Last year, the documentary Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion came out that really caught my attention. The documentary exposes the true inside story of the Brandy Melville company.
Eva Orner, director of Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion, uncovers the mask on the popular teen brand Brandy Melville, uncovering a world of toxic beauty standards, exploitative labor methods, and misconduct by the company. I chose to highlight this documentary for the outreach post because I believe that it strongly parallels Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston with an emphasis on the gap between appearance and reality. Both of these works highlight the negative consequences of striving for an ideal of perfection, whether it is pushed by corporate branding or societal expectations.
Brandy Hellville reveals how Brandy Melville's "one size fits most" approach and controlled social media presence helped to create a cult-like fanbase. According to the documentary, the company contributed to young women's difficulties with body image and self-esteem by promoting an exclusive and unachievable ideal. The story of the film is based on the contrast between the brand's well-preserved exterior and the shocking truth of its internal culture, which includes claims of racism, body shaming, and worker exploitation.
In a similar way, Their Eyes Were Watching God examines Janie Crawford's life and the discrepancy between appearance and reality. Janie's first marriage to Logan Killicks is motivated by her grandmother's desire for security and social status, which proves to be a suffocating cage. Her second marriage to Jody Starks is motivated by his ambition and need for power, which eventually silences Janie's voice and conceals his own fears. Janie is forced to play a part in both relationships, hiding who she really is in order to live up to others' expectations.
To add on, Brandy Hellville illustrates how the basis of Brandy Melville's marketing strategy is the creation of a sense of belonging. The documentary demonstrates how the company presents a carefree, California, cool image on social media, drawing young customers into an endless cycle of pursuing an idealized way of life. This performance of perfection reflects Janie's early understanding of love and marriage, which was influenced by external factors rather than true connection. Both the store Brandy Melville and Janie's community in the novel foster illusions that value appearance above substance.
Orner's documentary and Hurston's novel both criticize the power structures that sustain these illusions. The CEO of Brandy Melville, Stephan Marsan, is presented as having great authority over his staff of young girls ages. Marsan made employees meet strict beauty rules; they had to be thin, white, and pretty, or else they'd be fired. They even had to send him photos every day to prove they looked right or else they would be fired. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is similarly controlled by Jody Starks who demands that she fit his ideal of a proper wife. Hence, these power imbalances demonstrate how those in positions of authority usually exploit and manipulate others in order to preserve their superiority.
These examples show a specific pattern that those in power positions, such as CEOs of corporations or people in patriarchal societies, frequently try to dominate and control. This manipulation maintains the status quo by promoting existing power structures. Their Eyes Were Watching God and Brandy Melville's documentary both highlight the human cost of these power disparities, showing how people are compelled to compromise who they truly are in order to succeed and be accepted.
Hence, both Their Eyes Were Watching God and Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion highlight the troublesome aspects of aiming for an idealized appearance, whether it is motivated by social pressures or corporate branding. Both of these works illustrate the human cost of following such values through their stories, showing how people often have to compromise their authenticity in their pursuit of success and acceptability. By looking at these similarities, we can better appreciate how crucial it is for people to reclaim their individuality and speak with their own voices.
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