Bawdy T-shirts set off 'girlcott' by teens (Abercrombie & Fitch)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05307/599884.stm

Perhaps the T-shirt could read: "Who needs demeaning apparel when you have the brains to turn a local protest into a national cause celebre?"

That's just a suggestion to a group of Allegheny County girls who have created a news media maelstrom with their campaign against Abercrombie & Fitch's "attitude T-shirts," which the girls say are demeaning to young women.

One of the offending shirts reads: "Who needs brains when you have these?"

Another states: "Blondes Are Adored, Brunettes Are Ignored."

The two dozen or so girls, participants in the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers program, are calling for a "girlcott" of Abercrombie & Fitch stores until the targeted shirts are no longer sold. Girls as Grantmakers is a two-year program in which girls discuss and explore ways to make a difference in the community by reviewing and funding grant proposals designed by peers.

[bloom]

1. good for them...

[MADem]

2. I like those tee shirts that say CRAP in GAP-style lettering, myself!

You have to wonder about the self-esteem of anyone who would wear one of those attitude shirts--I'd say an attitude adjustment is in order!

[cally]

3. Good for them!

I know many teens who boycott A&F because of their hiring practices and overpriced clothes. I don't know why anyone would shop there.

[rocktivity]

56. A&F sells CLOTHES?

Funny, I hardly ever see any on their models...

:shrug:
rocknation

[Fenris]

4. The real outrage is charging $25 for a sweatshop-made T-shirt.

[tammywammy]

27. I made that mistake once

When I was 16 I actually bought a pair of cut off shorts. Yes, that's right, cut off shorts. And they were the outrageous price of $45. To make things even worse, they didn't fit right (I was super skinny and the size 0 didn't even fit), so I hardly wore them.

I smartened up after this...well, and my dad yelling at me for buying a pair of $45 cut offs.

:)

[adigal]

5. I bet you many fundie girls wear these

like my nieces, who are not fundies, but daughters of "staunch Republicans."

Good for these young ladies!

[wordpix]

6. you go, girls! Abercrummy deserves a good girlcott! Let them lose

1/2 their buisiness.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Hmmm....

methinks that A&F does this on purpose each year -- put out a shirt that is offensive so that they can generate and benefit from all the ensuing publicity. A&F has lived off its "bad" publicity for years now....

[trogdor]

97. Yep, they do.

A&F is a loathesome company. I remember in years past they'd put out ad posters that were just short of kiddie porn. Remember those?

[bee]

8. aww geez. if ya dont like it, dont buy it.

One persons "demeaning" is another persons cute & fun. Its a matter of personal perception. I cannot agree with the line of thinking that: This t-shirt offends me, so no one should be able to wear it.
Let 'em wear the shirts if they want to. Its just a t-shirt for crying out loud... and Ive seen girls wearing much worse. If someone were forcing them to wear it, well, that would be another thing. But thats not the case here. Dont want to buy it? Dont. But dont try to make it so others cant. Just my opinion.

edit: spelling

[Book Lover]

9. Well, using your logic

If you don't agree with the boycott, don't participate.

[bee]

17. I wont. I think thats obvious. n/t

[mac56]

52. Good.

Don't want to boycott it? Don't. But don't demean others for doing so. Just my opinion.

[bee]

57. Please tell me how Ive been demeaning. thanks. n/t

[mac56]

118. "Demeaning" was probably the wrong word.

"Chiding" might have been more accurate. Potato, potahto.

[BlueIris]

121. Telling people to suck up their hatred of sexism is pretty demeaning.

Not to mention rude, disrespectful, and something that makes others think you like sexism...

HEY. Welcome to DU! Good luck.

[bee]

143. I never said anything like that, Please go back and read all of my posts.

My entire point is that people shouldnt try to control what other people can and cannot wear.

And this, you construe, as meaning that I love sexism? And me without my I heart sexism t-shirt. Come on now. Im sorry but I think youve missed my point.

[wordpix]

10. no one is telling people what they can and can't buy. The girls are just

girlcotting and they have that right.

[bee]

13. yes, but with the purpose of getting A&F to pull the shirts.

which would mean that nobody else could buy one.

[skrambledchaos]

18. well...

It's capitalism. If A&F can't handle such economic or even sociopolitical pressure, they're seeing the other side of the whole "let the market decide" coin that they've enjoyed with their crazy prices.

[bee]

21. Well, Im sure A&F can handle it, but if not, sobeit

it doesnt phase me one way or the other. I used to shop there a lot when I worked in Boston, there was one right downstairs from my office. Overpriced? Oh of course. My choice to shop there though. I just think they should be able to sell whatever they want. Girls who dont like them wont buy them. Girls who do like them will. Let the market decide. exactly.

[lukasahero]

44. You think "they should be able to sell whatever they want". Really?

So they should be able to sell t-shirts that depict lynching African Americans? Gassing Jews? Beating homosexuals? How about abusing children? Hardly the same thing, right? Doesn't matter according to your statement - hey, it's just free speech after all and anyone who doesn't like it, doesn't have to buy it.

(In case anyone missed it :sarcasm: )

[mongo]

48. As opposed to?

so are you saying they shouldn't be able to sell shirts with anything that offends you?

Free speech also protects offensive speech that you do not agree with.

[bee]

62. you mean like this one?

"Great Blacks In Wax Lynching T-Shirt
This Jerry Breen design is a powerful reminder to African Americans of our past and present barriers. A Black heavyweight 100% Cotton T-Shirt frames the Golden Maize print. Sizes Small – 3XL."


Heres the store that sells it.
http://www.gbiwstore.com/proddetail.asp?prod=GBIWLYNCHT

Free speech must mean free speech. and Yes, I do believe in free speech.

edit to add t-shirt description.

[chopper]

104. reductio ad absurdum

yeah, depicting gassing jews is just like "who needs brains when you have these".

[lukasahero]

106. Yoo hoo - I said that. Do try and keep up. eom

[chopper]

107. yoo hoo, i was being sarcastic

depicting gassing jews is so waaaaaaaaaay different than 'who needs brains when you have these' it isn't even funny. hence the title, reductio ad absurdum.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

119. As the mother of a teenage girl, I am thrilled to see these young ladies

recognize the incredibly misogynistic message in those tee shirts.

I appreciate the fact that, rather than just "letting this go" they are calling A & F on their BS trashing of women.

