BusinessInsider.com published an article entitled Abercombie & Fitch Refuses To Make Clothes for Larger Women,written by Ashley Lutz. While I think it’s about time that SOMEONE called them out on their ridiculous standards, I also want to throw in my two cents about the whole issue. I swear, most of the gossip magazines are run by the girls who were catty in high school and never really grew out of the adolescent phase. It’s funny that in the same issues of these magazines a public figure can be celebrated for their weight-loss, while another one is “too fat” or “too thin.” It has become a double-edged sword. As a society, we are perpetuating a cycle and it needs to stop. I get it, companies need to make money to stay in business, and marketing is the basis of how they get products to the public. However, the American public has wised-up over the years. We are currently living in an era where eating disorders have become a scary norm. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, “Of American, elementary school girls who read magazines, 69% say that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape. 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight (Martin, 2010).” So I guess as long as these companies make their money, they don’t care who they hurt. But, we as the American public, have the power to change it–with our wallets. There are certain stores that will never get a cent of my money simply because I don’t agree with their message. The main goal of any company is to make money. In order for companies to fully change, there have to be consequences, and if that hits them where it hurts financially, they can no longer stay in business.
I’ve always felt like the odd-girl out. Whether it was my weight, my general appearance, or even my sense of humor, I have never felt like I completely fit into the box. Sure, I could diet like crazy or straighten my hair every day to look like everyone else. I could even put importance on expensive clothes versus clothes I can afford. I DON’T. I never will. I like people for their quirks and their unique talents. It’s what makes life interesting. Without it, it’s bland and stale.
Abercrombie & Fitch as a brand (retail stores included) remind me of the 1998 movie, Disturbing Behavior. Back in the day when Katie Holmes ruled the teen magazines, she starred in this movie with James Marsden & Nick Stahl, “The new kid in town stumbles across something sinister about the town’s method of transforming its unruly teens into upstanding citizens.”-IMDB. With the use of micro-chips and brainwashing, kids in the town start to act identical to one another. Zombie-like, they look the same, sound the same and individuality is snuffed out. It’s like Abercrombie & Fitch: The Horror Movie. Seriously, every time I go by a store like Abercrombie & Fitch, I want to turn into Regan from The Exorcist, and vomit profusely on all their $100 t-shirts. Maybe that will spice up their bland products.
And another thing: The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 165 pounds. The average Miss America winner is 5’7” and weighs 121 pounds (Martin, 2010).–National Eating Disorder Association.