The Tyranny of Size

I find it appalling that Brandy Melville exists at all, let alone here in our own state. You can be sure I’m not talking about a person and instead a multinational fast-fashion clothing company that’s now open on Church Street.

Among the many reasons to be disturbed are the extensive allegations that have been made against the Brandy Melville company. These include accusations of racism, sexual exploitation and discriminatory work practices, along with contributing to the massive environmental impact of cheaply produced clothes. There’s even a documentary, “Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion,” directed by Eva Orner, who says of the company, “They are racist, sexist, antisemitic. They exploit young girls. And that’s really just the tipping point.”

For those who might not know, Brandy Melville’s infamous claim to fame is that they sell one size. Extra small/small. That’s right. The entire company promotes a “skinny” physical aesthetic. And, sadly, it’s all pointed towards one demographic: teenage girls. 

Apparently, Brandy Melville doesn’t even need to advertise traditionally. As an early adopter of influencer marketing, their social media takes care of that. Currently, they have over three million followers on Instagram. TIME Magazine reports, “… when it came to who they featured on their social accounts, Brandy Melville seemingly had a narrow vision; they often selected girls that fit a certain aesthetic—young, thin and white, often blonde and usually with long hair.”

This company’s “one-size-fits-all” ethos is purposefully meant to be exclusive. Forget about the impact on young women. Like singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, a nine-time Grammy and two-time Oscar winner, who publicly shared her personal experience with the brand and describes it as harmful. “They only sold clothes in one size. I was chubbier and I was obsessed with these clothes, but I’d buy a shirt and it wouldn’t fit me. That’s when my body problems started. I was around the age of 10 or 11."

By the way, Brandy Melville isn’t even a real person. The company’s founders,  Silvio Marsan and his son Stephan, invented “her” as a brand name. Don’t know about you, but I find it unsettling that men are marketing not just how girls should dress, but more dastardly, how they feel about their bodies. No doubt they profit by instilling unrealistic body standards on young teens.

Of course, Brandy Melville isn’t the only company that hawks dangerously unhealthy values regarding weight. Take Victoria’s Secret’s recent controversy, for example. The New York Times wrote this about the lingerie company in 2020, “Two powerful men presided over an entrenched culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment.” Sounds familiar? By the way, there’s no real Victoria either. 

Certainly though, the Brandy Melville company has upped the ante, not only by proudly selling one small size of clothes, but in doing so, ripping the mask off what our culture has been telling girls all along. Be small. And the price for that is steep.

The National Organization for Women reports the following: At age 13, 53% of American girls are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to 78% by the time girls reach 17. They add, 40 to 60% of elementary school girls are concerned about their weight or about becoming “too fat” and 46% of nine to 11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets. In addition, The Center for Mental Health Services reports 90 percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25. This is the exact demographic Brandy Melville is targeting.

Let’s face it, our society has long been messaging girls and women through clothing. And, by that, I mean controlling. Fashion is an industry focused on women and yet historically designed for the male gaze. The global apparel market is now worth $1.84 trillion dollars and yet women are lucky to have pockets in their clothes all while they deal with discriminatory sizing, weight bias and relentless advertising campaigns that market “sexy” as a necessary function of apparel.

It is an intentional ever-growing scourge continuing to convey that women and girls should be smaller, take up less space and spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about what they wear, often endeavoring at all costs to look like the images manufactured by male-led, fat-pocket corporations. 

Unfortunately, the teenager that outgrows Brandy Melville clothing - either in size or in recognition of their demeaning brand - will not be a problem for this retailer or others. There’s always the next generation of young girls.