I agree with Daniel Kim on his post regarding Abercrombie and Fitch (permalink) as well as have some additional insight on the matter. Abercrombie and Fitch is a premium-clothing brand that specifically targets adolescents aging between 18 and 22. Given this target market, the company gears its advertisements toward this demographic by associating its product with “sexy” and “good-looking” models. Majority of the advertisements depict “good-looking” men and women with nice bodies as depicted below.

Although this approach has resulted in great success for Abercrombie and Fitch, it portrays an unrealistic image. As consumers, we are constantly bombarded with advertisements that make us feel we should look and act a certain way. Moreover, these advertisements tend to dictate what is attractive and cool and what is not. Given this, I disagree with the persona Abercrombie and Fitch as well as many other clothing companies portray.We consumers always observe advertisements with “pretty” and “skinny” people, but who is to say these images are accurate or even attractive? Everyone has their own definition of attractive and possesses their own preferences.

Adolescents buy Abercrombie and Fitch because they feel by wearing the brand; they can be “sexy” like the models. Having said that, the company itself is determining what is “sexy” and what teenagers should aspire to look like. Furthermore, these companies are creating an idealistic image that many teenagers seek to compare themselves to. This flawless image places stress on many teenagers as they feel they must look a certain way when really this “perfect image” is unattainable for majority of the population. I disagree with the above methodology and feel that companies should take a more realistic approach and create a brand that portrays an image that majority of the population can relate to.