When I was seventeen, I got a job at the clothing store, Brandy Melville. Even though they were paying me $3 less than my last job’s minimum hourly pay. I was bummed, but every suburban teen girl’s dream was to work at Brandy in 2013, so I took pride in it.
In the first week, I noticed a pattern. I watched all the thin young girls exit the fitting room with piles of crop tops and miniskirts to get their moms to buy; I watched the other girls leaving clothes behind.
“Can I help you find anything?” I’d ask them politely.
“Nothing fits.” I’d get sometimes.
More often, they’d avoid my eyes, smile sadly, and scurry out the front door.
“One size fits all.” The brand boasted.
After watching another perfectly-made young girl leave with nothing but shame on her cheeks, I walked out the door behind her and never looked back.
There is no 'one size fits all' - anywhere.
