Hello all,
I have
a whole list of things that I’ve been wanting to write about and just have not
gotten around to it, so just bear with me, because a few of my topics are going
to backtrack a little bit…like this one! This is a very sensitive topic, so I
would value anything any of you beautiful people have to say about it.
One
topic in the media that actually got a genuinely real reaction from me was the
whole “Abercrombie and Fitch” situation. You know, the one in which the
president of the company (or something like that) essentially said that he didn’t
want larger people wearing their clothes because he doesn’t want “those types
of people” representing their brand? I have only one thing to say to this….are
you freaking joking??? Talk about isolating clientele!
First
of all, this is really concerning to me because in today’s society, young
teenagers don’t need to be pressured about their bodies any more than they
already are by the media. And who are basically the only people you know that
buy and wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing? Middle and high schoolers. It just
so happens that this is also when body image issues arise and are the most
intense! Trying to shop at a store so you can fit in at school and then being
told that they don’t have your size because they don’t want larger people
representing their brand would be absolutely devastating to a 13 or 14 year
old. In addition, they only sell XL sizes in men’s shirts (for more muscular
men), but they don’t carry any at all for women. One word: sexist. And we all
know how small those clothes run. If anything, they’re just cutting down the
number of customers that could purchase their clothing. How much sense does
that make?
Let’s
also keep in mind that all of this bullcrap is on top of them only hiring the
equivalent of super models to work in their stores. Trust me, I get it. Your
looks are almost always a part of your job, or at least to a certain point. I don’t
know about you, but the only thing that it does for me is make me feel like
shit whenever I go in there! And not in a “I want to buy your clothes so I can
look more like her” kind of way. I know they’re not the only store that does
this, but it’s why I choose not to even go into Hollister or Gilly Hicks
either.
My main
question is: Since when can a store tell us, paying customers, whether or not
we can wear their clothing based on our body type? What does it say about our
country that, knowing this, people still shop there and their stores are
thriving? It saddens me that a store’s “image” can dictate which customers are
good enough to purchase their products. Please let me know of your opinions
about this. Being a somewhat larger girl all my life, I know I feel personally
offended by this on so many levels. Anyway, feel free to talk to me!
