Upcoming HBO documentary Brandy Hellville and the Cult of Fast Fashion has sparked national interest and speculation on various social media platforms. Brandy Melville, an Italian fashion brand for young women, rose to popularity in the 2010s due to its preppy, west coast aesthetic. However, the store’s one-size-fits-all policy quickly became controversial. When former Brandy Melville employees started speaking out about their experiences on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitter, shoppers began to speculate what the intentions of the company really were.

Former employees, like Brianna Gomez, went to TikTok to explain the unconventional and invasive practices of the company. The hiring process at Brandy Melville is virtually nonexistent according to former employees, and all they needed to do was submit a photo of themselves on their application as well as their Instagram username. Employees were required to send photos of themselves every day they worked to an unknown email. For many years, employees were unaware who these photos were being sent to, as senior corporate executives did not have any social media presence. Screenshots of group messages between CEO Stephan Marsan and other male corporate employees were later revealed, however. These screenshots contained fatphobic, racist, pornographic, and anti-Semetic messages regarding employees’ daily photos. A vast majority of Brandy Melville’s senior leadership team were included in these threads, revealing that executives often violated moral and personal boundaries of employees. Numerous employees were either terminated without explanation or for no longer matching the company’s standards. A myriad of employees were confused and angered as to why they were terminated without reason, but they later discovered that Marsan along with other corporate executives were invalidating and belittling their appearances in fear of the employees tainting Brandy’s image. Because employees were instructed to stay thin in order to represent Brandy Melville’s image, they were scolded at or terminated if they gained weight, resulting in eating disorders and body dysmorphia for countless employees.

In the documentary’s trailer, past Brandy Melville employees discussed how the clothing company “tapped into the worst impulses of being a teenage girl.” Not only was Brandy Melville a clothing chain, it also had an elitist social media presence that exclusively featured thin white girls. This allocated for detrimental, unrealistic beauty standards. What made Brandy’s posts on social media so captivating to teens, though, were their candid nature. While other brands model their clothes with professional models, serious facial expressions, and studio settings, Brandy rejected this standard and desired to appear to the public as genuine as possible. Teens were persuaded by Brandy Melville for their so-called authenticity, and employees discuss their feelings of belonging and acceptance when they purchased Brandy clothes or lost enough weight in order to fit in to their clothes. This praise of the company remained for many years until more information was disclosed surrounding CEO Marsan’s cruel and unusual business practices.

In addition to Brandy Melville’s bias towards thin white girls, they have demonstrated racist business practices and demonstrate unethical labor practices. Despite Brandy being an Italian clothing chain, the company produces most of its garments by exploiting Chinese immigrant workers in sweatshops using its “Made in Italy” label. Because Brandy Melville is a fast fashion chain, its goal is to appear as authentic as possible due to these immoral standards of labor that are attempted to be hidden from consumers.

Despite all of the cruel and unprofessional business practices that Brandy has participated in, the business is still thriving and totals hundreds and millions of dollars every year from consumers. Fast fashion chains like Brandy Melville truly are a cult, as companies promote exclusivity within their appearances and they persuade customers to overconsume in order for them to feel they are not valid without their products.