Of course A&F can aim their sales at anyone they want , it is their snobbish attitude that turns me off.
I am short and often shop in stores that specialize in petite clothing. I don't see that these stores have an attitude about not selling to taller people.
I have a son who is tall, not as tall as JohnP but still taller than the average guy, he shops in Men's Tall Shops, just like the petite shops these stores do not insult others from shopping there.
He may have the balls to say no fat people, but he hasn't gone there... when you look at their ads though, I think you have the answer to that one. They just don't dare say it.
Exactly, they won't say anything, but I haven't seen any race but white and a few African Americans.
Enough with this already. I'm skinny, very healthy, and beautiful. It's not ok to say "obese is not beautiful" and obesity certainly isn't healthy so why not have the same respect for us thin people? Let it die already with this thin bashing, it's equally offensive.
Is this not any different than the publicity stunt of Tommy Hilfiger not wanting black people to wear his clothes? I remember when that happened, my mom threw out her TH tshirt that she picked up from value village and said that she would never own anything with that man's name on it.
I dislike brands that are all image and very little product. I'm well out of their age demographic and haven't fit in their clothes since college but good grief, generic, much? I don't like how they market themselves, I especially hate how they market to children. The whole thing is like Mean Girls and I'm an adult, I don't have to put up with that.
EVERY successful brand is going to have a target demographic in mind. Every successful brand is going to try to evoke an emotional response in their customer. The issue I have with this is not that they have a customer in mind or even that they would articulate what that customer is, but they have to go one step further and play on every single ugly instinct parents SHOULD NOT nurture in their children - the urge to alienate and marginalize and humiliate people who are not like you.
This does not surprised. One time I went in there to buy my husband a pair of nice jeans and he is skinny-enough to be shopping there. I had to go to the counter to ask for help and the guy looked at me and told me that they do not carry my size (which at that time I was an 8) and I explained I was not there for me but for my husband. Then he changed his tune. Even at that they did not have his size, 29x34! They are the most rudest people I have ever encountered in a retail business! That is why I do not do business there! Now I know why they are so rude! Needs a reality check!
This whole situation makes me cringe to think that I used to fawn over their clothes in high school. A&F and Hollister were the brands to wear if you wanted to fit in and be cool. The stupid thing was all the "cool girls" walked around looking identical! Everything in both of those stores looks the same, not to mention there's hardly any color besides black, white and grey at A&F. I remember I actually applied for a job at A&F in high school...of course I didn't get hired. Probably because I was a size 12. THE HORROR.
To me, these kinds of stores are the epitome of high school pettiness and bullying. Sure, the CEO can market to whomever he wants. But to publicly say that a certain portion of the population shouldn't shop there? It's just disgusting, especially b/c the exclusion is aimed at middle school/high school aged kids who have enough self-esteem problems as it is.
Some designers have had this attitude for years when it comes to their clothes, but it's been a while since I've heard anyone blatantly stating so. What it comes down to though is that he has every right to target an elitist market. What sucks is that he is blatantly alienating and belittling young adults that already have enough self-esteem issues to fight.
The good news is that as consumers and even as parents of the consumers, we have every right to vote with our wallets.
Enough with this already. I'm skinny, very healthy, and beautiful. It's not ok to say "obese is not beautiful" and obesity certainly isn't healthy so why not have the same respect for us thin people? Let it die already with this thin bashing, it's equally offensive.
Originally Posted by vdander24
SKINNY IS NOT BEAUTIFUL!!!! HEALTHY IS !!!
Enough with this already. I'm skinny, very healthy, and beautiful. It's not ok to say "obese is not beautiful" and obesity certainly isn't healthy so why not have the same respect for us thin people? Let it die already with this thin bashing, it's equally offensive.
With all due respect thin chicks, I think you may be jumping to conclusions here. She didn't say skinny is ugly, seems like she was trying to emphasize that being beautiful is not about being skinny, and that health should be the indicator of focus. Acknowledging and objecting to the fact that the thin are generally regarded as beautiful while the fat are not is not the same as saying thin people are ugly. That's what I took from it anyway, who knows! You're ALL beautiful to me! Don't give two hoots if you weigh one hundred pounds or three hundred pounds! HUGS!
I agree with Lecomtes in that I don't think anyone was skinny-bashing here, simply that the mindset of beauty should not be tied to size only, which is an incredibly shallow concept that's only being reinforced by companies such as this one.
Last edited by Elladorine; 05-11-2013 at 12:28 AM.
She didn't say skinny is ugly, seems like she was trying to emphasize that being beautiful is not about being skinny, and that health should be the indicator of focus. Acknowledging and objecting to the fact that the thin are generally regarded as beautiful while the fat are not is not the same as saying thin people are ugly. 