MKJ

[wordpix]

173. as a mom of a 22 y.o. woman who was brought up to use her brain, I

totally agree and say, go girls, get Abercrummy and their idiotic subversive messaging.

[FizzFuzz]

141. don't focus on the wish to get A$F to pull 'em---focus on the MESSAGE

maybe A$F will capitulate, maybe not.

More important is the spread of the awareness that Girls can stand together against sexism. Hell, for alot of people, just the awareness that crap like that IS sexist would be a leap of consciousness.

The more girls and women who publicly say "No More" and back it up with visible action, the more people will wake up, and the more that happens, the more girls and women will feel empowered to respect themselves.....and the cycle continues.

Social change progresses that way.

[wordpix]

171. give it a rest, the shirts are demeaning to girls. We don't need more of

them growing up to think boobs are more important than brains. We already have enough girls thinking that. Silicone implants and prostitution, anyone?

[bee]

177. T-shirts are not the cause of that mentality. Theyre an effect.

Self-worth cant be purchased at A&F. At least, not the last time I checked.

[texastoast]

16. Hey, just slap them on the ass while they bring your coffee, too

It's just cute and fun, right?

:eyes:

[bee]

19. Are you serious?

I dont happen to put being on the receiving end of unwanted personal contact in the same category as chosing to buy or wear t-shirt. Thats just silly.

[texastoast]

28. "Hey, with boobs like these, who needs brains?"

It's the mentality. Continues the pre-feminism sexual objectification of women. Same same. Old battle. I'm tired.

[truebrit71]

30. Yeah, but do you have nice boobs?

;-)

All that happens here is that A&F get a boatload of free advertising...

Happens pretty much every year with them no?

[texastoast]

32. LOL!

You are right. They are getting free advertising. Chauvinist pigs.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

68. According to what criteria?

And according to whose standards? Raps like yours make me :puke:

[chopper]

35. who's buying the shirts?

who's wearing them? girls are. maybe some of them wear them out of irony. whatever, it's their choice.

i thought letting girls/women wear whatever they feel like is the sort of thing feminism is supposed to be about, whether or not what they wear offends others.

[texastoast]

38. Yes, they are free to wear what they want

And some people are smart enough to figure out the irony. It is their choice and they will reap their rewards.

I'm all for letting anyone pee on the electric fence for themselves, even though they might learn about the pain from someone who has, ah, already had the experience. We are doomed. Doomed, I tell you!

[bee]

39. women will always be objectified.

Some women objectify themselves. I have a flat-chested friend who now wants to go out and get one to wear to be funny. I really dont see it any differently than something like "blondes have more fun". But Im sadly not surprised at peoples reactions. I have a t-shirt that says "music whore" haha. because Im in a band and its funny. Its not a mentality, Its just a joke. Nothing more, nothing less.

[texastoast]

69. Women will always be objectified

as long as they allow themselves to be. Women are free to objectify THEMSELVES, and as long as they do, they have to put up with people who will work relentlessly to not be.

[bee]

86. right. Which is exactly why the shirts should continue to be

available. Choice. We cant start advocating banning things that someone finds offensive. I dont disagree with their boycott... if they dont want to shop there, they dont have to.. its all well and good. But when the purpose is to take away everyone elses choice to buy or not - then it becomes a different matter. One to which I object.

edit: typo

[OrwellwasRight]

159. Boycotting does not = Banning.

My problem with your argument is this:

"We can't start advocating banning things that someone finds offensive."

Putting economic pressure on a company as an aid to get them to change their own behavior is not the same as "banning." It's democracy. Boycotting is a very effective form of democracy, in fact (e.g., boycotts of B of A and Shell for their dealings with the Apartheid regime in South African in the 70s and 80s)

I have as much of a first amendment right to stir up, encourage, or participate in a boycott as A&F does to print a sexist t-shirt.

If you believe the shirts should be for sale, then support A&F by buying one.

But by arguing that young girls should not express themselves through a "girlcott" is hypocritical to your goal of allowing self expression.

A&F has the choice to fold to the girlcott or not. There is no "banning" involved.

[bee]

162. I never argued that anyone shouldnt express themselves...

I have no problem with the boycott. But isnt the intended result of the boycott to effectively have the shirts pulled from the shelves? Well, I dont have big boobs, and Im not a blonde so... neither of the t-shirts suit me. lol. Im curious... do you agree that the shirts should be pulled? And if so, does that go for all potentially offensive t-shirts or just these...

[OrwellwasRight]

164. I agree that the shirts are offensive.

And I agree that anyone who finds them offensive has the right to state their opinion in the market to try to affect the change they want (e.g., to have the t-shirts pulled).

Yes, they have a right to try to get the shirts pulled. And you have a right to purchase them and to argue that they stay on the shelves.

And please, let's not be so demeaning: anyone who doesn't like the shirts isn't blonde and doesn't have big boobs?

Please. Just because one has big boobs does not mean she also does not have a brain, and a right to put it to use in support of whichever causes she chooses to champion. And only ugly girls are offended by objectification, right?

Again, exerting market pressure is not censorship. A&F can capitulate to the pressure or not, as it sees fit. Either way, I am sure it will laugh all the way to a bank.

On edit: f'ing typo!

[bee]

167. you misread. I was talking about MYSELF when I said Im not

blonde and dont have big boobs. lol. In response to your suggestion that I should go out and buy one of them. :) Id look like an idiot in either one. Small B and brunette that I am. eek. I would never imply that only certain women are against these shirts at all. never ever. I would be a real ass to think that kind of thing. We can agree on that, Im sure. :hi:

[OrwellwasRight]

175. Yes we can agree on that.

Although another post in this thread indicated that the shirts would be best on flat chested women (to emphasize the irony).

So you may want to rethink your purchase. :-)

:hi:

[bee]

179. lol. good point.

You know, back in jr. high, I WAS the president of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. I can laugh now (not so much back then). ahhh the IBTC. good times... good times :sarcasm:.

But, I generally try to keep attention away from the tinys if ya know what I mean. Id rather not cause myself to be ogled... even for irony's sake.

My eyes are up here dammit! Men. sheesh. ;)

[eowyn_of_rohan]

70. If you were a woman who has been victimized by sexism

or one who is aware and well-informed enough to UNDERSTAND what sexism is, how it is used, and by whom and for what ends, you would understand why some see your attitude as a particularly offensive mindset or mentality.

Again, substitute race-specific for your sex-specific "jokes" and statements and the bulb might light up.....

