The Toxicity in our Society Bringing People Down

In today’s society, girls constantly preach of supporting one another. Of accepting all races. Of all sizes. Yet there still seems to exist a plethora of corporate companies that grow on praising THAT girl. Which girl? The long-legged, slim-waisted, blue-eyed girl. And without realizing it, many of us are feeding right into this scheme. Take “Brandy Melville'', one of fashion’s most turned to brand, clothing, and accessory store, as an example. Through discrimination, whether it be in size or race, Brandy Melville is the face of toxicity in our environment.

Founders Silvio Marsan and Stephan Marsan created the Italian brand back in 1970. With 154 locations (96 of which are in the United States) Brandy still remains to be largely an eCommerce brand. They pool in a rough estimate of $125 million in 2015, with annual growth of 20-25%. Here’s how.

Over generic tv marketing and celebrity endorsement, the company takes heavy advantage of social media and their large teen following. The brand’s primary ambitions are to stay youthful, by advertising to the young and growing generation. There’s no doubt about it, Brandy Melville has great profits, even so, they hold a controversial reputation and show heavy acts of prejudice.

Brandy Melville holds a young demographic throughout the brand. Whether it be through their workers, their models, or their shoppers.

They all share one thing in common, their youth and appearances. Brandy Melville clearly shows a bias towards those with light skin and lean figures. It is apparent and proven through their pick in models, on the website, and social media platform. Their website and Instagram account do not have any representation of people of color. Not to forget, the single and identical body type seen in every photo. Having the workers as the models for these sites shows that their employees fit their category of liking. An obvious toxic trait that the company withholds.

An unforgettable portion of the retail brand is its policy of no variation in size. According to their website, their skirts are a measurement of 24 and their pants can stretch up to a 2. Brandy Melville seems to have forgotten that people come in all shapes and sizes and that this should be admired not disapproved of. Another example of idealizing a body type. The brand is defended by its young investors claiming it is a store for “petite girls.” They believe that just as plus size stores exist, stores intended for those of a smaller physique have the same intentions and Brandy Melville is one of them. Here is the flaw in the entire statement, those stores still have sizes!! Infamous plus size store; Torrid, is a great example to represent most, if not all, plus size stores. Just as any other “normal” brand would, it has an average of 9 sizes for every item and article of clothing. It can no longer be protected by the false phenomenon their brainwashed consumers have fed into.

Why is it THE TIME WE FACE IT?

It's simple. We all want change! When it comes to any conflict rather than investing in a resolution, people tend to ignore it or take the short-cut out of it. Let’s take into recognition of what is happening and do what we can to fix it.

What can you do now?

There are two ways you can go about this post. One is understanding the toxicity in the company and participating in activism against it.

The other is permitting little to no thought on the matter and acting indifferent to such companies. Continuing to wear clothes because it fits you and you like it. But most importantly, feeding into the anchor dragging our society down.

So, instead of sitting on your phone retweeting messages and posting on social media. get up. Start acting. Research every brand you spend on. From shoes and sweatshirts to stationery and supplies. The change will occur, but it starts with you. Boycott the corrupt corporate companies, and sponsor those that demand a difference for YOU.