Flora Zhu's Blog

“Sorry, you’re too large for this store.”

How would you feel to have a sales associate scan your body up and down and then mutter those words?

Abercrombie and Fitch a popular American retail store targeted towards 22-35 year old is all about creating a “sexy and emotional experience” through their store design and clothes. They are focused on setting and grooming their appearance to appeal and give the persona of  the “attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends.”

Mike Jeffries the CEO of A&F wants to amplify his company to extend out to “the cool and popular kids” and doesn’t mind excluding the “not-so-cool kids” from his renowned brand. While other companies such as Dove and H&M try to defy the standards of conventional beauty with workshops designed to rebuild young female’s self-esteem and utilize plus sized models of healthy proportions, A&F refuses to stock in XL and XXL sizes for women and hire unattractive staff. Their reasoning?”Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and [they] want to market to cool, good-looking people. [They] don’t market to anyone other than that.”

Ethically, A&F “obsession”  with the “all-American” appearance negatively impacts and alienates 60% of the american population from purchasing their merchandise simply because they don’t fit into the stereotypical and unattainable ideal of beauty, thus giving an impression that they are not beautiful, good  or sexy enough for their clothing. By choosing not to stock larger sized garments for females, this increases the pressure on females to achieve an unhealthy standard of beauty. With 2 in 3 women in America diagnosed with bulimia and 1 in every 200 females with anorexia (Carolina department of health), the additional subconscious pressure from advertisement and marketing choices from A&F  is just adding onto the unhealthy ideal of beauty.