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Why do people spending 2x-3x more than they have to to buy clothing with an animal insignia above the nipple?
BTW, who still wears AF? I mean I guess high school kids still do, that's all I can think of.
The CEO just needs to shut up and AF can market to whoever they want, who cares?
Do big and tall places discriminate against skinny and short people by not carrying size 0 and 30" length pants?
Does Lane Bryant discriminate against skinny people by not carrying size small waist sizes?
I can tell a difference when a person is wearing AF vs Walmart Brand. AF is still a lot cheaper than Nordstrom and they usually have 40% off sales every 2-4 weeks. Who pays full price on items these days?
I get that all companies appeal to certain demographics, I truly do. However, the way that the CEO of A&F has been speaking out publicly and the way that he is handling the current situation makes me sick and really puts a bad taste in my mouth regarding both he himself and his company.
Now, I'm 21 and I can't even remember the last time that I wore an A&F product or stepped into one of their stores. I feel like that was sooooo 5-10 years ago and that their stores and brand aren't nearly as popular now as they were in the past (but I guess that could be the shifting views with my age). But who still wears A&F beyond like 14? I thought it was kind of a pre-teen craze and then people moved on to more "mature" and "age appropriate" stores. At least I and basically everyone I know did. I shop at stores like Ralph Lauren, Nordstroms, Saks, Lord&Taylor, Von Maur, Banana Republic, Diesel, H&M, Urban Outfitters, etc., etc.
Also, I literally LOL when I hear some of the CEO's remarks. He really holds his store in high regard. It's like he thinks A&F is as highly regarded in the fashion world as brands like Chanel, or D&G, or Gucci, or Burberrry lol. Whenever I hear him speak some of his rude and snide remarks, I just think, "what planet do you live on? Come back down to earth and get a serious and bracing reality check". LOL, I don't know maybe it's just me though. Like I said, I'm not his (or the store's) biggest fan
P.S. I love the projects that are popping up in reaction to the current controversies!
We get that you are bothered by this! Your passion shows. Truly!
But just as we accept your opinion, you should realized that it is not the opinion of many others. And I doubt you will convince us otherwise.
No, the problem in this thread is that people do not get what I am saying. I do not care about their sizing but they way they may be making youth feel.
It has nothing to do with their product at all. I am not trying to convince anyone to have my opinion, just to understand that my opinion has nothing to do with size. It keeps coming back onto Lane Bryant not selling smaller sizes.
For me, that is not what it is about. Maybe you and some of the others are the kind of people who think you are better and it is ok to make other people feel below you, I don't know.
I do not happen to be that type of person and that is what the issue is about for me.
Stores can cater to whoever they want. The problem is Abercrappy says, in a nutshell, people they do not cater to "have cooties" and are "lame."
Not only does that sound ridiculously juvenile, the real question is, why does he feel like he has the right to put people down because he doesn't want to sell to them?
It isn't even a topic needed for conversation, he makes it completely obvious what his opinions are with his advertising campaigns, the various lawsuits Abercrappy has been subjected to over the years for being racist and offensive.
At best the CEO is an idiot.
You don't see the ownership of the those 4 star restaurants saying "I don't want icky poor people coming to my restaurant." The average bill is $400 a person, everyone knows who is not in the target demographic.
While I do not shop in their store and could care less what they sell, I do think they are jerks. Their store is for the cool kids, the popular ones. What kind of message does that present to todays youth?
The 'beautiful' kids are better than those who are not beautiful?
I applaud the guy in the video, but ABERCROMBIE & FITCH is presenting nothing but reality to today's youth. Sure, they're a horrible company and the CEO is a prick. But why sell kids a lie about image equality and financial equality? If we're going to change things, we have to start by being honest.
No, the problem in this thread is that people do not get what I am saying. I do not care about their sizing but they way they may be making youth feel.
It has nothing to do with their product at all. I am not trying to convince anyone to have my opinion, just to understand that my opinion has nothing to do with size. It keeps coming back onto Lane Bryant not selling smaller sizes.
For me, that is not what it is about. Maybe you and some of the others are the kind of people who think you are better and it is ok to make other people feel below you, I don't know.
I do not happen to be that type of person and that is what the issue is about for me.
I am 25 years old and I don't know any people my age or younger that have had their self-esteem crushed by the comments of some CEO. If the actual stores would turn away people and say, "sorry, you aren't allowed to shop here because you are overweight" than yeah I can understand people getting upset. However, that isn't the case. The staff are very friendly and bubbly to everyone that enters their doors. I think you are turning a non-issue into an issue.
There are constantly posts saying, big is beautiful, should skinny people feel hurt thinking that means skinny is ugly? Seriously, people need to chill out.
Is Abercrombie really responsible for anybody's insecurity?
I remember from HS that even chubby or slightly off girls (guys too, I guess) could pull off wearing A&F if they had the confidence and good internal stuff going on. That seemed to be what it took. Being a team player, being confident, being yourself, being busy enough with your life having fun and studying that you don't have time to think about (or create) politics surrounding a clothing brand. In that regard, the folks who weren't/aren't wearing A&F might in fact have a form "cooties" (and are lame), and that kind of cooties can rub off on you (negativity)!
Again, I'm not part of the A&F crowd, but I guess I don't have as much denial as some of you people.
Lane Bryant only caters to overweight people, so should skinny people demand that they create tight fitting clothes or else be called jerks?
Should people call Hot Topic jerks because they only cater to gothic culture?
AF cater to fit people. The tightness and the stitching are meant to enhance muscle tone and slim body shapes.
People should really take a chill pill.
For me personally, it makes me want to work out when I see the models with six pack abs... that should be a good thing. Since when has eating healthy and exercising become bad?
No one is saying that thin is bad or healthy bodies are bad. The CEO said that he didn't want people wearing his clothing that he deems to be "uncool." His exact statement was, "Candidly, we go after the cool kids…A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
In other words, he is creating an image for his store saying that he is the determiner of what is "cool" (didn't that word go "out" with the "cool" people years ago?). Size just one of the many determinates, of those who are acceptable and those who are not. And he maintains that the wearing of clothing he has branded is an indicator of desirability in our culture.
I don't think this is a size issue as much as it is the public's abhorrence of elitism. The idea that some people are better than other people because of something so meaningless as the brand of cheap T-shirts from China that they are wearing is rather stomach-churning. Not to mention un-American. Don't teens today have enough angst over whether or not they are acceptable? I think what horrifies many is this: here is a millionaire retailer coming along acting like he most hurtful bully in the high school. He points a finger and says "you're beautiful" and "you're not." And he makes money from this despicable behavior. Needless to say, many parents are concerned.
People are offended. Size-ism is only one of the issues.
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