[Name removed]

80. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

91. I wasn't talking to you

but since you wrote, you also might consider trying the little exercise I suggested to bee. Seems you too could benefit from it.

[truebrit71]

92. Yeah, okay, whatever..

:eyes:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

93. HA! I knew you wouldn't do it

but you have all the answers already so why should you...:eyes:

[Name removed]

95. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[chopper]

96. okay

i'm imagining a black kid walking around with a t-shirt denigrating blacks. say, a shirt with a picture of a kid with an afro eating a watermelon.

and i'm thinking, is he/she wearing it ironically? instead of 'whoever made that shirt should be put out of business'. and i definitely aint gonna lecture the kid on what they choose to wear.

sh1t, how about you ask for a boycott of comedy central because they air chris rock specials? he's always making fun of black people.

it doesn't matter if it's race, sex or whatever, people have the right to make fun of themselves or their gender or their race if they see fit. is it constructive? i dunno, but it's their choice and if all this talk of freedom means anything at all, they should have that choice. if a girl wants to wear a t-shirt that says 'dumb blonde' or a boy wants to wear a shirt saying 'boys are stupid' then who cares?

[lukasahero]

109. Who do you think designed the shirts - the girls who are wearing them?

I don't. Who makes money off the shirts?

There's a bit of a hole in your theory.

[chopper]

112. it doesn't matter

who designed the shirts, or who sells them. people will wear them for whatever reason they want to, seller be damned.

ultimately, it's the people wearing the shirt that matter. they bought them because they want to wear them.

you can't force people to not make fun of themselves if they want to. just like it's stupid to protest people like chris rock for making jokes at the expense of his own people.

as an example: i have an old iron-on t-shirt that has a leprechaun on it (glittery yet) and says in 70's bubble letters, 'when god created the irish he was only kidding.' if someone called me an a$$hole for wearing that on the street, i'd chew their ear off for 10 minutes.

don't tell me i can't make fun of myself, my culture, or my ethnicity. screw that.

[lukasahero]

113. But if the person who made it isn't the gender or race as the person

who's wearing it, then who's making fun of who here? How wonderful it must be to know that rich old white guys are laughing their asses off knowing that some black kid thinks wearing a "n*gger" t-shirt is his right to make fun of himself while they're getting rich off his ignorance. And they're probably getting off on the young girls who wear their stuff.

[chopper]

115. what gender is abercrombie & fitch?

so its okay for a black kid to buy the aforementioned 'kid eating a watermelon' from a fubu store, but not from say urban outfitters?

again, whoever makes or sells the shirt doesn't matter. my freedom to wear whatever t-shirt i want is not limited by whoever makes it.

hell, i bought that leprechaun shirt from a place run by someone who was most definitely not irish in the least. when i wear it, i'm making fun of myself. the guy who owns the store isn't making fun of me, i am.

i guess instead i should have boycotted the joint, instead of seeing the humor in it.

[spooky3]

127. uh, I once sat on the board of directors of

a firm affiliated with Abercrombie and Fitch.

I can assure you that the vast majority of the top management of the firm is male.

[chopper]

130. i didn't know

that the board of directors design the clothing lines. my bad.

[spooky3]

131. did you read what I said?

I said the top management of the firms is male.

Top management directs the action of the employees of the firm.

Designers are employees of the firm.

I hope that's clear.

[chopper]

132. oh, its clear

tell me, did a man design the shirt?

[spooky3]

134. men are profiting from the shirts

disproportionately.

When you are ready to articulate a good argument, I'll be happy to respond.

Until then, see ya later.

[chopper]

135. well hey

thanks for being so patronizing. nice to know how well you handle disagreement.

so these shirts wouldn't be insulting if the board of directors of A&F was chock-full o' women? i don't believe that would be the response here at all, and why does the gender of the CEO of the company make that much of a difference anyway? if someone wants to wear a self-depricating t-shirt, it doesn't matter who sells it.

i don't believe that women should should be denied the ability to be ironically self-depricating if they want to because (gasp) a man might, somewhere, make some money.

[spooky3]

133. People are not readily identifiable as Irish

as women and African Americans are, and statistically the Irish as a group are not in today's society underrepresented in desirable jobs, paid less than others, used as sex objects to sell things, etc.

Your experience as an Irish person in contemporary society is not comparable to the experience of members of other groups who face discrimination today. Perhaps if you had lived in the US in the 1910s or 20s it would have been.

Wearing a t-shirt with sexist messages doesn't merely deprecate oneself--even if that were its only effect, the boy/girl-cott is a perfectly appropriate way to use the market system to protest a marketing decision. Sexist messages reinforce sexist beliefs and behaviors directed toward others.

[chopper]

136. okay then

what about the example of the black kid wearing the self-depricating t-shirt? is it only okay if he/she bought the shirt at say, fubu?

[wordpix]

174. I'm not sure but one of the Abercrummy heirs was my male student

not many years ago

[bee]

103. huh?

I worked in a dumpy diner, 3rd shift, in Raleigh NC. Had my ass grabbed about 1000 times. Does that count as being objectified? Or, a boss I had up here in NH.. who offered me a job because of how I looked, then tried to force himself on me repeatedly - once even trapped me in the supply closet. Or, at a prominent venture capital company in boston, where I worked, I was told that women are best if kept in positions of "assistants", called "eye candy". And on and on.

Im not sure how to respond to anyone who may be offended by the fact that Im NOT offended. My attitude? That I refuse to reduced to feeling threatened by a t-shirt? Thats so horrible?

[chopper]

25. wow

that's *exactly* what he said. your powers of paraphrase are truly incredible.

[CBHagman]

43. Two things to consider, Bee, are...

A) the price for staying silent and not dignifying something with an answer. It works out to be tacit acceptance (i.e., letting them get away with it)

B) that economic pain and bad press are two of the few things the powerful understand and respond to.

[bee]

55. But see, I guess thats the thing...

I just dont see them as doing anything wrong to "get away" with. There are much much worse shirts out there & yet nobody is targeting those makers. And Im not so sure this press is "bad press" considering that kids love controversial things. The more adults hate something the more likely teenagers are going to want it. Plus, people that would never have known about the shirts otherwise... well, now they do. And some will go buy them without a doubt. T-shirts that say things like this have been around and around for ions. These shirts are mild in comparison to many Ive seen and I just dont understand the problem with these.

