ‘fit in.’ It is estimated by the National Institute of Healthcare and Excellence that between 1.2 and 3.4 million people are suffering with eating disorders in the U.K., and, terrifyingly, the average age that anorexia begins is between 16 and 17-years-old — the exact age of the target demographic of Brandy Melville. By only offering one size in most of their clothes, Brandy Melville runs the risk of triggering these obstacles in their targeted customers to an even more extreme level.

According to The Guardian, there has been a significant increase in hospital casualties for “life threatening eating disorders” throughout the last year which arouses concerns about this crisis expanding even more.

The ‘one size fits all’ body standard molds teenage girls into one exclusive box. The ones who don’t fit in because of their natural body type are prone to developing mental health problems. They feel the need to try and fit into the size which is unhealthy and can be damaging towards their self confidence. Instead, girls should be focusing on the realistic diversity in body types.

Teen brands should focus on promoting body positivity through providing clothing for all shapes and sizes. This means everyone can go into a store and leave feeling great, accepting their bodies and not feeling like they need to change.