By CORINNE DICPINIGAITIS
I still remember walking into a trendy Brandy Melville clothing store, infamous for its “one size fits most” sizing. I picked up a pretty shirt I found, but it looked a little small. I tried looking for another size but the tags read “One Size.” I walked over to a tall, thin clerk and asked, “Do you have this in a size up?” She simply pointed to the size tag and said, “It’s only one size.”
In today’s world, where body positivity plays a big role in many girls’ lives, “one size fits most” seems comical. Most of Brandy Melville’s sizes are XS-M. This creates issues for many customers. “I would be willing to buy the nice clothes if they fit, but they sometimes don’t and it degrades my self-esteem,” said freshman Robin B. The average 16-year-old girl in the US is about 5’3″, weighs 138 pounds and has a 31’ waist, according to a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Brandy Melville’s emphasis on small sizes alienates many potential customers. This can be a concern when so many young women already struggle with body image. Guidance counselor Ms. Bodner said, “I think they [the girls] feel very inferior because if clothing is supposed to fit everyone and it doesn’t fit them it could trigger feelings of being inferior.”
Freshman Tala A. avoids one size fits all clothing. “I have never fit into these clothes, and I’ve felt like my body type wasn’t good enough,” she said. Sophomore Alexis K. who frequently wears the brand’s clothes said, “Some of the clothing doesn’t fit me too well. It’s too tight sometimes or sometimes has too much fabric.”
Failing to fit into clothing that supposedly fits most can cause a feeling of needing to lose weight, even if you are healthy. Freshman Tala A. added, “Nowadays there is a picture perfect body that all girls want to have which can lead them to go to the extreme to be perfect.”
Brandy Melville is one of the hottest clothing retailers in the US. The brand’s Instagram has 3.8 million followers. However, according to Jericho High School guidance counselor Ms. Bodner, “It is very misleading advertising because one size can’t possibly fit everyone that there is.”
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