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Local store fuels body dysmorphia among teens

Local+store+fuels+body+dysmorphia+among+teens
Claudia Landowne

Brandy Melville has infiltrated the closets of teenage girls all across America, and she is taking no prisoners.

The original Italian brand, whose designers say they are inspired by the laidback L.A. lifestyle, is characterized by breezy mini skirts, pretty pastels, and soft floral prints.

However, beneath the piles of chunky knit sweaters and skimpy crop tops lie social pressures that have raised many concerns among both teens and adults of Westport, according to students and residents interviewed recently.

Brandy Melville, which operates a shop in downtown Westport, advertises a brand-wide “one size fits most” policy, which is neatly printed on almost all of their tags and also on 10 by 10 inch signs around the store.

Dustyn Levenson ’14, the president of Reshaping Reality, a club of girls whose mission is to “increase the self-esteem of struggling students,” said that she hates the “one size fits most” scale because “inevitably, some kids won’t fit and are singled out as having a body that is unlike most, and by social standards, bad.”

In an interview at the Westport store, an assistant manager said she understands how people could be offended by the signs. However, she argued that, “Brandy is an Italian-based brand, so I think that ‘one size fits most’ could be translated poorly. Its meaning could be misinterpreted or lost in translation.”

The Brandy Melville website includes a sizing graphic to help customers “get a better idea of the fit.” The cartoon model has a small bust, flat stomach, and the coveted thigh gap or space between a woman’s legs (characteristics of a body that many young girls would consider perfect.)

Maria Tripodi, a registered dietitian with a private practice in Westport who specializes in body dysmorphic disorders, believes that the sizing policy adopted by Brandy can only have a negative effect on young teens “because they set up impossible parameters for girls to look like.”

Employees at the store, however, argue that there are a variety of styles available to customers. It is true that although Brandy’s signature crop tops only skim their models’ belly buttons, they also have loose, baggy shirts that hang to the models’ knees.

Carley Brockwell ’14, a former employee, said she had heard complaining. On the other hand, “there are different styles of clothing in the store, some much bigger than others and some much smaller than others.”

Many students disagree and call the sizing policy unnecessary.

Sydney Newman ’15 said, “It’s embarrassing and discouraging that I can only buy an oversized sweater. I should be able to find more than one item of clothing that would fit me in a store that targets growing girls.”

Levenson argued that the clothes serve as what she called a “breeding ground” for body comparisons. “Everyone wears the same size, and it turns into a competition of who wears it better and whose body does it fit the best,” Levenson said.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, “The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5 percent of American females.”

Students agreed that when a brand that is “one size fits most” is advertised by models who are stick thin, perfectly toned, and six feet tall, the ideal body based on their sizing is unrealistic and disheartening for young girls.

“Having clothing that fits only certain figures and body shapes narrows down the amount of people who can wear their clothes and allows only certain ‘types’ of people to wear it,” Eryn Loberbaum ’14 said.

“This is terrible. Talk about lowering a girl’s self esteem. This is absolutely the kind of media influence that will affect someone with or without an eating disorder,” Tripos said.

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About the Contributors
Elizabeth Camche, Business Manager

Most students see Inklings as a source of news and entertainment, a way to keep up with the school. Elizabeth Camche ’14 sees it as a business. As the one and only business manager, Camche deals with everything from subscriptions to ads to budget.

It’s all a bit more than she expected.

“I really did not know what I was getting into,” Camche said.

She applied for the position after watching last year’s two managers, figuring it couldn’t be all that hard. Turns out, it’s a lot for one student to handle. “I guess they thought it was a one-person job. It’s not,” Camche said.

Despite all the hours she puts in as business manager, Camche still found time to write a hilariously honest piece on what a Mean Girl she was in middle school.

She’s eager for an assistant who will free up some more time for writing, although at least she has learned something from her experience:

“Inklings actually has a lot of money. Underratedly,” Camche said.

Claire Quigley, Opinions Editor

Claire Quigley ’14  is an opinions editor on  Inklings Newspaper. She has many hobbies that include dance, lacrosse, and is an active member of many clubs. Claire’s main focus for the past three years has been giving back to both her own community, and others as well. She has been apart of her church’s youth club for almost  three years with many of her friends. This past summer, she had the amazing opportunity to help the less fortunate in the Dominican Republic. Claire and her youth group helped build houses, and teach many children who do not have the opportunity for an education speak English. “Those 10 days changed my life, I felt great each and every day because I knew I was making a difference.” said Quigley ’14. Aside from traveling to the Dominican, Claire and her youth group have also helped locally around Connecticut. She has helped build gardens, feed the homeless, and raise money for causes she believes in. She has put in many hours towards her youth group, and truly believes they are helping the world one project at a time. Besides Claire being a part of her youth group outside of school, she also enjoys writing both outside and inside school. This year Claire will be finishing her third year on Inklings and is excited to write many articles for both the paper and the web. Claire’s favorite article she wrote was “Where do I upload my Pictures?

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