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Keep Your Clothes Abercrombie, I want NONE of It
Yes, I have seen the article. Read the story, and have pondered this fiasco…. You see, I completely missed the memo that Abercrombie & Fitch was the place where only the “beautiful people” were allowed to shop.
And even if you think you’re beautiful, that doesn’t mean you fit their criteria of beautiful. The CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, was quoted in an interview with Salon magazine as saying, “We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”
Um…….*Inserts Blank Stare*
He goes on to say that, “including everyone would make his business boring.”
Word?
Let me get this straight. It’s somehow boring to offer the same exact stuff you already sell, but in more sizes.
Cue my side eye.
If anything, it makes your business more interesting and brings in more revenue. Forget that the plus-sized women’s apparel market generated “approximately $13.9 billion in annual retail sales for the year ended March 2013″ as shared in this fabulous rebuttal to this ignorance. But, I digress.
Not only is he discriminating against larger people, but also against people who aren’t considered popular or cool. I mean, I didn’t know the movie Mean Girls was based on Abercrombie and Fitch’s corporate office. I mean really. What message is this sending to the young impressionable teenagers you target with your blonde, blue-eyed, half-naked models?
And don’t even get me started on the discrimination against minorities and the disabled. Several ex-employees have filed discrimination lawsuits against them. Seriously, I haven’t shopped in Abercrombie since I was in high school and only started to because of a LFO song (yes I just admitted that), but I definitely would never shop there again if I could fit into their clothes. And, I shall judge those that continue to shop there knowing how they feel.
I hope there is a boycott of that store (I hear there is a walk in scheduled?). How dare he have the audacity to imply any woman over a size 10 is not beautiful? How dare he say that we aren’t worthy of being seen in his clothes or in his store? Ignorance like this is unfortunately all too common. There are a lot of other people in the fashion industry, and in the world in general, that feel the same way as he; they just don’t have the nerve to be as outspoken about it (except Karl Lagerfeld of course).
I’m happy to see that more retailers are adding plus sizes to their lines and featuring plus size models in their advertising (good start H&M) but we. have. a. long. way. to. go. The average woman in America is a size 12-14 and its about time fashion retailers accepted this and catered to all women, not just those smaller than a size 12.
Read the full story here
Have you ever shopped at Abercrombie? Do you have friends who currently do? Will you be encouraging them to boycott this retailer? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Image Credit: Fstoppers
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I am an Italian plus size blogger and I have encouraged my readers to boycott them, you would think they won’t fit in their clothes, but certainly many people who follow my blog have kids who would like to shop there… he did not consider that? I went as far as thinking to have my picture taken in front of their store in Milan with this motto: ‘I’m sorry Mike, plus size women are cool too!’ or something like that
Thank you for the love and for commenting! Yeah on you for this! I am thinking that he did not consider that one- the parents of the kids who would shop there… 🙁 FAIL.
I read that H&M is part of the A&F company? Has that changed? If not, I certainly will not be shopping H&M plus anymore!
Not that I am aware of darling… in the articles talking about A&F they compare H&M, but they are not the same. 🙂
I really hope not. I’d hate to take them off my shopping rotation 🙁
Also….have you SEEN the CEO??? Please google him!
I HAVE…. -_-
To the CEOs point, brands do create a certain image when they remain exclusionary. Just look at certain high-end (and priced) brands like Prada and Chanel.
The thing is, Mr. Abercrombie, your store is in the mall. You’re not exactly courting the high-end clientele of brands like Prada and Chanel. A&F is a mediocre (if that) line of crappy clothes for teenagers finely crafted in the most glamorous sweatshops around the world in such exotic locations as Bangladesh and India.
And just as there are plenty of larger than size 10 teenage girls who ARE smart, nice, funny, popular and gorgeous, there are plenty of under size 10 girls who are dumb, mean, unpopular and ugly.
So if you wish to remain exclusionary, and that is what your brand feels is worth courting, then it’s a free country. As long as you are not violating discrimination laws, then go for it.
In the end, the board of your publicly traded company will compare your sales to like stores quarter over quarter and see that you are not capturing a share of the market, and therefore revenue, that you should be and you will be out on your ass. And there will be a large group of people behind those uncaptured billions laughing their asses off on the way to other stores.
Two snaps!
Thanks! I’ve had my fair share of high profile assmunch CEOs publicly revealing themselves to be complete idiots and alienating great portions of their potential customers, so this guy comes as no surprise to me. The thing that will surprise me is the day I see a CEO publicized for doing what they were hired to do (profitably running a company) and doing it without ostracizing a share of their potential market.
Boom!
PREACH. Is Abercrombie even considered cool anymore? Didn’t think so…BUH-BYE!
Great post. You give em hell, girl.
Brittany at DigitallyLUX
Tiara is the coolest! She fashioned this piece!
Talk about narrow minded… As if true beauty had anything to do with clothes…
Boycott!
I’m saying! 🙂
Their CEO also opined that he’d rather burn AF’s product than to donate it to the poor or devastated victims of tragedy. While it is completely their right to do with their product as they choose and are under absolutely no obligation to be charitable, I find that the snooty attitude harbored against the downtrodden or fleshy to be abhorrent at best. Truthfully, I’ve always found these poser elitist clothing companies to be nothing but overpriced cheap knockoffs of ugly retro fashion that were not worth my hard earned dollar. I am sure if investigated thoroughly enough, they would be found to be utilizing third-world sweat-shops, all the while trying to pass their wares off as top level quality couture. From what I’ve seen their “exclusivity” ploy has only garnered them the following of a select few of the teenage populace and the derision of the majority of consumering public.
Wow, I didn’t hear about him talking about not wanting to donate. Karma…
There’s nothing innovative about their clothes. Not interested at all.
I think the CEO of A & F forgets that many parents may stop giving their teenagers money to go clothes shopping at A & F too! Social media is a powerful tool for consumers and especially helpful in deciding where to spend their money! I would love to see more of us really support those clothing designers that realize that there are awesome designers that are designing for the curvy teens and women.
I never shopped in that store and especially don’t plan too now. I couldn’t even believe the audacity of their CEO to even say that out loud and think it’s okay! Unfortunately I’m not surprised but that’s okay. When other brands get that fact that we curvy girls need to shop too and their revenue’s start surpassing A&F, they’ll get the message!
No I haven’t the storefront has that vibe. I try to teach the younger ones in my family about this very thing. Discrimination is out there not just size. As I told my niece you may be thinbut they don’t like you because of being an minority. Since when did race have some to do with style she asked i said, everything
I’m not mad about what he said and I’m a size 24/26 woman. Any retailer has the right to not cater to a certain size and this use to be a country of freedom of speech whether how ignorant the speaker is. Why would I get mad at a retailer who even if I was that size I wouldn’t shop there anyway. He makes clothes for the people he’s attracted to or what he deems attractive. Can’t get mad at a man for having a prefference. Where it is wrong is to have an employee be treated wrong but not seeing a “curvy” or “fat” person as attractive is his business. He’s not attractive himself so forget him. What I don’t like is retailer gouging plus size customers with there high priced clothing. There is a drastic difference between the regular sizes and the plus sizes of products and I strongly feel it’s no that much more expensive to made that garment. Or if a retailer is going to cater to plus sized customer, do it right or not at all.