Shani from Bodyversity Talks Body Acceptance + the Brandy Melville Sizing Dilemma

I thought we were in a time where body acceptance was becoming the norm. I thought the media was done endorsing unrealistic body ideals. I thought the fashion industry had finally realised that it was time to embrace, rather than dismiss, the fact that there is no one standard female body.

Well, I got a rude awakening when I recently visited the new Brandy Melville store in my local shopping centre. The well-established Italian brand offers trendy and relatively affordable fashion for teenage girls and young women. However, Brandy Melville’s entrance into Australia’s fashion market last year brought more than clothes. It also brought an out-dated sizing policy of ‘one size’.

A few weeks ago, I decided to try on a skirt there that had caught my eye – it had a very Clueless vibe, a look that I love. It fitted fine but was a bit tight around my tummy, not giving me any wiggle room. Despite loving the pattern and design of the skirt, I decided not to buy it as the size just wasn’t right. I would have loved to try a size up, but as most of Brandy Melville’s clothing is one size, this option wasn’t available.

To put things in perspective, I am 23-year old who usually wears an Australian size 8 or x-small/small. I am someone who has battled with negative body image since a young age. I am grateful that my healthy mind was strong enough at this moment not to send hateful messages to my body. What really broke my heart was knowing that if I went into this shop when I was in High School, as a very insecure and body-conscious teenager, my self-esteem would have been shattered as there is no way I would have fitted into that skirt then.

Teenage girls and young women are so vulnerable with all the mixed messages they receive from the media and peers about body image. Having this vulnerable age group as a target market is a responsibility, and a brand that tries to perpetuate a certain size as the most socially acceptable, is not only disappointing but also dangerous. A business’s profits should never be at the expense of teenage girls and young females’ body image, self-confidence and self-worth. Mostly offering one-size is dangerous for anyone who has a predisposition to body image issues and may be a trigger for disordered eating or eating disorders.

I am not the first to raise concerns about Brandy Melville’s sizing policy. Numerous articles have been written and petitions started, which date back to over 5 years ago, to shed light on the brand’s unacceptable clothing sizes. Yet, here we are in 2020 with Brandy Melville in Australia selling their unrealistic one size clothing and fueling the insecurities of teenage girls and young women.

In a world that is making such positive steps towards body acceptance and body love, this is just so backwards. This is a mockery of the tiring efforts that have been made to recognise each women’s body as beautiful in their own unique way.

The other day I listened to the podcast ‘Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham’. I never listen to podcasts because I get so distracted without any visuals. But this was an exception as Demi Lovato, someone I have always looked up to for her authenticity and resilience, was being interviewed. When reflecting on growing up, Demi described a fashion industry that failed to tell teens that ‘if your hips start to fill out a little bit because you are going through puberty, it’s ok.’

Despite the amazing efforts that have been made by brands and influencers to embrace the diversity of females’ bodies, Brandy Melville is effectively reproducing these dangerous ideas that have finally started to dissipate. How can teenage girls and young women be expected to accept their bodies if a fashion brand only caters for a very specific body type?

Now is the time to not only accept, but celebrate, that we all come in different shapes and sizes.

Written by Shani Tal. An advocate for body acceptance and self-love, Shani hopes to inspire others through sharing her own personal journey. Her instagram account @bodyversity is a non-judgmental platform for women to share thoughts and ideas that encourage body diversity, mental wellbeing and self-worth.