[knitter4democracy]

181. How do we know the girls aren't girlcotting the other shirts, too?

Remember: this was the teenagers' idea. They are sick of the oversexualization and crass marketing ploys and are doing something about it. For all we know, this has started a local conversation about all of the shirts.

I know my students often discussed shirts like that (they were banned from the school, as we had uniforms) and whether they were ironic or genuinely meant and whether they were worth spending money on. We had a great conversation the year we did Brave New World about how to keep the populace subjugated through sex and drugs, and one young lady brought up teen pop culture as an example. It made many think about how they were being used.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

65. Using your logic...

If somebody thinks it is cute and fun to make similar jokes with a racist, rather than sexist theme, that would be ok.

[Name removed]

81. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CornField]

79. Freshman 15

I hope the girlcott makes lots of progress.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

90. Here's another gem from Abercrobie & Fitch...

It was pulled from shelves after protests:

People should be free to make asses out of themselves. And people should be free to vocally protest businesses who enable people to make asses out of themselves.

If these young women protsest loudly enough, America's bimbos may discover that they actually have brains.

[Chico Man]

146. I agree

[ashling]

150. They're not seeking a ban on these shirts

They are seeking to bring into play market forces to convince the manufacturers and/or marketers of these demeaning shirts to change their tactics in their own economic self interest. Isn't that what capitalism is all about?

[TlalocW]

11. A&F should be boy/girl-cotted if only because

They sell overpriced crap.

My sister and her daughter came to visit me, and we had to go to A&F. Fortunately, there was a bookstore next to it, but after an hour of browsing, I got bored and went back to A&F where my niece was just finally deciding on what to get. She showed me faded jeans with holes in them and a powder blue t-shirt with a number 8 on it made out of that plasticky material, and it was pre-flaked to make it look old. I asked how much - $85. I told her loudly to put the clothes back, and I would drive her to Walmart (yes, Walmart is evil, but I was being sarcastic), and we would buy her jeans and a t-shirt that didn't have holes in them and looked new and would cost her only $30. That got me dirty looks from her and the employees. :)

Then I started moshing around the store to the loud music they were playing in an effort to speed my niece up. It worked.

TlalocW

[madrchsod]

26. cool---- i`m sure she was ready to kill you!

nothing like a old person spazing in the "hip store for kids"..i get stared at when i go into hot topic, i guess it`s my white hair....

[TlalocW]

36. Yeah

A then-30-year-old wearing a t-shirt with a programming joke on it moshing isn't the type of person she wanted to be associated with. I've found that embarrassment or the threat of is a great way to deal with teenagers...

Other things I've done have worked great on my three siblings to the point where they don't want me to go Xmas shopping with them. Loudly asking where the "Phone Sex Barbies" while with one sister or loudly implying that my brother had a bag full of Tickle Me Elmos while we were in the midst of other shoppers thus putting his life in danger (that was the year they were the hot toy) tend to make them distrustful of me.

TlalocW

[trogdor]

98. Just you wait.

One of these years, they'll have the Sex And The City Signature Edition Barbies. Four of them. Plus Big. Anyone who's anybody will HAVE to have all of them, plus the playset of Carrie's apartment and Samantha's bedroom...AND Big's limo.

[LostinVA]

33. It's so fun (and easy) to embarrass teenagers...

[Mad_Dem_X]

54. LOL! I like you!

Sounds like something I would say and do. :hi:

[elehhhhna]

140. MOSHING in the store!

As a mother of 2, I will add that to my arsenal IMMEDIATELY.

Thank you!

My Dad used to skip. Yes. In the store. All 6 feet and 140 lbs. of his bad self skipping up the aisle. That's serious motivation to get going. good times...good times...

[redwitch]

153. That is so funny

I used to "groove" in Old Navy and embarrass my kid to death, I never thought of skipping!

[northzax]

12. good for them

Abercrombie is free to sell shirts with whatever they want on them, and people are free to not buy them.

personally, I think it's a shame what happened to Abercrombie, it used to be a fabulous store, back when it was still outfitting people, I have a great vintage Abercrombie fly fishing vest, and I'd love one of their real safari jackets.

ahh, remember the days when Teddy Roosevelt would go to A&F for his safari gear? and Banana sold things that you might want in a real Banana Republic?

[texastoast]

14. Isn't it interesting

That shirts like these and a general return to "business" attire over "business casual" have come about during the current regime.

Maybe we will get back to the 50s yet.

[jwirr]

15. The best part of this is that these young women are

learning to use their power for a cause they believe in. Go girls!

[Rosie1223]

20. West Virginians also upset...

West Virginia governor seeks halt of Abercrombie T-shirts

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Gov. Bob Wise sent a letter to Abercrombie & Fitch on Monday demanding that the clothing retailer stop selling a T-shirt that spoofs the state with the slogan, "It's All Relative in West Virginia."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-03-23-tshirts_x.htm

Rosie

[skrambledchaos]

22. ...

see, THIS is what I don't support - the government stepping in. People of WV wanna boycott, go for it. But this... not good.

[bleedingheart]

129. the governor is the elected representative of the people of WV

and it is fitting that he send a letter stating his disapproval of the ad.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

142. Not any more, he's not

That was Bob Wise. He's been gone since January. Story's way more than a year old. His yapping about it gave A&F more free publicity than they ever could've bought.

All better now: we've got a DINO governor who rubs elbows with the fascist "pro-life" crowd and attends their fundraising dinners so they can defeat more Democrats by calling them "anti-life."

Here in the Mountain State, we can't get a break. Lucky for us, we're used to it.

[slor]

23. I was so proud of those young ladies...

on the today show.

[madrchsod]

24. really shit clothes that are over priced and

store personal with their heads their asses i`m glad someone called them on this marketing shit. i`m glad my daughter didn`t fall for that shit.

[lakemonster11]

168. They basically hire people based on looks

Well, I can't prove this on a nation-wide level, but I know that my brother was hired on the spot when he walked into the store to visit his girlfriend who worked there.

He was basically hired to be a model for the clothes (clothes that he had to buy for himself every single season---he's since received a small class-action settlement over this). He didn't work there for long.

[Sequoia]

29. And the blonde ones are racist.

You know what I mean. These shirts are demeaning to all women (blone, white girls matter, the rest of you don't) and only serves to "put women in their place" as play dolls and dolts, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.

[truebrit71]

31. Nah, I prefer them to be topless and wearing 5" stripper heels...

...I'll leave the colour of the thong up to you....


