Throughout elementary school and the majority of middle school, I was overweight. I never felt comfortable shopping at the popular stores for girls my age like Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, or Brandy Melville because they either had an extremely slim selection or none at all for girls my size.
As I graduated from middle school and entered high school, I was at an ideal weight and had the option to begin shopping at the same stores as the other girls in my grade. But even at that young age, I wasn't interested, because I had felt their discrimination just a couple of years prior.
When I saw Brandy Melville's recent size transition I was overjoyed that I had made that vow to myself years ago.
Within the past couple of years, Brandy Melville recently started selling clothing only in the size "one size fits small" which basically speaks for itself — the clothing is only intended for girls size small or extra small.
It is meant to be a spin-off of the popular size "one size fits all," but instead, they're sending a completely different message.
"One size fits all" or "one size fits most" clothing is extremely exclusive as it is because it does not include plus-size women, which makes the concept of "one size fits small" even more infuriating.
To put into perspective — what they consider a "small," my underweight, 11-year-old cousin can hardly squeeze into. This concept is extremely dangerous because it could make girls feel like they are overweight or ugly, simply because this one store has clothing that does not fit them. They could try to lose weight to fit this unrealistic standard simply because other girls their age are wearing these clothes.
The fact that their "small" doesn't even come close to aligning with the standard size small in this country displays that they are blatantly trying to make skinny feel superior.
Brandy Melville no longer sells any other sizes in their stores or online, forcing you to be a certain body type if you want to shop at their store.
In a world where eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia are much too common, it's even more important for clothing stores to be inclusive and welcoming to all shapes and sizes. This concept would be sickening in any store, but the fact that Brandy Melville is aware that they have young clientele makes this idea unbearable. Adolescents, especially girls, face a huge confidence issue, which Brandy Melville is only helping to fuel.
