Brandy Melville Meredith Bjorvik + Olivia Bostick + Anna Litchman J342 - Spring 2019
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. Brandy Melville 4. The Issue 5. Objective 6. Our Audience 7. Where Brandy Melville Stands 8. First Word that Comes to Mind 9. Survey: Unable to Fit 10. Survey: All Sizes 11. Same Shirt, Same Size 12. Same Shorts, Same Size 13. Same Dress, Same Size 14. Affecting Women All Around World 15. Instagram 16. Reality
17. Survey: One Size Fits All Claim 18. What People Are Saying 19. In the Media 20. Why This Matters 21. Body Dysmorphic Disorder 22. Negative Body Image 23. Female Figure in Culture 24. Brandy Melville as a Toxic Trend 25. The Solution 26. Media Strategy 27. Using Social Media Strength 28. A Closer Look 29. Media Messaging 30. To Sum It Up‌
WHAT IS BRANDY MELVILLE? Brandy Melville is an Italian-based clothing company for girls that is entirely reliant on social media and word of mouth for advertising. They market their clothes as simple, minimalistic, affordable, and made for everyone. They sell the majority of their clothes, aside from a few select bottoms, in just one size that is equivalent to a size small or extra-small.
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THE ISSUE
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Most of Brandy Melville’s clothing is “one size fits all.” Only a select few of their bottoms have sizes ranging from 00-5. According to a study from the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, the average American woman is a size 16. Sources: Today.com + Brandy Melville
OBJECTIVE To encourage Brandy Melville to accommodate and celebrate all body types by expanding their sizing options in order to empower and include people of all sizes.
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WHO IS OUR AUDIENCE? Our audience is people aged 13-25 who are looking to buy casual and trendy clothing at an inexpensive price.
WHERE BRANDY MELVILLE STANDS
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We surveyed 89 people aged 18-23 about their thoughts on Brandy Melville. Source: Sizing Survey
SNOBBYCUTE
STICKERS
FAVORITE ESSENTIAL
INCONSISTENT CHEAP
CRUELAESTHETIC
EDITED BEACHY EXCLUSIVE
TEEN GIRLS
TIGHT
TINY UNPREDICTABLE
PRETTY GIRLS BASIC
UNCOMFORTABLE
BODY SHAME
UNFAIR
HIP CASUAL ITALIAN
ANNOYING UNACCEPTING
COOL
SKINNY
CORRUPT
UNETHICAL
WHAT’S THE FIRST WORD THAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR “BRANDY MELVILLE?”
TRENDY
UNHEALTHY
CROOKED SLIM
FASHIONABLE
IMMORAL
DOLL-SIZED
IMPRACTICAL MEAN ANNOYING POPULAR
YOUNG
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
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COMFY INSTAGRAM
STYLISH HIPSTER
UNBELIEVABLE
VIBEY
SMALL
TEENAGERS
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN UNABLE TO FIT INTO A BRANDY MELVILLE ITEM OF CLOTHING?
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Source: Sizing Survey
WOULD YOU FEEL MORE INCLUDED IF BRANDY MELVILLE OFFERED ALL SIZES?
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80.9% of those surveyed would feel more included if Brandy Melville offered all sizes
Source: Sizing Survey
SAME SHIRT, SAME SIZE: One size does not ямБt all.
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SAME SHORTS, SAME SIZE: One size does not ďŹ t all. Source: Brandy Melville
ONE DRESS DOES NOT FIT ALL Everyone should be able to rock a Brandy Melville dress.
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THIS AFFECTS WOMEN ALL AROUND THE WORLD
93 160 3.8
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LOCATIONS JUST IN THE UNITED STATES
LOCATIONS WORLDWIDE
MILLION FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM
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INSTAGRAM Source: @brandymelvilleusa
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REALITY Source: BuzzFeed Source: Buzzfeed
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HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BRANDY MELVILLE’S “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” CLAIM?
68.5%
Responded they felt either negative or extremely negative
Source: Sizing Survey
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WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING? “I think it perpetuates a culture that is unhealthy” -Survey Participant “I think Brandy Melville should incorporate all sizes in regards to their clothing. I know many girls who want something specific from the brand, but unfortunately cannot fit in it due to the one size fits all. This claim makes girls feel uncomfortable and insecure.” -Survey Participant “It body shames girls if they cannot fit into an item of clothing. By claiming that their one size is perfect for everyone, if someone doesn’t fit into it, then they feel like they are not “normal” or too big.” -Survey Participant
Source: Sizing Survey
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IN THE MEDIA Sources: Twitter + The Noun Project
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?
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In the United States, as many as 1 in 10 young women suffer from an eating disorder. Sources: American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry The Noun Project
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Body Dysmorphic Disorder affects 1.7% to 2.9% of people in the United States - about 1 in 50 people Brandy Melville offering one size perpetuates a culture that body shames people which can ultimately lead to eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Sources: bdd.iocdf.org + The Noun Project
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A study by York University found that young women who were asked to interact with a social media post of someone who they perceived as more attractive increased negative body image and left them feeling worse about themselves. Sources: Forbes.com + The Noun Project
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THE FEMALE FIGURE IN CULTURE “Styles of the female figure vary over time and across cultures: they reflect cultural obsessions and preoccupations in ways that are still poorly understood. Today, massiveness, power, or abundance in a woman’s body is met with distaste.” -Sandra Lee Bartky Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power (2014)
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BRANDY MELVILLE IS PERPETUATING A TOXIC TREND... “The current body of fashion is taut, small-breasted, narrow-hipped, and of a slimness bordering on emaciation; it is a silhouette that seems more appropriate to an adolescent boy or a newly pubescent girl than to an adult woman.” -Sandra Lee Bartky
THE SOLUTION Have Brandy Melville offer all sizes in order to include a complete range of body types. To promote the new sizes, we will reform social media platforms and integrate unique models to the team that represent all body types in a positive manner. We will include sizes 00-18, as opposed to letter sizing which can have a negative connotation.
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MEDIA STRATEGY Promote the new sizes and new models by using billboards in public spaces and social media.
MEDIA STRATEGY:
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USE BRANDY MELVILLE’S SOCIAL MEDIA STRENGTH
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A CLOSER LOOK Brandy Melville relies on social media heavily to promote their brand identity, so they could easily begin incorporating diverse models wearing their clothing and spreading inclusive messages to their young fanbase.
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MEDIA MESSAGING The media is now our most powerful tool for encoding messages. If Brandy Melville can add sizes and improve the media messages they’re sending to their young fanbase, they can have a hand in working to abolish toxic body image trends.
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TO SUM IT UP... Brandy Melville’s “one size fits all” claim and social media image are harmful to their young audience and the overall ideal of female body standards The brand is missing out on a huge opportunity to create positive change and stand up against body-shaming culture A size range should be added to the brand and the company should begin showcasing their size range on a more diverse and inclusive group of models
ANY QUESTIONS?
Meredith Bjorvik, Anna Litchman, Olivia Bostick
