“One Size Fits All” clothing damages self esteems

Photo+courtesy+of+dailytrojan.com.

Photo courtesy of dailytrojan.com.

Most retail stores sell clothing sizes zero to sixteen in order to accommodate all body types. This is how it should be. People, especially teens, should be able to wear whatever they think is in style. However, if somone that is not perfectly tall and thin wanted to wear clothes from the very popular store called Brandy Melville, it is nearly impossible.

In 2012, a popular YouTube star, Trisha Paytas made a video about her experience while shopping at Brandy Melville. A saleswoman told her that she wouldn’t fit into any of the clothes sold there due to her body shape. Because of instances like this, Brandy Melville will most likely start to lose business. The store also diminishes teenage girls’ self esteems by encouraging only a model like figure.

In order to be able to fit into a pair of Brandy Melville jeans, it would be necessary to have a twenty-five inch waist. However, an average teenage girl has a thirty-one inch waist, making it very difficult to fit into a pair of Brandy Melville skinny jeans. Brandy Melville does not meet the fashion needs of the average girl.

A lot of people might say that it is okay that Brandy Melville only fits certain body types; however, it is bad for a teenage girl’s confidence when she is told that she cannot wear certain clothes due to her size, especially when her size is quite normal.

An executive at Brandy Melville, Jessy Longo said that even if certain girls can not fit into the clothes, they could always get something else, like a bag.

Teenage girls should be able to purchase whatever they want in the store, and not have to worry about not being able to squeeze it on past their hips.  All stores should offer clothes for every shape and size.

Brandy Melville mainly accommodates someone with a model like figure, meaning thin and extremely tall.

Jordyn Kopelson (‘15) said that the iconic Brandy Melville long sleeve sweatshirt top “goes all the way past [her] knees” since she is only 4’11.  This is probably not just an issue for Kopelson, but for many other shorter girls.

The business as a whole would do much better if Brandy Melville made the clothes fit for a variety of body sizes. Only a select group of girls can purchase their clothes at Brandy Melville, which really limits the business. The “one size fits all” not only harms the company’s business, but also many girls’ self esteems due to not fitting into the very specific sizes that the store offers.