The Exclusivity of Gender

Brandy Melville is unlike any other brand, they are strictly for the girls. They do not use any male models, therefore all of their clothing is advertised to be women’s clothing. Many of the styles, patterns, and prints that are used for their clothing are stereotypically hyper feminine. The fact that the clothes and accessories are just advertised towards women and girls, pushes an agenda of gender stereotypes to very young children who inevitably are following a very popular brand because it is trendy.

Patterns That are Seen as "Girly"

Many of the Brandy Melville shirts are cropped, meaning that they are not full length shirts, they cut off just above the belly button exposing the midriff. In the past, cropped shirts have been a women’s only style, even though they were originally a unisex garment, commonly used by athletes to be able to move during physically intense activities (Carrasco 2023). In later years, it has become mostly popular in women’s fashion, with society questioning your masculinity if you are a man wearing a crop top. Along with the fact that the shirts are cropped, they are styled with lace, hearts, and bows.

Why Only Women?

Like previously mentioned, Brandy Melville does not sell men’s clothing, On their instagram page, @brandymelvilleusa, as of May 8th, 2024 there has been 42 instagram posts within the last month, out of those 42 instagram posts, there is one man pictured, in the background. On their website, there are absolutely no male models. By doing this, The brand is pushing the idea that; clothes do indeed have a gender. Ultimately, clothes are pieces of fabric that are made to be worn, the notion that you can not wear a certain garment because of your gender is a societal norm, that we as a society socialize into the minds of all humans as young as birth. With Brandy Melville’s approach, they are excluding every gender, other than what society deems as a “women”, from shopping at their store.

How does Brandy Melville Exclude Gender Non-Conforming and Intersex People.

Of course, other genders exist that aren’t just men and women. Because of the nature of Brandy Melville, they inherently leave out anyone who identifies as non binary, intersex, or gender non-conforming. The clothes are not gendered, but the brand is, since they have little to no representation of models, on their website and social media, that don't fit into this “girly- girl" aesthetic that they have created with their company. It may cause confusion or uncomfortability for someone who is going through a period of discovery with their gender identity. Since Brandy Melville is so popular, they may also feel left out or less than their peers for not owning any Brandy Melville clothing. Adults are responsible for how children see gender (Meadow 2018) and Stephan Marsan who is the founder and mastermind of Brandy Melville, depicts gender in a stereotypical and conventional way, for all children to see.

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