Brands

We go to West Ranch High School. Our school is viewed to be “the rich kid school” by the other schools in our district. Girls at our school stand on a hill holding their Louis Vuitton purses because backpacks are “out of style.” These girls flaunt their black tube tops, hiding from the yard duties who they know will dress code them. These girls preach positivity on the Internet but body shame a girl with “thick thighs” who walks by. These girls are the type of girls who wear Brandy Melville clothing. Brandy Melville is a store that supports these types of girls. Brandy has a moto for their clothing: one size fits all. Our question is, how does one size fit both the beautiful, but differently shaped bodies of Kendall Jenner and Tess Holliday? When one walks into Brandy Melville, left and right the clothing racks are filled with crop tops that barely cover half of a size 0’s stomach. The models are all the same size, so of course one size fits all of them. However, in reality, women come in all different shapes and sizes. Clothing should be made to accept all types of women, not encourage them to conform to one size. When a size 18 woman named Kristin attempted to put on the crop top she said, "I thought I'd be embarrassed about wearing this shirt. But honestly, the shirt is the one who should be embarrassed, for thinking that it could call itself a shirt, instead of what it actually is: one-fourth of a halter dress, on a good day, with the right bra." When trying on a pair of Brandy shorts, Kristin also said, “this is hands down the fanciest diaper I have ever worn." I am glad that Kristin has taken the fashion line light-heartedly and not let it affect her self-esteem. However, many girls, who do not qualify as a size small or have a “perfect skinny figure” have probably felt extremely embarrassed by the brand. If the sizes aren’t fitting most girls and making them feel unnecessarily conscious about their figures, perhaps it’s time to review the sizing to be more inclusive? An article by thefashionlaw.com declared that, “A quick glance at its Instagram account will tell you everything you need to know. The Brandy Melville girl is young, skinny, white (exclusively until very recently), and maybe eight or nine times out of ten, she’s blonde.”

(http://www.thefashionlaw.com/home/brandy-melville-the-controversial-brand-selling-exactly-what-millennials-want)

Brandy Melville is not the type of store that the Imperfect Project endorses. We want males and females across the world to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies. All Brandy Melville does is shame females by creating their own idea of a “perfect size.”