This Abercrombie Debacle...Opinions?

~Jessie~

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#21
I agree with these posts. (We really need to argue soon. Lets talk cold, I hate the cold.)



They haven't been a skyrocketing company for a long time, unless I am misremembering, and I am having a hard time believing this is why. It's a shift in whats cool and to be totally honest I think it has far less to do with being a "fat kid hater" than we'd like to believe.

Toms are cool, I sadly do not believe they are cool because they donate shoes.

I guess I don't share the communal faith in teen morality.
I agree that it hasn't been "cool" for a long time. I think this is just going to put the nail on the coffin. Seeing this CEO isn't going to make teens think "he's so cool! I want to be just like him!"
 

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#22
I own a ton of AA stuff, it's almost all sorority gear though. We used them a lot because they have extreme customizing ability and offer shirts that are neither skin tight nor boxy.

That said they were never a pleasure to work with as a company and we were always seeking an alternative.
 
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#23
Maybe I'm just too old and have been too fat for so long that any one particular dude's comments roll off of me. I just feel like, "Ok, fine, another guy who hates fat chicks, *yawn* news at 11. Where are the companies that use fat old chicks in their advertising so I can buy from them?" :p
 

Beanie

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#25
It makes me really sad that it is accepted as normal for people to openly "hate fat chicks."
 

~Jessie~

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#26
I own a ton of AA stuff, it's almost all sorority gear though. We used them a lot because they have extreme customizing ability and offer shirts that are neither skin tight nor boxy.

That said they were never a pleasure to work with as a company and we were always seeking an alternative.
Yeah, I've done custom shirts printed on their blanks before. I think those are the only AA things I own.

I guess I'm just more familiar with Abercrombie as a brand.

Abercrombie has been going downhill in a while. Sure, one company going under isn't going to solve the big picture... but it's one less sleazy store to deal with.
 
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#27
It makes me really sad that it is accepted as normal for people to openly "hate fat chicks."
Well I'm not a fan of it either, but... it is what it is. That's what the objective standard of beauty is all about.

As more unconventionally attractive people creep into media of all types, I think it will change. But just like any deeply held stereotype, it will take time and people being brave enough to openly say "hey I actually like fat chicks." A show like "Girls", for all its flaws, is doing more for changing the perception of overweight women as attractive, sexual people than all the Abercrombie rage the internet can muster.
 

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#28
What bothers me about focusing the anger on a single man or company is that I get a feeling that if Abercrombie goes down, then... "YAY WE WON" when really... no, Abercrombie is just a small fish in a big ocean.



.
But it's a start. And could pave the way. Why not get fired up about it, and aim high.

One down, the rest will follow!
 

~Jessie~

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#29
But it's a start. And could pave the way. Why not get fired up about it, and aim high.

One down, the rest will follow!
Exactly!

The way Abercrombie treats people DOES make me mad. I've seen it first hand due to working there, and it isn't right. Of course there are a LOT of things wrong with the world. Taking down Abercrombie won't solve everything...

...but it's one less sleaze ball company with a douche canoe CEO in the world.
 

milos_mommy

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#30
I don't agree with the attitude of "omg, I know people don't like fat girls, but you can't just say that out loud". Saying it out loud is important, because it shows that people do actually feel this way and they are jerks and it's not just "the way things are" naturally.

People get offended by this jerk opening his mouth and being a blatant dick, but what this guy's saying isn't changing anything, at least not for the worse. It's way, way, way more disturbing that this company has used these marketing strategies for so long, and they've worked. They probably don't even think about it...I don't think very many people consciously think "I want to shop at Abercrombie because ugly people aren't allowed to work there and they don't carry sizes for bigger people, so I shop there it means I'm pretty and thin". They just do it. Because the whole big picture looks cool, the ads look "cool", and very few companies (who aren't trying to make a statement) are ever going to use non-mainstream looking models to advertise because it just won't work as well.

Also...Abercrombie and Fitch clothing has been around for probably over 100 years? And as far as I know from the 50s and 60s they've marketed like this. So I don't know that it's a trend that's on it's way down. If the company does go under, it's either because of terribly poor management OR because society is starting to realize what's wrong with having a clothing line that tries to create an elite group of people.
 

eddieq

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#31
Realistically, it's his company and he can do what he wants with his brand. But as consumers, we can also declare him a douchebag and choose not to support his brand.

