The Mirror | October 2020 | Van Nuys High School | Los Angeles, California USA

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6| OCTOBER 2020 | By ANGELICA VENTURINA | P E R S P E C T I V E | theMIRROR “One size fits none” Controversy surrounds retailer Brandy Melville ‘‘ I saw one or two Asian and Black models occasionally while scrolling down, but almost all the girls are the same white, skinny and small models.” JENNA DE ROSALES STUDENT THE MIRROR STAFF If you’re a teenager, you’ve probably heard the name “Brandy Melville” at least once. In Los Angeles, all it takes is a walk down the street to see one or two girls wearing the brand. Founded in Italy in 1970, Brandy Melville is a clothing store selling trendy apparel for young women. With its wide array of plaid skirts, tiny crop tops and low-waisted jeans, the brand gained the attention of teenage girls after its launch in the U.S. in 2009. Since then, it’s become one of the most popular teenage clothing brands. However, despite the brand being so widely enjoyed by young girls, controversy surrounding problematic sizing and lack of diversity implies that the company caters to a specific audience of girls — small, skinny and white. Brandy Melville sells one-size clothing, and has been harshly criticized on the internet for its’ tightly conscribed size range. Most of their shirts come in small or extra small. Their pants don’t have a wider range either, ranging from as small as a 0 to a 2. The brand promotes unhealthy beauty standards for young girls, according to 15-year-old Gwendolyn Singer. “They create this expectation,” Singer said. “If you don’t fit into one-size-fits-all clothing, which is not body inclusive and can only fit people size 00-2, then you aren’t good enough and your body isn’t normal. It creates this idea that if you don’t fit into their tiny clothes, there’s something wrong with your body or you need to change yourself.” On average, their clothes have a 32-inch bust and a 25-inch waist, which many teen girls do not have. According to an article from the website Healthline Media, written by Kimberly Holland and medically reviewed by certified personal trainer Daniel Bubnis, the average waist size for a teenage girl in America is 32.6 inches, while the average bust size is 34 inches. When the majority of consumers being targeted cannot fit into the clothes a company is marketing, it says a lot about how poorly size inclusivity is handled in the fashion industry. Many brands in the industry, like Brandy Melville, create a divide between the people who can fit their clothes, and the people who can’t. While many girls will gladly line up at the front of Brandy Melville ready to storm the store, others would rather watch from afar, like 15-year-old Leeza Dangazyan. “I understand that stores have the option to market their products to a specific audience, but using size instead of style to do that doesn’t seem healthy at all, especially because their specific style is so popular right now and a lot of people might be interested in that aesthetic,” Dangazyan said. “But it’s so hard to find clothes that fit both that style and larger sizes. It’s so sad.” Others argue that Brandy Melville perpetuates a culture of negativity and body-shaming by marketing their clothing towards only one size. “Growing up with society telling us how to look and shaming us for what size we are has a negative impact, especially on our self esteem,” 15-year-old Kyla Paguio said. “It isn’t any better that a brand of clothes that targets teenagers my age makes me feel bad about not being able to fit into trendy clothes or anything from that store for that matter.” Brandy Melville’s Instagram page, which has more than three million followers lacks diversity, covered from top to bottom with pictures of models who have the same characteristics: thin, white and tall. With their lack of diversity and noninclusive sizing, many marvel at how they stay in business. “Most of the models on their page are white, and it used to be literally all white models,” 14-year-old Jenna De Rosales said. “I saw one or two Asian and Black models occasionally while scrolling down, but almost all the girls are the same white, skinny and small models.” Girls like 16-year-old Ysabel Zurita, who don’t match the brand’s target type, feel left out and are unlikely to buy anything from the company until they become more inclusive. “The lack of diversity on their [Instagram] page just ties in with the whole concept of a Brandy girl that they’re trying to advertise: white girl, tall, skinny,” she said. “I feel really bad for the girls out there who aren’t getting the recognition and representation they deserve.” SOURCE | BRANDYMELVILLE.COM ALL WHITE The skinny white girls modeling Brandy Melville fashions on their website. SHUTTERSTOCK | VLADIMIR GJORGIEU
theMIRROR | P E R S P E C T I V E | | OCTOBER 2020 |7 CREATIVE COMMONS | ASHLEY CAMPBELL VIRTUAL STRESS What once seemed like a dream come true has students frustrated at home. ONLINE LEARNING From fantasy to nightmare By ADRIANA CONTRERAS THE MIRROR STAFF What was once a student fantasy has now become a nightmare. If you disliked the social life of high school or found the journey between school and home tiring, remote learning seemed like the solution to all your problems. With the unexpected impact of covid-19, students finally got the chance to experience what they longed for but it’s far from what we expected. Students imagined sleeping in, enjoying more free time and learning from the comfort of their homes, but most were disappointed to find that remote learning only aggravated their learning experience. The transition to remote learning has brought unexpected consequences for both students and teachers. One change brought by online learning is the new “bell” schedule. School now starts at 9:00 a.m. as opposed to the previous 7:50 a.m. start time. Students also have an