:sarcasm:

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

78. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

87. ewwwwwww..............

scary. Maybe it is a cultural difference. Unless you ARE my cousin... Charlie, is that you?

[truebrit71]

89. Nope.

eom

[bee]

42. blonde girls matter, the rest of you dont?

Its not saying that at all. The opinion that men prefer blondes has been around for as long as I can remember. And do you really think that someone wearing one of those shirts is put in their barefoot & pregnant place? Quite the opposite, in my opinion. Its not like the shirt says... "baby machine".

Is this racist too?

[Sequoia]

76. Sure, if you're a redhead.

[sufrommich]

47. Lets face it.

Demeaning messages are all the rage with kids .I think these are supposed to be read as ironic statements.I see kids with shirts that say "Boys are stupid" too.I doubt these girls are going to be swayed by a tee shirt any more than any other group of people would.It's just the popularity of shirts with stupid writing on them.I see it all the time.I do think it's cool that these girls are trying to point out how stupid they are though.

[chopper]

105. what??

"I see kids with shirts that say "Boys are stupid" too"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[cyberpj]

34. Poll results as of noon, 11/03:

Do you think the Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts being targeted by the young women of the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers program are offensive? Read article

Yes
72% (929)

No
28% (366)


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05307/599884.stm

[mongo]

51. Well that settles it

Villigers - get your torches and pitchforks! There's gonna be an old fashioned monster hunt.

[ibegurpard]

37. I like the shirts

They are an excellent warning against the type of person I would want nothing to do with.

[skypilot]

40. That's certainly one way of looking at it.

I can't make an objectionable person wear a shirt that says OBJECTIONALBE, or whatever, but if they are willing to pay 30 or 40 bucks to warn me ahead of time...:)

[eowyn_of_rohan]

72. That's the only good reason I can think of too

Too bad most people don't have it as together as you do.

[progressivebydesign]

111. perfect take on them. n/t

[Metta]

41. I support their effort. A&F really demeans and diminishes all of us.

You can't have an object without a subject. A&F's t-shirts lower us all directly or indirectly. That is, directly by those who wear them and indirectly by those who agree or who don't speak against them.

[ElectroPrincess]

45. And their stuff is WAY over-priced!

No we should not buy from sweat-shops but these a**holes are shameless in their exorbitant prices.

[Metta]

59. Yup.

[bee]

49. not true. A t-shirt does not have the power to either demean

or diminish me. It would take a hell of a lot more than a t-shirt to threaten my empowerment. I guess its just me.

[mongo]

60. Wow

You are a superwoman by DU standards. Many of our so called "feminists" are more about showing just how vicimized they are.

Thanks for being so "brave" that you are not subjigated by a T-shirt.

[bee]

75. Many thanks Mongo! Im glad you popped into the thread.

I guess theres different levels of feminism and obviously, my views are different. You know...
Sticks and stones can break my bones, but a t-shirt can never hurt me! ;)
And the funny thing is, that as a general rule, what the t-shirts say, is true! For arguments sake, Ill add this:

(filthy filthy rich)

Some guys dont give a damn about brains, their choice, and some girls know that and really dont care, their choice. More power to them if thats what they want for themselves, its not up to me to decide for them.

And in the grand scheme of things, these t-shirts dont matter one teeny weeny iota. They dont change anything. They dont mean anything. At least, IMO... Personal freedom is power & Id prefer to keep mine.

[Beaverhausen]

114. What a great role model she is for young women

Get big fake boobs, fuck a bunch of rock stars with the video recorder on, have one of them give you Hepatitis C and you too can be filthy rich.

Spare me :eyes:

[bee]

144. Are we talking about role models now?

I used her photo to make a point about the popularity of Blondes and Boobs. Like it not... she's popular. That was my point. Spare you? If youd like to react with a moral judgement about Pam Anderson youre free to do so, however it has no bearing on the point I was making. Just so we're clear.

[kalibex]

147. Uh-huh....

"You are a superwoman by DU standards."

Um, no...though I suppose, by your standards. Which appear to be, 'If a belief risks at all jeapordizing my business's income....constantly ridicule it!!'

Let the Market speak, Mongo. If the consumers think about it a bit rather than blindly buy from habit...and they do decide that naw, they have better things to do than buy tee-shirts with dumb slogans...then let it be so.

Those who want to buy will buy, those who don't, won't. If too few people want it....they'll pull them.

[mongo]

152. I'm all for letting the market speak

And who is trying to distrupt the market anyway? Perhaps the girlcotters?

[knitter4democracy]

182. They are the target market.

If the target market decides not to buy something and tell others in that target dem not to buy it either, how is that disrupting the market?

I do have to admire your steadfast believe in one hundred percent freedom of speech, no matter what's said to whom about what. That said, I think those young women can totally exerise their freedom of speech and spending and girlcott anything they want.

[kalibex]

184. Wow...

You come across as really threatened by some people who merely recommend publically that these shirts not be bought.

That..surprises me. After all, if the shirts are such a good product....then they'll continue to sell, regardless of what some people have said.

Calling for a boycott isn't, for example, the same as wanting a law to be passed banning such t-shirt slogans.

So why, suddenly, are these people such 'disrupters of the market', eh?

The marketers of such shirts, for example, 'advertise'....which clearly seeks to influence the market. If these boycotters also seek to influence the market...it's merely through simple counter-advertising.

So...what was the problem with their activities again...?

Or is it the idea of shoppers behaving like competitors, pushing back against capitalist consumer manipulation that unnerves you?

{edit: spelling}

[Metta]

63. I understand. Congrats on being contained/ grounded in your space.

A noble way to walk in the world. I agree that a garment, in this case, is neutral in and of itself and it's our reactions that make it otherwise. However, I consider this to be the equivalent of pandering especially to those with limited educations/ world views like teens. It underscores, as I see it, that it's okay to devalue certain groups of people or parts of our selves, i.e., scape goating which I find is always a dodge or a smoke screen for some lack. My thoughts.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

73. Cultural Attitudes and Stereotypes Can cause a threat

And can be used as weapons to demean, disenfranchise, and even destroy.

[mongo]

83. And the call for strict adherence to social norms and customs

are the rally cry for any fascist movement. Hitler didn't start out by gassing Jews. He started with a similar call to restore "decency" that we see today.