Insert any brand you want here that doesn't do business/takes a social stand for (or against) a particular cause/etc. that you support. As consumers, we vote with our money.

Banana Republic is the same way with men's clothing. A few years ago when I lost some weight and got down into 40 pants, we were out shopping and I stopped in there because I liked the look of something in the window. As I browsed around, a sales person asked if I was looking for myself or someone else because, "Nothing here will fit you". Apparently, their max size in the stores was/is a 38 waist. I can buy their "big and tall" online, but I guess they don't want the fatties in the stores scaring off the little dudes. Interestingly enough, I can get into a 38 now (36 in loose fit jeans). I won't set foot in their store, though and won't give them a dime online.

Chick Fil A had their moment in the news when the CEO made his personal beliefs about homosexuality public. Many people stopped going there. Others didn't. I find that situation different, though. This was a CEO stating that he thinks something is wrong personally. He wasn't "coming out" (pun intended) to say, "We won't serve the gays in our stores". AF is saying just that. If he said, "We don't carry XL/XXL/etc. because we think it promotes an unhealthy lifestyle" it would be one thing. Saying what he said, "No fatties allowed" (paraphrasing) sets off the douche-o-meter on pretty much everyone.

</ramble>
 
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#33
But it's a start. And could pave the way. Why not get fired up about it, and aim high.

One down, the rest will follow!
Well my goal is more for the world to be MORE inclusive, not less. I actually think it's perfectly acceptable for someone to find anything they like unattractive whether it's fat, skinny, old, young, hairy, whatever. I think it's just as wrong to tell someone that they aren't allowed to find fat chicks unattractive as it is to tell someone it's ridiculous to find fat chicks attractive. That's what I mean by the objective standard of beauty being the enemy - beauty is completely subjective.

Like I said in the post right above yours... I think one inclusive advertisement or TV show does far more to advance the idea that beauty is subjective, tastes vary, and that's ok than tearing down any one particular person or company. So I'd rather focus my efforts on supporting those companies and TV shows than taking anyone in particular down.
 

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#34
As I browsed around, a sales person asked if I was looking for myself or someone else because, "Nothing here will fit you".
A friend of mine, who is a big girl, went into Victoria's Secret to buy a wedding shower gift for a friend. A salesgirl came up to her and said "Excuse me - Lane Bryant is THAT way."

I won't shop there anymore. And Vicky's will fit me... just... no.




ETA: FWIW I think there's a difference between "I don't find people of x-type attractive" and "I HATE people of x-type." The former is fair. The latter is not.
 

~Jessie~

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#35
Also...Abercrombie and Fitch clothing has been around for probably over 100 years? And as far as I know from the 50s and 60s they've marketed like this. So I don't know that it's a trend that's on it's way down. If the company does go under, it's either because of terribly poor management OR because society is starting to realize what's wrong with having a clothing line that tries to create an elite group of people.
We have a massive social network now. The internet wasn't around to spread this information back then.
 
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#36
Can you imagine somebody saying that about racism? "Yeah, everybody totally hates black people, but it is what it is."
Beauty and race are completely different things. Race is not a subjective feature. Either someone is black or they are not. Beauty is subjective. And it's ok for someone to find fat people unattractive.

The problem is that in our society IMO is that finding fat people unattractive has become "normal." And yes, that is what it is. Acknowledging that it is a problem doesn't mean I don't think it IS a problem. Racism is what it is, too. Some people hate black people, or Asian people. That just... is what it is. Does that make me a racist?

Do I like it? No. Is my rage going to change it? No. Is boycotting Abercrombie going to change it? No. What is going to change it? Individuals being willing to be open about their unconventional tastes, and media being willing to step outside of the objective standard's mold. It will take time - just like racism is taking time to fight.
 

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#37
Can you imagine somebody saying that about racism? "Yeah, everybody totally hates black people, but it is what it is."
Yeah, that is really sad, and I wonder if it's partially generational or an attitude an overweight person might have more so than someone of an "accepted" size. I know Sass has said she's older than a lot of us on here, and I want to say this:

If I see someone who's larger at the beach in a revealing bathing suit, I think "It's so nice to see someone so confident" and that maybe soon enough 90% of the people confident enough to show off their bodies won't be people within the exact range of measurements on the billboards. I think a lot of my friends feel the same way. I'm starting to see it on tumblr, facebook, instagram....pictures of larger women or very small breasted women or women with scars with tons of comments or notes or likes or whatever and people saying they admire his/her confidence and the person is gorgeous, whatever. It's definitely not the majority view, and you see still disturbing notes bashing overweight people, etc...but until the past year or so, I had never seen people standing up for the rights of the overweight, or hearing about thin-privelege (which, quite frankly, if you say doesn't exist, I'm going to take you about seriously as if you tell me you think Satan invented evolution to trick us).

