Teen Fashion Brand Believes One Size Fits Small
Bianca Acland’s blog post One Size Fits Most, Ethical or Not? offers readers insight into the (un)ethical practices of Brandy Melville. The company, which first arrived in the United States in 2009, has since skyrocketed and become one of the most popular brands for teenage girls. But there’s one thing holding them back from taking over the market completely, their policy: One Size Fits Most.
There are essentially two main reasons Brandy Melville creates all their clothing in one size. The first reason is simply that it’s cheaper. Companies save a significant amount of money when they are only making clothes in one size, rather than up to 10. But the other reason, which is a subject of extreme controversy these days, is the superiority complex that comes with the ability to wear Brandy Melville clothing. Their jeans are made to fit someone with a 25-inch waist, and yet the average 16-year-old girl in the U.S. has a 31-inch waist. While Bianca discusses the competitive advantage to other stores this strategy offers, I’m more concerned with the impact this has on young women. By creating clothes that not everyone can wear they are capitalizing on the insecurities of girls and essentially encouraging them to slim down. Justina Sharp, a 17-year-old fashion blogger, explains this concept very clearly when she states “It’s an exclusivity thing: Congratulations, you fit in the clothes! Join the club”. Brandy Melville has now become one of the many companies to take advantage of a young girl’s mind by planting images of what a girl should be.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/brandy-melville_n_5978626.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lani-renaldo/brandy-melville-clothes_b_4994923.html
http://abentpieceofwire.blogspot.ca