[bee]

84. but, these such attitudes and stereotypes exist regardless

of these t-shirts. No one that previously cared about intellect is suddenly going to say "hey yeah, thats right, boobs ARE better than brains... what have I been thinking all this time". Theyre going to see it and think its either ridiculous or funny. Either way, whatever.

And that some guys really do prefer boobs to brains is a fact that is never going to change. If women feel demeaned by that fact then maybe theyre doomed to feel demeaned forever. sigh~

[mongo]

85. Or perhaps they enjoy feeling demeaned

There is power and togetherness in playing the victim too.

[bee]

94. Youre absolutely right.

Ive considered that very thing myself in pondering the reasons why the word "feminist" has such a negative connotation to many.

But it kills me, because how can we expect to be considered equals if we go around throwing tizzys about t-shirts? Heres a stereotype: Women are hyper-sensitive and over-emotional. I hate that one. But it will probably never go away either.

[progressivebydesign]

110. And they're really so last year, according my daughter's friends.

Apparently Hollister is the hot brand right now.

[KamaAina]

46. First Asian Americans, now women. Where will this end?

In 2002 the T-shirts read "Wong Brothers Laundry Service: Two Wongs Can Make It White" (!) They got yanked faster than an ocarina player on "The Gong Show". So you'd think A&F would've learned its lesson, right? Um, guess not. What's next, Stepin Fetchit tees? :sarcasm:

[rocktivity]

67. A&F have learned their lessons, all right

a) Sex sells.
b) Controversy sells even more.
c) Publicity costs less than advertising.
d) There is no such thing as bad publicity.
e) Be shocking for the sake of being shocking.
f) Grownups resent youthfulness because they wasted their own, so ignore them.

It's becoming a tradition: at the beginning of every school year, A&F does something that will make the "cool" preteens open their wallets simply because it also makes the "uptight" grownups thump their Bibles. Then they'll claim that their target market is college students.

I think A&F would have been disappointed if they HADN'T been "pressured" into pulling the Wong T-shirts--their purpose was to generate a media event, not sell. This year, they're using the same script with a sexism as the weapon. Boycotting gives them the attention they're after--I think ignoring them is a better course of action.

:headbang:
rocknation

[truebrit71]

82. DING! DING! DING! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

But some folks here are wound up so tight, they can't see how friggin' obvious this all is...

There ain't nuthin' so sweet as free advertising....

[Pacifist Patriot]

126. Exactly!

[wordpix]

176. ignoring them won't hurt their corporate bottom line but girlcotting will

[Chicago Democrat]

188. Ding, Ding Ding!! A thinking person finally speaks.....

I am embarrassed by many liberals lack of saavy in this thread esp.

[gauguin57]

50. In addition to its other faults, Abercrombie should shut its effing doors

... the music is so DAMNED LOUD -- if you walk by one on in a town's business district or a mall, it about blows out your eardrums. My sister complained to the manager once (you can hear it all the way down the block in my hometown) and they told her that decibel level was standard for A&F stores.

I'm thinking of starting a local chapter of an anti-noise-pollution group -- and A&F would be one of my first boycott/letter-writing targets.

Turn it down! Kids are gonna have hearing loss by the time they're 20!

[Mountainman]

53. The store in Bakersfield had a male model with only jeans on greeting

girls as they went in.

Our mall here caters to teens only. Not even a bookstore, just teen fashion stores and a food court and the islands for piecing and cell phones etc.

[BlueIris]

124. Yeah, I mean, my second thought was, "are they TRYING to go under?"

Damn. Whoever's running their home office must be stupid, crazy or both.

[FooFootheSnoo]

58. Good for these girls

Their moms and dads should be proud of them. I hope my 4 year old turns out like them as opposed to the type that would actually wear those silly shirts. A&F went on my permanent boycott list after they started selling thongs to 7 year olds.

[Megahurtz]

61. "Who needs brains when you have these"?

How fucking rude!:puke:

[sadiesworld]

64. Very cool.

We're told over and over that we're consumers as opposed to citizens, so let's at least be discriminating consumers.

[Robb]

66. On "girlcott":

Someone needs to point out the term "boycott" comes from a person - Charles C. Boycott - who was the subject of history's first boycott.

Regardless, a boycott seems an odd way to spend philanthropic funds. :shrug:

[President Jesus]

74. freedom of speech?

Yes the shirts are retarded, but last I checked, it's a free country (sorta). The focus of the campaign shoud be to ridicule both A&F and the idiots that buy the shirts. I just part ways when they demand the stores stop selling them.

[BlueIris]

122. You'd think they would stop, though, 'cause they're not so much "retarded"

(nice slag on the mentally challenged, there, fellow progressive) as OFFENSIVE pieces of shit that promote disgusting sexist gender stereotypes and objectify women.

[BlueIris]

123. You'd think they would stop, though, 'cause they're not so much "retarded"

(nice slag on the mentally challenged, there, fellow progressive) as OFFENSIVE pieces of shit that promote disgusting sexist gender stereotypes and objectify women.

[Chicago Democrat]

77. Those Tee's ARE EXCELLENT! Thanks girls, now I'll buy one!

This is a TOTALLY EXCELLENT AD FOR ABERCROMBE AND FITCH!

They will sell QUADRUPLE THE AMOUNT now... silly girls, this just helps them..

[bleedingheart]

138. Yeah...those gals should just shut up and take it...

yep...teach em young how to just roll over and keep their opinions to themselves...cuz no man wants a woman who can actually think and have feelings...

[Chicago Democrat]

189. In the USA, people are free to wear bawdy non p.c. t shirts

I'm going to buy my 16 y.o. niece one, but I'll let her pick it out.


I like "You were never my boyfreind" but we will see which one she picks. I'll let you know.

[Chicago Democrat]

191. Jessie, 16 thinks they are great! These are the ones she wants...

"Careful! I had a bowl of bitchy for breakfast"

"You never were my boyfreind"

Corey, 21 wants "Bitches (heart) me"

so were going to A+E Outlet tommorrow, Ill ask the A+E people how this has affected sales...


My guess, they are sold out..


Also, "Who needs brains when you have a set of these" was taken off the website.

