It seems as if in recent months, Brandy Melville has taken the young American shopping scene by storm as the 90’s “California cool” vibe comes back into fashion. Brandy Melville is holding a similar stature in American fashion just as Hollister and American Eagle did when many of us were in high school. While Brandy Melville already has residence in many stores, the brand is now opening up its own stores in many sites on the east and west coasts.
As the presence of Brandy continues to grow in American pop culture, people are noticing one thing in particular that sits uncomfortably. Brandy Melville holds a “one size only” policy, typically catering to sizes extra-small to medium. This marketing technique has been criticized by many women, claiming the brand is “exclusive,” and to a degree “body-shaming.” However, I respectfully disagree with these statements.
I am, and have always been, slightly smaller than other girls my age. I have been five feet tall since I was twelve years old and just recently I broke 105 pounds, but I do not try to stay small through unhealthy means. In fact, I eat very well and frequently strength train to make myself slightly bigger. I just am genetically small and petite, and certainly I am not the only girl in America to have this body type.
Like many people coming into the new body-positivity mentality, I do not believe a size should define your value as a person, nor would I ever disregard someone purely for their weight. However, as a petite girl, I do see some hypocrisy. All my life, I have had women of all ages, many of whom I do not know, approach me and make comments on my weight. I am always “too skinny” and I always “need to eat a cheeseburger.” I have even been told I am “sickly” and even “nasty” looking. Every time I log into Facebook I see someone posting about how “real women have curves,” as if my femininity is disregarded due to my size. The slim body is frequently slandered and marked as “unhealthy,” regardless if the body actually is healthy. Based on what I have experienced, it appears to be just as socially acceptable to make fun of someone for being slim as it is to make fun of someone for being overweight. You can talk to an underweight girl about her health, but you cannot talk to an overweight girl about her health.
This type of mentality is especially prevalent in modern media and advertisement. Bigger women are being celebrated much more now than ever before, which is absolutely wonderful. Ashley Graham’s cover of Sports Illustrated was considered a monumental change in the acceptance of plus size models. Even women like Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy are changing the way plus sized women are viewed in media, which is a wonderful and much needed change, even though there is still much progress to be made. However, with the acceptance of bigger women, there seems to be backlash at women who do not fit that particular mold. Slim actresses and models are still put down for being “too skinny” and “unhealthy,” even if that is just their body type. Women are often accused by other women of perpetuating a negative body image simply for embracing their natural body shape.
How does this all relate back to Brandy Melville? Is it because the same double standard held to slim women about their bodies possibly extends to their clothes as well? Brandy Melville is so criticized for catering to smaller sized women. Every time I go to the mall, I pass by different stores that all either contain a plus-sized section such as H&M and Forever21, or are exclusively plus-sized such as Torrid. From a business perspective, these stores and sections are cutting out a large demographic (which is not illegal; that is simply how they choose to do business.) That coupled with the persistent teaching from other women that “real women have curves,” the results are comparable to the Brandy Melville controversy. And yet these stores receive almost no criticism. In fact, they are celebrated, as they should be. However, this begs the question why are exclusively plus size stores acceptable, but exclusively small sized stores are not? All my life I have had a difficult time finding clothes that fit me well purely because of my stature. Even size small in a lot of stores can fit very loose on my body. Brandy Melville carries clothes that I know will not only fit, but fit me well. Why is that such a bad thing?
It is very easy for women to put each other down than it is to support or complement each other. While there are still many stereotypes about plus sized women, many women hold the mentality that slim women are either sick, unattractive, or simply “not real women.” Negative stereotypes and portrayals still exist about every type of body in the media and in daily life, and both broad groups of body shape deal with their fair share of negativity. I believe the Brandy Melville controversy stems more from these mentalities than it does corporate endeavor. It is perfectly okay for small sized stores to exist, just as it is okay for plus size stores to exist, and it is perfectly okay if you do not fit into the clothes from one store. What most certainly does need to change is the way women view each other’s bodies and how we can accept ourselves and each other without making irrational assumptions based purely on body shape.