If the older generation of my family sees someone overweight on the beach in a bikini, they say things like "ewwww" "DOES SHE OWN A MIRROR?!?" "that should be illegal" "is she trying to make people sick?" etc. Their reactions are 100 times more disgusting and disturbing than anyone who is overweight or even obese's body will ever be to me.

Maybe the people my age who I go out with don't make comments like that entirely because I try to refrain from having complete douchebags as friends. But maybe they don't because people are starting to understand that beauty is cultivated by society (or more, the fashion/marketing industry) and discriminating against fat people is pretty much in the same boat as being a racist or homophobe. I'm not naive enough to say that most people my age have progressive and fair ideas about weight and body size...but I also think a lot more do than 10 years ago. And hopefully the news that this Abercrombie CEO is getting will make even more people aware of the issues.
 
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#38
I'm going to to go shave my legs now because I'm going to go out in public with capris and the world hates my stubble.
 
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#39
Yeah, that is really sad, and I wonder if it's partially generational or an attitude an overweight person might have more so than someone of an "accepted" size. I know Sass has said she's older than a lot of us on here, and I want to say this:

If I see someone who's larger at the beach in a revealing bathing suit, I think "It's so nice to see someone so confident" and that maybe soon enough 90% of the people confident enough to show off their bodies won't be people within the exact range of measurements on the billboards. I think a lot of my friends feel the same way. I'm starting to see it on tumblr, facebook, instagram....pictures of larger women or very small breasted women or women with scars with tons of comments or notes or likes or whatever and people saying they admire his/her confidence and the person is gorgeous, whatever. It's definitely not the majority view, and you see still disturbing notes bashing overweight people, etc...but until the past year or so, I had never seen people standing up for the rights of the overweight, or hearing about thin-privelege (which, quite frankly, if you say doesn't exist, I'm going to take you about seriously as if you tell me you think Satan invented evolution to trick us).

If the older generation of my family sees someone overweight on the beach in a bikini, they say things like "ewwww" "DOES SHE OWN A MIRROR?!?" "that should be illegal" "is she trying to make people sick?" etc. Their reactions are 100 times more disgusting and disturbing than anyone who is overweight or even obese's body will ever be to me.

Maybe the people my age who I go out with don't make comments like that entirely because I try to refrain from having complete douchebags as friends. But maybe they don't because people are starting to understand that beauty is cultivated by society (or more, the fashion/marketing industry) and discriminating against fat people is pretty much in the same boat as being a racist or homophobe. I'm not naive enough to say that most people my age have progressive and fair ideas about weight and body size...but I also think a lot more do than 10 years ago. And hopefully the news that this Abercrombie CEO is getting will make even more people aware of the issues.
LOL I think the pair of you have a completely skewed interpretation of what I am trying to say. It's fascinating to me that you attribute it to my age, though. Given that ostensibly we all want to be inclusive and not stereotype.

Anyway, I react exactly the same way to seeing an unconventionally attractive person in a swimsuit or whatever that you do. And I hear plenty of young people openly bashing unconventionally attractive people. Actually the people who I find make the absolute nastiest comments about fat people are thin people who USED to be fat. *shrug*

All I am saying is this: 1. There is a problem. 2. This one company is not the problem. 3. IMO supporting positive portrayals of unconventionally attractive people and individuals being brave enough to be open about their unconventional tastes are far better uses of energy than raging at Abercrombie.
 

Beanie

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#40
It's not a skewed view of what you're saying but I think you're misunderstanding what I am saying.

I'm not talking about somebody finding fat chicks unattractive.
I'm talking about somebody saying I HATE fat chicks.

Racism isn't "I just don't find black people/Asians/Indians/Mexicans/whatever attractive."
It's "I HATE such-and-such race."


One is fine. The other is not.

(Hint: it's the one where hate is involved.)


And I think it's incredibly sad that it's common enough that the response is just "Oh there's another guy who hates fat chicks *yawn*" or "It is what it is."
 

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