[Chicago Democrat]

88. Let's take a look at these "Tees"... shall we?

MENS SEXY TEES
-------------

Plays well with D Cups (picture of beer cup)


Sex on TV, only hurts if you fall off


Many positions to fill


--------------------------

This is bawdy fun.... jeez

[Chicago Democrat]

99. "You were never my boyfreind"

They should have a men's version of that one!

http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10901_243509_-1_12251

[Chicago Democrat]

100. "Careful! I had a bowl of bitchy for breakfast"

Sounds like this would be a good one for alot of people both on DU and FreeRepublic!

http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10901_239284_-1_12251

[Chicago Democrat]

101. "No Money. No Car. No Chance.

Hey, its honest.

http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10901_239378_-1_12251

[uniden]

155. that is true

ONLY because AF did those shirts. Before they came up with the t-shirts, it wasn't true. Money didn't even enter the picture whe it came to dating or marriage :)

[Chicago Democrat]

102. "College Girls Have All The Fun"

See, they support higher education!


http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10901_242678_-1_12251

[progressivebydesign]

108. "Who needs brains when you have these?"

I'm ready to take A&F on myself, the mysogenistic pigs. I bought one t-shirt for my daughter a few years ago, it was a volleyball t-shirt.. and I got it at Goodwill. I would never spend a cent in that store.. ever. They exploit girls for profit... it's hard enough for a young girl to be taken seriously at school and in the job market. I have isssues with a bunch of pseudo-hip 30-somethings coming up with shit that they think is cool, and is really just sexploitation.

[uniden]

157. "They exploit girls for profit"

the seem to exploit men for profit too. Have you seen the "I'm easy" men's t-shirt (http://www.abercrombie.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10901_243549_-1_12838) ? It's a very hurtful stereotype. I'm hoping my therapist has an open slot to see me today.

[Endangered Specie]

116. The irony is half of them will just go on to shop AE or GAP

:eyes:

[derby378]

117. Why not buy American-made, union-made stuff instead?

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.unionjeancompany.com

[AnnieBW]

120. Go Chatham College!

The rally to kick this off was held at my alma mater, Chatham College. DEFINITELY not a place where a shirt that says "who needs brains when you have these?" will be welcome.

- Annie, who has big tits and brains, too

[pinniped]

125. A & F caught some heat a few years ago with their "Chinese laundry"...

style shirts with bucked toothed Chinese dudes with pointy hats.

I think A & F sucks.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/04/20/abercrombie.shirts/

[Pacifist Patriot]

128. Aren't they also the ones who marketed thongs to little girls?

[greyl]

137. The repub Sen Steve Rauschenberger is on their side? Yayyy! nt

[Arkana]

139. I hate Pimpercrombie & Bitch anyway, so this is not unwelcome news.

I hate the fact that whenever I go in there I can't fucking hear myself think because their music has these jarring bass notes that make my whole body vibrate. Plus their clothes suck (for the most part), are wildly overpriced, and did I mention they suck?

[YOY]

148. You mean 'Averzombie and Bitch'?

Thats what I calls it.

The clothes are of significantly low quality as well. The joke is that no one over 18 shops there with a clear conscience.

That and the STUPID looking photos of the models on the walls and adverts...You're wearing jeans, a wool hat, and a scarf with no shirt while playing football...looks like gay porn (no insult intended to anyone's lifestyle...)

[FizzFuzz]

145. Don't Get SUCKED IN by the "CENSORSHIP SCOLDERS"

This is always the argument they put forth:

"You're forcing censorship! You Hate Free Speech!! You're Anti-American and a prude to boot!!!!!!!!"

(and if you're very very manly, you can add a smirk about ladies and their bunched panties....)

I'd like to BOOT that BULLSHIT. Its a SMOKESCREEN-- nothing other than a ploy to shut up those who speak out. I rarely see the Censorship Scolders(tm) hold this argument up to try and hamstring other protests. But even on those rare occasions when they do, the Censorship Scolders(tm) are still charging bravely down the wrong path.

To wit: No one expects protests like this to result in gov't legislating the censoring of the products.

But a change in consciousness leading to a change in consumer preferences, leading to a change in market behavior, leading to the decline of sales?? I got no problem with that.

[bee]

149. see post # 20 regarding govt involvement

And heres a snip from the letter the Governor of WV sent to AF:

"I write to you today to demand that you immediately remove this item from your stores and your print and online catalogues," Wise wrote. "In addition, these shirts must be destroyed at once to avoid any possibility of resale and proof be given thereof."

the shirt says "It's All Relative in West Virginia."

I believe this would be censorship.

[FizzFuzz]

151. Now that's interesting--and I agree with you and #22 skrambledchaos

gov't official demanding obliteration and proof. Geez.

But notice, this guy isn't attempting to protect any downtrodden group. Its clearly an attempt to protect the economic interests of the state, and I'd guess a good dose of ReThuglican morality legislating in the mix as well.

I just have a question, to check for consistency. (Actually I'd like to ask all the Censorship Scolders this question.): Do you see the same attempts to censor when for example, sportscasters who make racist remarks are fired?

[bee]

156. hmmm. Great question fizzfuzz.

Ive been mulling over this one! :)
I think Ive finally concluded that my answer would have to be No, and heres the reason why: I would think that the sportscasters employer would have some standards of conduct to which their employees must adhere. Their comments, after all, do reflect on whomever they work for, they represent. And if an employee fails to adhere to those standards by making racist comments, then the employer has every right to fire him or her for that reason. And rightfully so. So I would have to say no, its not censorship, but warranted reprimand.

[FizzFuzz]

161. I'm mulling too...

about censorship/reprimand....

right, I see the difference between shutting down a corp. and firing one person because the individual's views reflect poorly on the corp.

But wait, I also just thought that the stated goal of the protesters is NOT to shut down A$F, but to stop that individual line of merchandise. Kind of like an individual reflecting poorly on the corp.

But wait again--therein lies the difference. Standards of private corp. The sportschannel wants to not offend members of that ethnic group. A$F wants to shock. Different standards.

And, now here I go some more--another thought:
No sportschannel has, to my knowledge, ever issued a reprimand (make that PUBLIC reprimand--the firings I'm talking about were very public) for derogatory jokes on women. I see an inequity here: the standard of not offending minority groups only applies to race, not women? (does it apply to other groups? I have no info on any other protests.)

On the same train of thought, I noticed that the Wong Laundry tee-shirts were pulled quickly and without much fanfare in response to complaints. Inequity again (and I'm purposefully avoiding the issue of negative publiciy; it doesn't factor in to this part of my point, I don't think)

mull mull mull ! Give me a cinnamon stick to go with all this mulling! ;) :hi:

[bee]

166. hmmm again FF. lol. Cinnamon sticks indeed! :)

I agree with you on all points here (and thanks by the way, for the conversation)!

