‘A very odd and ugly worldview’: the dark side of fast fashion brand Brandy Melville
The successful clothing store is the focus of a new film that uncovers shadowy business practices and a bigger picture of environmental damage
If you haven’t heard of Brandy Melville, you probably don’t have a teenage girl in your life. The clothing brand – confusingly named for two characters, an American girl named Brandy and an Englishman named Melville who fall in love in Rome – is synonymous with a certain large swath of gen Z, very online and inundated since consciousness with images of very skinny celebrities like Bella Hadid. As one ex-store associate puts it in a new HBO documentary on the brand: Brandy Melville was for the kinda basic but very trend-aware girl.
Over the past decade and a half, the brand built a giant following via Instagram, Tumblr and TikTok posts of and by teenage girls channeling a certain recognizable aesthetic: tiny outfits accentuating pre-adult metabolisms, exposed midriffs so taut they seem to be begging for a tape measure, long hair flowing cheerily in motion, overwhelmingly white. Most of the brand’s pieces sold for less than $40, in “one size fits all”, that size being small. What Abercrombie & Fitch was to millennials at the mall, Brandy Melville was to teenage girls on their phone – organically popular, ubiquitous and reinforcing existing, retrograde ideas of what’s cool and popular. A divisive status symbol spotted on such rail-thin celebrities as Kaia Gerber and Kendall Jenner that many people love to hate, and also secretly want.
Continue reading...Date: |
Filter
-
The Ugly State of Shoe Collaborations
Blingy Crocs, punk Uggs and spangled sneakers, oh my.The New York Times - Lifestyle -
The Mysterious ‘Dark’ Energy That Permeates the Universe Is Slowly Eroding
Physicists call the dark energy that drives the universe “the cosmological constant.” Now the largest map of the cosmos to date hints that this mysterious energy has been changing over billions of years.Wired - Tech -
A Very Famous Model Stars in a Very Pixelated Book of Wigs
With the model Kaia Gerber, the hairstylist Guido Palau created a “low-fi” project about the transformative power of hair.The New York Times - Lifestyle -
India's economy: The good, bad and ugly in six charts
India has one of the world's fastest growing economies but the benefits are yet to fully reach the poorest.BBC News - Top stories - India -
Antidepressants: What to Know About Uses and Side Effects
Facts and common misconceptions about some of America’s most widely used drugs.The New York Times - Health -
Britney Spears Fast Facts
Read CNN's Britney Spears Fast Facts to learn about the pop singer and Grammy award winner.CNN - Top stories -
David Beckham Fast Facts
Read CNN's Fast Facts about David Beckham, and learn more about the life of the retired soccer legend.CNN - Top stories -
Billy Joel Fast Facts
View CNN's Fast Facts on Billy Joel and learn more about the muscian called the "Piano Man."CNN - Top stories -
Kashmir Fast Facts
Read CNN's Fast Facts about Kashmir, a region in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges. India, Pakistan and China all claim partial or complete ownership.CNN - Top stories -
LeBron James Fast Facts
Read CNN's Fast Facts about LeBron James and learn about the NBA superstar.CNN - Top stories - NBA
More from The Guardian
-
Top New York prosecutor says 280 people arrested at campus protests; independent review into UCLA violence – live
Alvin Bragg does not confirm reports of “outside agitators” infiltrating student-led protests; University of California orders review of lack of policing. Full report: crackdowns intensify on US campus protestsColumbia faculty ‘horrified’ by mass ...The Guardian - World - New York -
Arizona senate passes repeal of 1864 near-total abortion ban
Democrats pick up support of two Republicans to repeal law reinstated three weeks ago, with governor expected to ratify repeal. Arizona lawmakers have repealed the state’s 160-year-old statute banning nearly all abortions.. The 1864 law, which was ...The Guardian - World - Abortion -
Israel under pressure to let more aid into Gaza as hostage talks continue
Antony Blinken holds two-hour meeting with Netanyahu while Hamas considers ceasefire proposal. Israel’s leaders were under renewed pressure to allow more aid into Gaza on Wednesday after the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told Benjamin ...The Guardian - World - Israel -
Canada: bitter clash in parliament over Trudeau ‘wacko’ jibe
Parliamentary questions dominated by partisan attacks a day after Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre ejected from chamber. Canada’s Liberal and Conservative parties have redoubled their parliamentary clash a day after the Tory leader was ejected ...The Guardian - World -
Füllkrug’s rocket gives Dortmund slim advantage over PSG as Sancho shines
As the final whistle blew on this pulsating, perplexing game you could see the two sides stumbling around in a kind of daze, still trying to process things. Wondering how their combined efforts and errors had resulted in just a single goal. ...The Guardian - World