This Abercrombie Debacle...Opinions?

I'm heavy... I've been obese and right now I am working to take control of my fitness and my health. I will never be skinny though. I'm just not built that way. Even if I get down to solid muscle head to toe I won't be thin, I will always have broad shoulders and wide hips.

I can't actually say that I really noticed a big difference in the way people treated me when I was a size 22-24 and now at a size 14. I never felt like people were looking at me like "OMG look at that fat chick." Maybe they were and I just never cared to notice. Even at my heaviest I was still engaging people with a Smile or a Hello and people responded in kind and it's the same way I feel people respond now.

BUT I know people have some serious body image issues.

I don't think there is anything wrong with a company marketing towards a certain demographic whether it be plus sized clothing or regular sized clothing (although I am mad that Lane Bryant doesn't carry bras under a size 38 LOL I LIKE THEIR BRAS and don't want to get a different brand)

BUT... this guy is just a petty bully and bullying should not be tolerated. it shouldn't be treated as "well, he's just an opinion so lets go on our merry way". Now I don't think we need to go picketing his stores or anything but I see nothing wrong with the public outrage against a bully. I wish more people would be vocal about bullying being wrong and maybe our kids in school wouldn't be expected to put up with being tortured by bullies.

I guess I just see this as marketing with some arrogance mixed in. When you're selling something you're supposed to have a target. He's made his very specific. Is he reinforcing cliquishness? no doubt, but making your product exclusive is old news and I don't think it's bullying. It isn't like they're making advertisements with A&F dressed kids laughing at an overweight person.

Especially this bit:
That to me is pretty overtly a description of how to successfully market a product (in his eyes). Too broad a target and your stuff doesn't grab people. You don't alienate any market (which is good), but you don't excite your target (which is more important).

MANY clubs and restaurants also try to be exclusive and will cater to a very specific "type" of person, but most people don't see that as bullying, do they?

As a side note, I love how in the video the guy goes and buys A&F apparel to give to overweight people. Way to do them a huge favor lol. Hopefully they can trade it for something that fits them.

I find the opposite! I see more short and petite than I do tall/long/plus. AE 12 or 14 long is my go-to!

We aren't going to agree and that's fine. I don't really feel so strongly about it that I want to sit here and debate for an hour about it lol.

but did you watch the video? The guy went to Goodwill and bought A&F stuff and gave it to homeless people, not overweight people.

I am right at that awkward height where petites are a little too short and regulars are too long I don't want to hem everything lol can't there be something in between? I can't SEW you know These sizes are biased against women who are not handy with a sewing machine ad are too lazy to take them to someone else

You need my other half. He sews all the things. He is very very very handy, I am very spoilt and he fixes everything, including sewing my clothes if they need it

Is anyone actually upset that they aren't selling the bigger sizes? That's not what I'm seeing as a complaint, and I couldn't care less. I don't care if some stores want to sell only tiny sizes, or only plus sizes, or only extra long. If he came out and said "We only sell through size 10 women's clothes because our clothes are styled for people of that size", I'd be fine with it.

What bothers me about the whole thing is the statement that you can't be a cool kid or a popular kid if you are over size 10. That the value of the kid decreases if they are bigger than that.

The guy is clearly a jerk. I almost choked reading the lawsuit that mentioned the clothing requirements for the staff on his jet. In case you didn't click the link:
I kind of feel bad for the guy, because I expect he got bullied horribly when he was younger.

Weight is the one of the last socially acceptable prejudices. You can't get away with openly judging people based on gender, sexual orientation, or race anymore, at least in most places. But it's still all cool to hate fat people. Humans need someone to hate.

I don't think being angry about this changes much, but I also am not going to not be angry because of it. It's appalling behavior.

Frankly, I'm more upset about the #fitchthehomeless project than the CEO. Is anyone surprised? Marketing to attractive, cool people has been their obvious strategy for years. They don't make plus sized clothes, that's clearly a deliberate decision.

But giving A&F clothes to homeless people to devalue the brand is supporting the same oppressive worldview. We're supposed to picture that CEO crying up in his gold coin swimming pool "Ohhhh, all those dirty bums wearing my clooooooothes!"

Because the homeless aren't attractive or cool. Or people.

It's about making privileged people feel good, not about delivering actual aid to the homeless. Watch that guy in the video, he barely makes eye contact with anyone, let alone talk to them. He just hands them a pair of pants and keeps walking. What's a homeless person going to do with $200 jeans that are already ripped up?

I actually did watch the video lol ...without watching it again, some of the homeless people he gave the clothes to looked large to me. I suppose most still benefited and perhaps the larger people could trade the clothes, but I dunno... giving a homeless person something they can't use to make a feel-good video kinda rubs me the wrong way, makes his "charity" thing seem slightly disingenuous... but maybe I'm just being a sourpuss lol.

this is what I have been saying (else where)

I am fine with him not making clothes that fit larger people. And the burning of clothes is pretty standard in 'designer' lines (not that thiers really are) so its a waste but what ever.

But how cool or popular, or smart or what ever you are ends up having not much to do with how large you are. I knew many a skinny un popular person as well as large popular people. Trying to sell the message that your personal worth or likability is tied to something as superficial as your looks is just deplorable

I have no care and no issue that they don't/won't make plus size clothing. Oh well. Get over it. Go to another store. I don't walk into a plus sized store yelling and screaming that they don't make MY size. Or way back when while Hot Topic was only appealing to goths. Goes both ways, and all ways. Everyone will always be judged for SOMETHING. That's just how society works, and people are going to market to whatever they like. Tall, small, thin, thick, goth, prep, whatever.

