Abercrombie & Fitch RANT

You have probably already read the news: Mike Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch hates "fat" people. (And by fat he means anything over a size ten, which apparently is as high as the retailer goes.) Although there have been countless stories written on the topic I can't help but to put in my two cents, because I am disgusted.

This isn't the first time I wrote about my disdain for Abercrombie & Fitch. Perhaps a year ago I wrote a piece about the company's practice of marketing sexually suggestive clothing to preteens. This organization simply seems to lack decent values.

If the reports are accurate, Mr. Jeffries believes it is in his company's best interest to market only to cool "beautiful" people. Mr. Jeffries defines beauty by pant size. If you are a size 12 ladies, I'm sorry you are simply too "ugly" for Abercrombie & Fitch. I didn't believe what I read, so I visited the A&F website to verify and in fact, some of their pants go up to only a size 6 or 8, which is well below the size of our average American woman.

The whole thing is simply offensive. One could argue that the store has a right to sell what they want  and target whatever market they choose. I believe that. Stores catering to petite women is not a new concept, and honestly I don't believe there is anything wrong with that in and of itself. One store can't be everything to everyone. Back in my days of suits and heels I was known to shop at Petite Casuals from time to time and I never, ever could buy anything at Ann Taylor, the brand simply did not make clothes that looked good on my figure. We have plus sized stores, stores for preppy girls, party girls and chicks who want to look like prostitutes. Each store is targeted to a different population-as it should be. What I take issue with is the exclusionary attitude of A&F's CEO, only thin people are beautiful, cool and popular. Screw that.

I also find it concerning that the company has a kid's line of clothing and presumably they hold girls up to the same standards of beauty as they do adult women. It doesn't take long for a teenage girl with full hips to realize she doesn't belong in that store. The sales people are tiny, the models featured in their advertisements (which usually include horny teenagers fondling each other) are tiny. The company is contributing to a culture that objectifies and sexualizes young girls while demanding  that women fit into a single digit size in order to be valued.

Does A&F have the right to do this? Absolutely. Are they morally bankrupt for acting on this right? Absolutely. In a day and age when eating disorders are appearing in younger and younger women, when as a society we are concerned with teen pregnancies and child molestation, what company in good conscience could promote push up bikini tops for little girls and have the company's leader openly chastise "fat" people?

The only conclusion I can make is that A&F is a bad company run by a morally corrupt man, one who surely doesn't have a daughter.

So Dear, Mr. Jeffries, while perhaps I could fit into a pair of your jeans, and have boys that someday may want to shop at your store I vow that I will never, ever spend one single penny at A&F.