The systemic injustice that I have already written about and want to shed more light on is the idea of one-size fits all when it comes to clothes and clothing stores. I’m sure many have heard or have had the issue of some stores having one-size fits all clothes. This is a common issue due to the fact that no one is one-size therefore exempting certain body types from being able to wear certain clothes they should be able to wear.
One store that has a lot of controversy around their sizing issues has been Brandy Melville. Brandy Melville is a store that I believe has become very popular all across the nation. This store has a certain brand to it, and it hasn’t changed nor will it ever probably since little to no change has happened so far. Brandy Melville is known for their branding, pictures and models being skinny, white girls with little to no diversity mixed in. Their brand and store was obviously made for a target audience so why not make clothes for that target audience only?
I’m not going to sit here and act like I have never shopped from them before because I have. They have cute and trendy clothes which is so unfortunate that they had to ruin it by sticking to the one-size fits all façade. A lot of people, including myself, have stopped shopping there since this controversy and have spoken out about the fact the brand discriminates certain body types. I hope one day they will try to be more inclusive to not only all body types, but also all races as well. Brandy Melville has had a lot of people try to reach out about this problem of only subjecting to one type of body image but has not really had a response (The Campanile). Times have changed and many brands have adhered to the fact that all bodies are beautiful. A prime example of this is Aerie, a brand that came from American Eagle and really puts the idea out there that all bodies should be excepted and celebrated. Even Victoria’s Secret has changed their brand of models to be a bit curvier because they have a lot gone through a lot of controversy about not representing all body types as well. Hopefully Brandy Melville in the future will learn from these mistakes and look at their competition for some good advice.
Article on real life encounters with Brandy Melville:
Thank you for this prevalent post. Body positivity has been an increasingly talked about topic, particularly among women. Having a one-size-fits-all clothing line has never made sense to me mainly because most brands seem to be interested in growing in wealth as much as possible. So, one would think they would want to incorporate a wide range of sizing to obtain more shoppers, and therefore more money. This then makes me question the true intention behind having a one-size-fits-all clothing brand.
Hi!
I really enjoyed reading your post. I believe body shaming and body dysmorphia is going to continue to increase throughout our nation and others due to models and stores like this. This promotes a very unhealthy mental state for young woman. To me, there is no such thing as “one size” we are all built differently and uniquely for a reason, and we all shouldn’t have to conform to look one way. Thank you for speaking out about this!
This is an incredible post to understand and change going forward. I agree with the impact that it has on society and the figures of individuals; through this, it creates an ideal body structure within society and it is clear that there are people that cannot fit the one size structure and it creates a ball of negative emotions ranging from anxiety, stress, depression, all aspects of emotional and physical harm to an individual’s mindset because of the one size fits all structure. As well as with what you placed within the post with the little diversity in the mix; the way that I see it would be that with the increase of diversity and a more range of styles and put aside the one size fit all it can have a huge impact within the clothing industry and have a positive impact with the individual’s own body with positive emotions and confidence.
Hi! You did a really good job on your post. In todays world, which is filled with social media and unrealistic body images that were achieved unnaturally, it is so easy to feel like you are not good enough because of the way that you look. So many people, especially young girls, are growing up hating themselves and the way that they look because they are constantly comparing themselves to models, etc. Unrealistic clothing sizes, such as your “one size fits all” example, is extremely toxic and can lead to many issues in young impressionable kids. I have also heard of Brandy Melville employees shaming women trying to shop in their store for their size. It’s ridiculous.