Surely you’ve heard of the famous clothing brand, Brandy Melville, that’s been all the rage amongst teenage girls all around the world? Well if you haven’t, you’ve most likely seen girls of all ages, sizes and ethnicity sporting the famed brand. The company specializes in a sort of high end lounge wear, their aesthetic mainly consisting of ripped boyfriend jeans and short crop tops. I’ll admit, I shopped here whenever I got a chance to, but as I’m writing this article, I’m vowing to never shop here again.
The company originated from Italy and got their start with the help of social media like Tumblr and Instagram. In fact they have 3.2 million followers on their USA Instagram account alone. However, the company has been under fire more than once for their unique sizing with a “one size fits most” clothing tag on everything ranging from flowy dresses and to their baby doll cut tees.
Here’s a little PSA before you go out to one of their few locations around the United States, their stuff does not “fit most.” In fact, their skirts are listed on their website as having a waist measurement of 12” to 14”, the equivalent of a size 0. Their t-shirts are no different, with a bust size ranging anywhere from 11” to 15”, according to this article, the equivalent to a 34A bra size at Victoria Secret. The idea of having a “one size fits most” tag seems completely awesome because it would attempt to eliminate the body image problem by eradicating the need to be the smallest size possible. However its almost too good to be true, and with Brandy Melville, obviously a lie. Buzzfeed conducted a little experiment, asking multiple women of different sizes, ages and heights to try on a few of Brandy Melville’s famous clothing articles.
Obviously, one size does not fit most.
Sizing isn’t the only sector where Brandy Melville lacks diversity. Take a quick scroll through their Instagram page.
You do see a problem right? Out of the 24 pictures I have screen captured, none of the models are women of color. If you start from the top of their Instagram page and scroll down, you have to pass at least 50 pictures before you find a model who isn’t white. But that’s just one picture. I’m pretty sure the ratio of white, blonde hair and blue-eyed models to a model of color in the pictures posted on their Instagram is something like 48 to 1. Because of the exclusiveness that Brandy Melville offers through their lack of diversity, they have curated more reasons for the teenage girl to feel self conscious about themselves. Especially for teenagers of color, already a minority in the eyes of society and the media with the lack of representation they receive.
Most teenage girls who shop at Brandy don’t recognize the problem the company poses with their lack of diversity in sizing and in their models, continuing to allow this generation of young girls to be ignorant with these issues.