extended lunch and finish classes at 2:15 p.m. on regular days and 12:10 p.m. on professional development days. This change is definitely one favored by students who get to use their additional time however they please, whether that’s sleeping in or spending more time on their phone. Despite more free time for students, the new circumstances of remote learning leaves many behind. Teachers who are not tech-savvy struggle with Schoology and Zoom. Social science teacher Ms. Wanda Moore is among those who struggle with the technology of online school. “Of all the problems, students joining and getting kicked off is the most consistent,” she said. “I have gotten kicked off probably a total of four to five times. I have been slow to adapt, a lot of which has to do with my age and experience.” Moore strongly believes that the transition to online school challenges both the quality and philosophy of her teaching. “In a classroom, I feel like a chef preparing a meal. Zoom makes me feel like a short-order cook. Learning has changed from an experience I want students to savor to now being like gulping down a meal just to gulp it down.” In the beginning of the school year, many classrooms had fallen victim to “Zoom-bombing” as well, where unknown individuals entered class Zoom meetings and displayed pornography and other inappropriate images. Senior Justin Henriquez recalls the disturbing incident with his stage design class experiencing a “Zoom-bomb.” “People just started yelling inappropriate phrases and calling the teacher names. Online learning is already heard enough for both students and teachers and ‘Zoom-bombs’ aren’t making it any easier,” he said. However, this issue has now been resolved. Students can no longer log into their Zoom classes without their LAUSD email. Teachers must also only admit students who are entering the call with their LAUSD log in. Teachers are not the only ones struggling with the technological aspect of remote learning. Many students run into connectivity problems whether it is their personal internet or the hotspot the school has provided. Senior Amberly Bonilla struggles with online school due to the poor connection from her schoolprovided hotspot. “It did work a little for the first two months when they gave it to me but now it’s always at one bar,” she said. “No matter where I took it the connection never got better. It works for absolutely nothing. It’s just loading screens for everything. Ever since May I haven’t used the hotspot at all.” For students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses, using the College Board website has been difficult. Timed College Board tests now require installing SecureTestBrowser, a lockdown browser to prevent cheating. Some AP students are unable to download this lockdown browser on their own computers, requiring them to check out school-provided Chromebooks, which come with the lockdown browser already installed. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t download the lockdown browser on my laptop which I needed for my AP Lang (AP English Language and Composition) class,” junior Fatiah Lawal said. “I had to go to the school to pick up a Chromebook or else I wouldn’t be able to complete my assessments.” Students also find themselves easily distracted in class. It’s tempting to reach for your phone when you find yourself disinterested in what is being discussed. Senior Rober Angel discerned that the lack of disciplinary action actually provokes him to reach for his phone during Zoom calls. “At school, if I pull my phone out it will get taken away so I can concentrate more, so when I’m in class it feels like I’m more interested or more engaged,” he explained. Unfortunately, not all students have a quiet work space at home and struggle to stay attentive and keep up with attending classes. “You are required to listen to lectures, take tests, participate in class discussions and you have loud conversations coming from around you,” senior Ayisha Bushra said. “It’s extremely distracting and can take away from your understanding.” Remote learning poses a threat to the education of students whose home conditions prevent them from staying on track with school work. Contrary to what students previously expected from remote learning, most actually prefer in-person education because they feel they are most productive in the traditional learning environment of a school. “With in-person teaching, we can get a more personal experience when it comes to learning,” junior Isabella Rivera said. “It is hard to get to know each other virtually since most of us get camera shy. Online school is definitely more difficult.” But it’s more than just dealing with the comfortability of remote learning. For other students, factors beyond their control prohibit them from reaping the full benefits of online learning. Some parents have now returned to on-site work and do not have the luxury to find a caretaker for their younger children, especially during an economic recession, and with the concern of the spread of the virus, leaving a lot of students with younger siblings to care for them. “I prefer in-person teaching because I find that with learning online, it’s especially hard to separate home life from school life,” junior Jersey Vargas explained. “It’s difficult to pay attention in class when your five year old sister asks for assistance with technology and your little brother needs help with math.” Vargas describes it as “overwhelming” when she’s left to manage the household on her own and because of this, she prefers traditional learning. Even though online learning may not be the best solution, the alternative would be returning to classes and adding to the surging covid-19 cases in California.
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The Mirror | October 2020 | Van Nuys High School | Los Angeles, California USA

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