Brandy Melville- only sells one tiny size. Why is this allowed to happen?

[S0rrel]

So since the first lockdown my dd is one of many teenagers contributing to the huge spike in Anorexia. It’s is deadly and incredibly difficult to beat once it has taken hold.

She needs new clothes and mentioned Brandy Melville. Went on to tell me they only sell one tiny size and her friends tell her she is small enough,barely able to hide her glee. Talk about putting dreadful pressure on already susceptible girls. How are we as parents supposed to battle crap like that. I did the women come in all shapes, how deplorable spiel. Went on complete deaf ears.

Why are they allowed to do this? What messages are we sending out to young girls.

Yes it was a sweatshirt top op

@S0rrel

Over sized shops if they exist will have a range of sizes, not one.

It’s just appalling.

Anorexia is deadly. A shop you need to be small enough to shop in and fit their exclusive size is an incredibly dangerous concept and will make the job for parents like us caught up in the huge spike of eating disorders that much harder.

The messages it sends out re women and their bodies is just awful too.

Their 'one size' isn't a tiny unhealthy size though? I don't see how you can blame eating disorders on that. The reality is many eating disorderes are hugely complex mental illnesses and actually can't just be reduced down to 'I want to be thinner'. Just as OCD isn't because someone wants a clean house.

us.brandymelville.com/products/molly-light-wash-jeans-y29-ma1-lw?variant=36208857415844

Their jeans come in 2 sizes, 26 waist and 28. Other jeans the 2 sizes are 31 and 33 inch waist.

us.brandymelville.com/products/addison-jeans-y29-ma1-lw?variant=35885601882276

My DD aged 12, well proportioned and very sporty bought jeans that wouldn't go past her thighs. He's big sis, 23, size 8 couldn't get them on either. It's horrible for young girls. I have banned BM now!

The problem with it is that it’s become a “thing” to be able to fit into BM clothes.

The clothes themselves are a pile of shite - cheaply made tat on a par with primark.

BM is one of the few shops that stock clothes that will fit my 15yr old DD. How on earth do you think she would feel if I told her that people were saying it should not be allowed to sell these sizes and that they were inferring that she wasnt a healthy body shape or size? It does cut both ways you know.

I'm sorry but stopping a business for selling clothes designed for slim people of a range of sizes is just as bad as a business selling plus size clothing in a range of sizes just in case someone gets inspired to put on weight so a t shirt fits them.

Size 2 jeans aren't the issue, eating disorders and poor mental health are the issues.

@DishedUp I don't know if it's the website formatting but your links are taking me to general pages rather than items of clothing.

From looking at the crop tops, I think this is a function of the fact they're elasticated so when they're not being worn they're 14", rather than being designed to fit someone with a 14" bust. A 14" bust isn't just thin, it's completely impossible, so I can only imagine this is a typo or when it's unstretched.

This one has a 33" bust - I assume because it's tailored and not stretchy. httpss://uk.brandymelville.com/catalog/category/view/s/long-sleeves/id/1504/#

My DD buys all her clothes from there. She also has an eating disorder. I hate the fact that they only do a small size, but they are at least relatively modest clothes. Although often overpriced for what they are. A lot of their tops are stretchy and sweatshirts are oversized (I have one and I’m not tiny!).

But it is indeed a desirable shop for those with an eating disorder. Last time we visited there I think probably half of the girls there had one.

Most shops cater for small sizes, most shops sell down to a size 4. Its not unusual for shops to cater for slim people. Most mainstream clothes are designed around the slimmer body

Simply be caters for larger sizes because these are sizes not catered for in most shops. It doesn't paint being a size 20 as aspirational, or paint itself as a cool brand for teenagers to follow. It also caters for a range of larger sizes.

Simply bes motto I guess is "you too can wear nice clothes even though society tells you you are unattractive

Brandy melville is saying 'you can be cool and aspirational, but you need to he this relatively unachievable size that society already pushes as the ideal'

Realistically no one has ever made themselves overweight because they believed it to be aspirational.

I find it really hard to believe PP don't understand this

Surely the difference between this and Simply Be is that Simply Be is plus size clothing and everyone knows that it is for people who are larger than average. A range of sizes is sold.

