Cute clothes, but only one size. Why do girls shop here? Photo courtesy of Brandy Melville Instagram.
Students at San Luis Obispo High School have definitely heard of Brandy Melville. Some girls only buy from Brandy, other girls have a few tops, but some girls haven’t even walked into the store because of what they heard on TikTok about how exclusive it is. What even makes this store different from Target?
“I love Brandy because their clothes are very comfortable to wear, and also, they have good styles, they have a very wide variety of clothes. Brandy is still popular, but it’s definitely not everyone’s style. I feel that the one-size-fits-all policy is fine, but it can definitely exclude. However, because they only make their items one size, it fits girls differently, kinda making every item different,” said junior Stella Wettlaufer.
Brandy’s one-size policy makes their clothes unique because they look different on every girl. Although what makes an item from Brandy different from another store is.
“Brandy is pretty popular on social media, so a lot of girls want to shop there, even though they have basic clothes. You can definitely find cheaper ones at another store for way cheaper. I think the one-size policy is a little odd to exclude such a big audience, whether it’s smaller or bigger sizes than their typical ‘one size’, but I assume it’s a marketing tactic to try to meet the unspoken ‘standard’ to fit into their clothes. I do like that you don’t have to search for the size, if you see an item you like at another store you usually have to search for a good amount of time to find your size, but Brandy items fit girls that are XS, S, and M. It is unfortunate for the people who aren’t those sizes but not buying from Brandy isn’t a big deal. Brandy has definitely affected some young girls into thinking that if they can’t fit into Brandy’s clothes, they’re not pretty, which is so far from the truth, but that’s just what social media and beauty standards do to a young girl,” said junior Zoe Peters.
Brandy’s clothes seem to be very exclusive, only meant for tall girls who wear XS, S, or M. Although the girls who fit that description tend to have trouble buying clothing items from other stores.
“Since I’m tall and a size small, it’s usually hard for me to find pants that fully cover my legs, but Brandy is one of the only brands that fit me perfectly. And if you don’t like how a top at Brandy fits or looks, just don’t buy it. I also love how easy it is to borrow clothes from a friend or a sibling, if it’s from Brandy, even though the clothing item would look different on me than on her. I also love the jewelry, it’s so simple and reasonably priced,” said Wettlaufer.
For some girls, Brandy Melville is the only place that fits them. Brandy Melville is simply a store that sells to tall females who are a size XS, S, or M. The toxic part is when young girls see that Brandy Melville is the store everyone is shopping at and think that if they don’t shop there, they won’t be pretty.
“I think you could say that Brandy Melville sells a lot of basic clothes that are easy to pair together, and so when students are just on the go or don’t want to put a lot of thought into their outfit, Brandy Melville clothes will always make a cute outfit. The one-size-fits-all is definitely a scam. It’s definitely not super inclusive, but for high schoolers, it fits a lot of us. All high school girls are definitely not the same size, but Brandy’s clothes are stretchy and mostly made of cotton, which is very versatile,” said junior Eloise Barnical.
Even though Brandy Melville clothing items fit many girls on campus, there is still a large group of students who feel left out the moment they walk past the store’s entrance. Social media is the reason for this outcome. Brandy Melville is just a store that makes clothes for tall girls who are a size XS, S, or M, although even if you aren’t tall Brandys clothes would just fit you differently, and that’s what makes their items unique.