Certainly derogatory jokes on women should be reprimanded the same way as any other offensive remark. And youre right on about the difference in standards in goals between the two corporations. Though personally, I have never viewed women as a minority group per se. At least, not in the same way as other racial or social groups. Maybe thats a factor in my line of thinking.

And I think the most difficult thing here is defining what is "offensive". As non-big-boobed brunette Im not the least bit offended by these t-shirts. In fact, sad as it may be, there is truth in what the shirts say. As opposed to something like this for example:

Surely many would find it offensive, but personally I find its stupidity laughable. Ha. Wearers of this shirt, I am laughing at your dumbassery. But am I offended? no. Should I be?

The root of the problem, if there is a problem, is the existence of demand for these things. But then, if one wears it because they think its funny, is their demand a problem? Perception. Perception.

So whats is the goal here... to hold A&F at higher standards than other manufacturers? And if so, why? And then who, exactly, defines the standards of whats offensive? Thats dangerous territory, IMHO.

And speaking of equality, when then are we to do about the millions of men-bashing t-shirts out there? Many women think those are funny. A double standard again?

I never saw the wong shirts until this thread. But Im 1/2 Japanese and not offended by that shirt either. Maybe I am just exceptionally difficult to offend by nature. :shrug:

[mongo]

154. talk about smokescreens

I'd like to BOOT that BULLSHIT. Its a SMOKESCREEN-- nothing other than a ploy to shut up those who speak out.

You are advocating for a group who is trying to pressure a company into taking certain clothing off the market - based on the message (speech) - but anyone who disagrees with YOU is trying to SHUT YOU UP?

Help, Help - you're being oppressed!
We're just not tolerant of your intolerance (where have I heard that one before).

And yet, you couldn't even make a post without a sexist remark

(and if you're very very manly, you can add a smirk about ladies and their bunched panties....)

Nice. So the only intolerance we need to be tolerance of is yours.

[FizzFuzz]

158. I see a difference between a) Identifying bullshit and

b)trying to force the bullshitter to shut up.

If I follow your logic I'd have to infer that YOU are trying to shut ME up.

But that's not your intent at all, any more than my intent is to shut up the Censorship Scolders(tm). If anyone should self-identify as a Censorship Scolder(tm) and wish to move beyond reactionary "You're trying to shut me up!!", good on them.

And in fact, I made it clear, I am not advocating censorship. Just a change in perception. But you're free to call me intolerant, a censorer, prude, professional victim, or sexist.

Other readers are free to read my post more accurately.

[OrwellwasRight]

160. Word. Well argued, FizzFuzz.

If I have to live in a market society, I will not let the "censorhip scolders" bully me into losing the single power I have in the market place.

Hear, hear!! :toast:

Edited for typo.

[Ian_rd]

163. Family Guy made fun of these A&B t-shirts by having Meg ...

... shop for one that said "Sperm Dumpster"

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

170. Sperm Dumpster ?? !!!! that's a MEGA LOL!!!---n/t

[OhioChick]

165. Interesting thread.....

I've been in A&F stores and they also make these types of t-shirts for guys, as well. They've been a "hit" with teenagers at high school for quite some time now. Since all of the publicity, the kids want them even more. It seems that A&F pulls this for a reason.......apparently bad publicity isn't such a bad thing.

[m0nkeyneck]

169. boycott A & F ....and

boycott/harass the ppl that wear this crap; offend them, degrade them.. silence is an acceptance of this celebration of ignorance.

and/or make ur own t-shirts:
"i used my brains to buy these, and i want fries w/ that blondie"

[bee]

172. youre promoting offending and degrading people?

wow. Thats ironic.

[m0nkeyneck]

178. yes ..ironic

a person that wears a KKK shirt is free to do so; as i am free to tell this person what a piece of shit he/she is... same applies here

[bee]

180. ok. But promoting the very things youre acting out against

isnt helpful to your cause. Listen to how it sounds:
I will offend and degrade you because I do not feel that you should offend and degrade.
Its hypocritical and how effective is a hypocrite? Not at all.

[m0nkeyneck]

183. i totally understand what you are saying but..

when someone is delivering ignorant messages like this they have already degraded themselves whether they acknowledge it or not... maybe if others unsympathetically let them know this they will reflect… or maybe not. probably not the perfect solution or even a solution at all and maybe this goes way beyond text on t-shirts… but I personally will not let fear of offending someone prevent my open contempt for this type of tribute to simpleton culture.

[NervousRex]

185. Wooohooo!

I'm going to celebrate with a steaming bowl of Chef "Girl"-ardee Beefaroni....A'n'F loves this kind of attention. Follow the money...A'n'F probably funded the "protest". What a waste of energy.

[jmowreader]

186. I saw an A&F shirt that's even worse

It had a big number 43 and the words "The President" in an oval on top of them, or something like that.

My main objection to A&F, Old Navy, Life is good, Big Dogs, No Fear, Billabong and all the other "hot" fashion companies is they're all selling the exact same shit--Soffe M501 t-shirts and generic jeans, all with their logo stitched/screened onto them. Can't someone come up with a "design" that doesn't involve ordering a Gaylord full of M501s with the company logo screened on the front?

[nemo137]

187. Those shirts are atrocious.

Being a boy, I have a sort of point system for attractive girls, and wearing one of those shirts is worth a rather large number of negative points. It does nothing but advertise ignorance, which is, basically, unattractive.

Even worse than the a&f shirts, though, are these shirts I've seen that say "Girls: all the population, half the brains." Now, when I see a guy wearing those, I think "ok, 5th grade mindset douchebag," but when I see a girl wearing one, I think "whiskey tango foxtrot? do you not realize what that means, or do you just hate yourself?"

[Aimah]

190. I think the company is run by apes.

Nothing about the company makes any sense from the stores up. They don't hire people for their substance. They hire only on looks for their associates. The minorities that they feel pass their standards end up working in the back room. For their managers they require a college degree. To me that seems like a form of desperate impact. You don't need a college degree to run a clothing store. Their shirts are often racist and crude. Remember the "Wong's Laundry Where 2 Wong's Make A White" T-shirt.

[maddezmom]

192. locking

Updated link here:
Abercrombie & Fitch drops T-shirts that sparked 'girlcott'


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1901738&mesg_id=1901738