Brandy Melville is not marketing itself as "smaller than average" sized clothing. It's marketing itself as normal clothing for young women/teens people, and is thereby implying that all teens should be able to fit into one, exceptionally small size. If it branded itself as "shop for people too small to shop in regular shops (could that be Minus size?)" and sold items in a range of sizes from say UK size 2 - UK size 6 then that would of course be fine and more of an equivalent to Simply Be.

BM is one of the few shops that stock clothes that will fit my 15yr old DD. How on earth do you think she would feel if I told her that people were saying it should not be allowed to sell these sizes and that they were inferring that she wasnt a healthy body shape or size? It does cut both ways you know.

Nobody is saying they shouldn’t be allowed to sell these sizes. We’re saying they should also sell normal sizes, not just those that fit a particularly petite 15yo. The trousers/skirts won’t even fit a size 8-10. Or maybe they should promote themselves as a store for petite women only instead of pushing the myth that they sell clothes for all teenage girls when they clearly don’t do anything of the sort.

Surely the bust measurements are ‘pit to pit’?

I was also perplexed at first.

I think the bust measurements are of the actual garment when flat so 17 inches is the measurement across and actually 34 inches.

I am fairly certain the 14/17 inch busts are referring to side to side measurements, not the circular measurements we are used to seeing. The garment will be 14 inches wide at the bust not to fit a 14 inch bust.

This is done a lot for vintage clothing (where sizes don't mean much as the standard measurements have changed so much over time).

Wanting to be thin plays a massive part in Anorexia. It can start with wanting to be healthy, smaller and then escalated to wanting to be/ stay thin. When it takes hold it alters the brain. Only food can put that right but the fear of food causing weight gain stops that happening.

I have been battling getting my dd to eat all week. How are we supposed to beat crap like BM?It is very aspirational and followed on Instagram.

Where are you looking? I’ve just looked at some jeans and they have S and M available.

@Loopyloututu

BM is one of the few shops that stock clothes that will fit my 15yr old DD. How on earth do you think she would feel if I told her that people were saying it should not be allowed to sell these sizes and that they were inferring that she wasnt a healthy body shape or size? It does cut both ways you know.

Nobody is saying they shouldn’t be allowed to sell these sizes. We’re saying they should also sell normal sizes, not just those that fit a particularly petite 15yo. The trousers/skirts won’t even fit a size 8-10. Or maybe they should promote themselves as a store for petite women only instead of pushing the myth that they sell clothes for all teenage girls when they clearly don’t do anything of the sort.

This is the problem though, you aren't just saying you want additional sizes. You have specifically said "normal" sizes therefore calling these sizes and the bodies who fit them "not normal".

Why is it okay to call a smaller size not normal?

Those busy measurements are flat measurements. So armpit to armpit.
14" is 28", 17 is 34 etc. Perfectly healthy size for a teenager.

oh also most of their jewellery contains lead as well which makes me ✨uncomfy✨

@Loopyloututu the jeans a poster linked upthread are 31" and 33" waist. By my understanding that's between a 12 (30" waist) and a 16 (34" waist). The Next ones I'm wearing now are a 29" (I'm about a 10 at the moment and very much not a teenager)

So not unrealistic at all and quite normal sizes.

eating disorders aren't caused by clothes sizes!

Why is it okay to call a smaller size not normal?

By normal I mean “average”. Most teenage/young girls are not a size 6.

@lockheart. Its the amalfi crop. But I also found a sweatshirt. These were the first two items I clicked on

Who writes their sizes as the actual diameter? All sizes are written to fit body measurements.

Even on this thread we've got several situations where people have been using their clothes as validation that they are slim enough, its quite blatant the effect this has on people because its written right in front of your nose!.
How many people use simply be as validation they are large enough? Come off it

Pp saying its the only clothes that will fit their very slim DD I.e. its a very small size - smaller than a 4 which most shops go down to? Nothing wrong with selling smaller sizes, alongside larger sizes

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/8969631/brandy-melville-accused-damaging-teen-girls-body-image-one-size-fits-all/amp/

Loopyloututu the jeans a poster linked upthread are 31" and 33" waist. By my understanding that's between a 12 (30" waist) and a 16 (34" waist). The Next ones I'm wearing now are a 29" (I'm about a 10 at the moment and very much not a teenager

Maybe they have taken note and have started selling a bigger range of sizes? It was certainly my experience when I went with dd a couple of years ago that the bottoms especially would only fit a Barbie doll!