If I have an issue with a company, it isn't going to be that.

Everything else though, like the hateful comments and shitty values, yeah, douche canoe company.

Coming from a fat girl, I don't care. Really. I don't care that they don't have plus sizes, their clothes are so not my style anyways. I don't even really care that the guy is a huge gigantic douche, because he is so horrifically unattractive that I can't help but laugh at him calling other people unattractive. To me, it is just a "wow, what an a-hole" not a "OMG I am SO offended and I will picket outside A&F!".

I will always be fat, I am happy the way I am, and no one can ever make me believe otherwise. If someone judges me for that, it is THEIR problem, not mine. Some people can't handle the idea that not everyone in the world wishes they were thin and popular

I'm in the same boat. I agree, he's a total asshole. And it's sad that people like him are rich and famous. And I won't support the company.

But I never did. I don't like the clothes. (I'm not a billboard.) I don't like the 'type' of people that go there. And the stores always creeped me out. It's dark and smells like Axe body spray.

I'm upset but not raging. Similar to the Chick Fil A thing. (Although to me, that was MUCH better than this situation.) It's the CEO's opinion, not the people working there.

I think it's just as awful to say you don't like the 'type' of people that go there as it is to say you hate fat people ..

I don't know... I don' see it as the same thing. I'm probably biased somewhat but the kids that wore Abercrombie or Hollister when I was in high school were also a lot of the bullies. The people that made fun of my friends... When I think of A&F those are the people I think of. The same way Hot Topic reminds me of the goths and the stoners.

Does that mean that ALL people who shopped there were that way? Heck no, but I can see why something like that would cause people to have a negative reaction towards the brand.

I don't find obese people attractive. I don't find super skinny people attractive. I don't find girls with bleach blonde hair attractive. These are all preferences. This dude doesn't think fat/large people are attractive and doesn't want the company HE OWNS to market to them. I honestly don't see an issue with it. It's his company and he can do whatever he wants with it and market to whatever demographic he pleases. Is he being kind of an ass about it? Sure. But it's his company and his preference and he has a right to that.

I didn't see anyone saying that he didn't have the right to his opinions and marketing strategies? However, consumers also have the right to find it appalling and respond accordingly...

Not at all. People who shop at the store have similar personality or fashion sense or whatever... something in common about their character. Or else they all wouldn't like the same clothes.

Being overweight has nothing to do with one's character, so personality wise they have nothing in common. There's no common link they share, since people can be overweight for so many reasons.


I don't think that even made sense :-/ tried to edit to make it make sense, and it didn't work. LOL

For me...it's not about not carrying the sizes, it's not about his personal opinion or preferences, or his marketing strategies. I don't even think it's about 'fat chicks'. It's comments like these that bother me:
In a time when people are concerned about bullying, being more aware of teen suicide, drug abuse, eating disorders, etc etc...why would he even make a statement like that? He hopes to exclude kids from part of his brand, so they can be more excluded in school? I think he is out of touch.

I'm out of school about seven or eight years now, but even when I was in school, the whole being really popular thing wasn't very much a 'thing'. There were people that had a lot of friends, and people that grouped together because of sports, but there wasn't an unhealthy divide. There was definitely the occasional kid that had a rough time, but not to the extreme. My sister is a sophomore now and is a healthy weight, she is pretty, and I don't hear her talk about the 'nerds' or anything like that. I really hope he hasn't affected kids with his comments, because they 'can't belong'. :/

I haven't read through this thread so apologies if I'm repeating what someone else has already stated - but HELLO? Why should this even matter to people? The fact that people are so up in arms over this CEO's "no fat chicks" policy just screams to me that fat chicks want to wear Abercrombie and are pissed that they can't!

I hate the brand, but this guy's attitude isn't why. If you want overpriced, preppy-trend clothing of mediocre quality, there are PLENTY of other stores that sell what you're looking for in a size larger than 10.

I don't give two shits what these people have to say about fat people. And I'm not a skinny girl trying to look down on fat people, here. I've been fat for years. I think I'm pretty baller at a size fourteen/sixteen, I thought I was pretty baller at a size 22, and I'll be the same badass at a size six/eight when I get there. If a store doesn't carry my size, I don't get mad. I look for a similar item elsewhere, or online. If all I'm looking to do is wear a brand, and the brand doesn't manufacture my size, there's always accessories!

So quit bein' mad, offended fat chicks, and don't **** and moan about shitty clothes. Oh, you're gonna boycott A&F? You weren't able to fit into their clothes to begin with, so when exactly were you shopping there? You're spending the SAME ZERO DOLLARS at A&F, except now you're red-faced and frothing, shouting it from your soapbox - and it's doing nothing for your agenda, whatever that may be.

RD no one, here or elsewhere, have I read that people want him to make them in larger sizes.

Its the message to people that you have to be thin to be popular and cool. Like you I don't care for me, I am pretty awesome and it has nothing to do with my looks. However there are enough girls out there who do have body issues, who do think... if only I was X then Y would be better.

Read some of the people who have worked there's posts. This attitude isn't just the one man, its all the way down through the company. THAT is where the real issue lies.

I agree 100% with this. Who cares about what sizes the store has.... But it's this bullying, elitist attitude that I find disgusting. These days I have no patience for people behaving like that when we should be working on acceptance throughout our society and not single people out.