Why Abercrombie and Fitch is Wrong, by Jim Whitmore Men, you need to know this. Recently, Mike Jeffries, the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, said in a statement to the press, regarding his company’s marketing target demographic: “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. 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 A&F], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.” The statement was about the fact that Abercrombie doesn’t carry any clothing for young women larger than a size 10, or a ladies “large,” but does carry “XXS” for young women. Do you get that? Extra-Extra-Small is equal to “Cool.” Wow! That puts a lot, a whole lot, of pressure on young girls to be very thin, even if it could be unhealthy. In a place where there are a lot of voices telling our young people that looks are more important than character, a statement like this from a large corporation, especially one that sells clothing, really concerns me. I am the father of a girl who might be vulnerable to messages like this. We read and hear about bullies all the time. But, who would expect a CEO of a huge corporation to bully our young girls? I want my daughter to be strong, not skinny. I want her to know that beauty comes from her identity in Christ. Not from what people say to her. I want my daughter to understand that she makes the clothes. The clothes don’t make her. I also understand that, as her father, what I say to my daughter will affect how she feels about herself for the rest of her life. As dad, I don’t want to hinder my daughter, I plan on empowering her, and inspiring her every chance I get. And I plan to counter every negative message she hears from the culture around us. I want my daughter to understand and embrace God’s word, which says: “You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” (I Peter 3:4). Dads, what do you think? Are you reinforcing with your daughter(s) that what really counts is what she is inside? That a beautiful, quiet spirit—one that honors God—is beautiful?
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:53:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015