One of the many stressors students encounter at school is figuring out what to wear. With judgy peers, in-and-out fashion trends, and questionable heating and cooling at B-CC, picking the perfect outfit can be challenging. A brand that finds its way into teenage girls’ attire every year is Brandy Melville. Similar to other stores, Brandy sells tank tops, t-shirts, sweatpants, shorts, and sweatshirts. But there is just one feature of the store that sets it apart from any other, its signature slogan, “One size fits all.” The size that allegedly fits everyone is an XS/S.
Considering the lack of size variety offered at the store, what is so compelling about Brandy Melville? One major factor is cost. As far as pricing goes, the best-selling tank top by Lululemon is priced at $68, while Brandy Melville’s popular Beyonca tank top costs $16. With a $52 price difference, Brandy Melville offers a more budget-friendly option.
However, along with its relatively cheap prices, Brandy Melville has promoted toxic body images. The first Brandy location popped up in Los Angeles in 1980, meaning it has been a cultural staple for students and staff alike at B-CC. Ms. Fishel, an English teacher, said, “Brandy became popular when I was a teenager, and I remember going to one of their stores and trying things on. It was upsetting because despite being on the smaller side, none of the shirts looked good or fit me. My friends didn’t have positive experiences either, and it definitely impacted the way we saw ourselves.” Not only does Brandy Melville push for one size, they only produce clothes for one body type. This can have significant consequences. The American Society for Nutrition reports that eating disorders are the deadliest mental illness and are responsible for over 10,000 deaths annually. While Brandy is not the sole culprit in this crisis, it certainly plays a role. When girls see their friends wearing the trendy brand, there is naturally going to be some desire to fit in and to hop on the bandwagon.
A documentary titled “Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion” was released in April, exposing the corruption behind the brand. It discussed the head of the brand, Stephan Marsan, and the way that he treated his workers. Since then, numerous ex-Brandy workers have come forward with their own stories of trauma from working with the brand. Most of them follow the same storyline — that in some way or another, the way they were treated by the brand stemmed from how they looked. For instance, one ex-employee shared that she was fired by an associate of Marsan solely because he did not like the way her body looked.
As seen, Brandy Melville seemingly has impacted one of young girls’ biggest insecurities: their bodies.
Junior Avital Baer shared her opinions on Brandy’s famous catch-phrase. She said, “‘One size fits all’ can reinforce toxic body image messages that many girls have been fed for much of their young life and can influence them to feel more insecure and prone to eating disorders.”
There is no straightforward answer to why girls continue to shop at a store that they know pushes standards that are near impossible to reach. It could be the price point, but there are so many cheap brands such as Shein and Temu that produce the same fast fashion at a comparable price point. Yet, these brands are inclusive with sizing. Referencing back to the documentary, the CEO of the brand would essentially buy clothing off of workers who he thought had good style. He would buy popular girls’ clothes, and would try to produce clothing similar to items they already had. By playing copycat on these stylish girls, Brandy’s output of clothing would consist of what his audience already liked. Weird as this may sound, this method has been extremely successful, with the company netting 332 million dollars and attracting lines that wrap around blocks hours before opening.
Toxic or not, it is evident that Brand Melville is not suffering any consequences from its lack of inclusivity and its promotion of negative body images.
