Carmela Ruffo

Professor Zoe Saldana

IDC 1001H

November 20^th, 2013

 

Abercrombie and Fitch: Scandal and Detriment

 

Society has fashioned a warped idea of what “perfect” is in terms of appearance. Girl’s need to be a size 2 and guys need to possess washboard abs. Take the models of Abercrombie and Fitch for example, they’re fit, tall, and what the majority would classify as attractive. Not only are the models expected to appear in a certain way, but apparently so are the customers. Over these past few years, Abercrombie and Fitch has been facing much criticism for multiple surfacing scandals and it has negatively impacted their business. It has been criticized for its lack of XL and XXL sizes, which the company purposely does not carry, at least not for women. CEO Michael Jeffries shockingly spoke these words during an interview with Salon in 2006: “It’s almost everything. That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”

His ignorant remark still affects the business to this day. It does not even make logical sense, why such a seemingly popular clothing store would want to limit its target audience. The store carries woman’s pants only up to size 10.  The retail clothing store is missing out an making a lot of profit. The plus size industry is a billion dollar industry.  Calculated in March 2013, it was found out by NPD (National Purchase Diary) that the plus-sized women’s apparel market generated approximately $13.9 billion in annual retail sale. His foolishly spoken words were met with much criticism including that of YouTube comedian David So. His video “Fat People Aren’t Cool? Abercrombie and Fitch CEO” received almost 700,000 views. He trashed Jeffries mentality in a humorous way while addressing serious issues. He remarks how this type of advertised mentality contributes to low self-esteem. This is why sales plummeted immediately after the comment was recognized. Abercrombie and Fitch still hasn’t fully recovered. There reputation has been trashed over the years.  Walking into the store is intimidating in itself.

Within the widely read Abercrombie and Fitch’s tumblr blog there is a section, which discusses employee requirements in terms of physical appearance. And while the blog states that the company truly appreciates diversity, it also states that they like pretty and they like skinny. The teen retailer has been accused on numerous occasions of shifting mostly non-white employees and those who were less attractive to the stock room,  A an employee with a prosthetic arm endured horrible treatment as an employee. She filed law-suit filed against the company in the U.K. when managers allegedly forced the 22 year-old employee off the selling floor.  As if this isn’t bad enough the retailer has also bee accused of discriminatory practice, hiring more white males as opposed to the darker nationality males. located in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. They plan to open stores in Dubai, Japan, Shanghai and Seoul in the upcoming year. The business, and its advertised mentality are fueling not just a nationwide, but a worldwide complex. It is these kind of comments and advertisements that lead to severe eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia.  95% of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.8. This age is approximately the target range of Abercrombie and Fitch and Abercrombie and Fitch Kids. Coincidence? I think not.

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids.” Jeffries is bringing back a stereotypical idea that junior high and high school children face. The immature idea that only certain people are accepted and the rest are outcasts. The store isolates so many potential customers by not offering a larger variety of sizes, and by advertising with only people that meet the store’s standards. This public isolation creates individual isolation within people.

As if all this wasn’t enough Abercrombie has made so many blunders that has made it unappealing to teens all over the world. A large one was when they angered the millions of fans of the beloved country singer Taylor Swift. The store produced a shirt which had written on it “# more boyfriends than t.s.” This did not bode well with T. Swift fanatics. They posted a petition on change.org and even posted a video on YouTube urging people to call the public relations department and complain. Of course, they succeeded and eventually the shirt’s short life-span was at an end.

Competitors, such as H&M and Forever 21 have become the preferred retailer for many. Where Abercrombie offers size 10 pants, H&M offers size 16. There is less discrimination within these stores. They are much more approachable and appealing, and frankly don’t distort consumers self-image the way that Abercrombie and Fitch succeeds in doing.  The scandals and twisted words of the CEO, as well as the overall feel of the store is detrimental to the self-concept of growing children and grown adults. It is well advised that the store becomes less pompous and focus on the quality of there clothing and customer service.

 

Works Cited

“13 Reasons Why People Hate Abercrombie & Fitch.” Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

“Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Explains Why He Hates Fat Chicks | Elite Daily.” Elite Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

“Abercrombie & Fitch Pull Taylor Swift T-Shirt.” Billboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

“FAQ – Abercrombie & Fitch.” FAQ – Abercrombie & Fitch. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Thau, Barbara. “Why Floundering Abercrombie Should Reconsider Snubbing The Full-Figure Set.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 10 May 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.