Brandy Melville Epitomizes Unhealthy Expectations

Brandy Melville recently changed their sizing, a consumer request that has been popularized for years. At first, I was pleasantly surprised that the clothing store took that kind of initiative, until I realized they merely rebranded their current sizes instead of adding new ones. The clothes were (and still are) notoriously known for only being available in one size. The brand got around this by claiming “one size fits all” or “one size fits most,” and this message was labeled on each article of clothing. In reality, Brandy Melville’s clothes only fit a size extra small or a size small, which is now what it says on their sizing guide. 

Basically, nothing has changed. 

I remember when the store began to gain momentum. I had just started middle school and many of the girls in my grade shopped there, so naturally I wanted to as well. Except I’m not a size small, and this fact became more apparent when I couldn’t wear something that supposedly fit everyone. Now, I realize that their one-size policy is ridiculous. It’s impossible for everyone to be the same size, which means that I won’t fit into all of their clothes and that’s perfectly okay. But when I was a pre-teen, I genuinely thought there was something wrong with me. Brandy Melville’s one-size policy promotes an unhealthy body image to young girls, and their new sizing model doesn’t help. The store acts as if a size small is the norm, which is not only ill-advised given their target clientele, but dangerous.

Brandy Melville is one of the most popular clothing brands in the world, but it intentionally doesn’t promote themselves that way. Instead, the company advertises itself as a boutique-type store that has unique but accessible items. But their brand built on accessibility is a sham. Don’t get me wrong, stores for different body types exist and there is nothing wrong with that, but Brandy Melville isn’t a petite clothing store. This would be an entirely different conversation if the company marketed themselves that way. They instead chose to promote an equal shopping experience to everyone, when that is simply not the case. 

This store needs to stop promising unrealistic expectations by changing how they portray themselves. They could introduce more sizes, or make it clear they don’t have a diverse array of sizes. The brand could also simply promote themselves as a petite size store. The point being that their current tactics encourage an unhealthy body image. 

Body positivity awareness is so important and remember that societal standards are idiotic. 

• body image
• brandy melville
• one size