Discrimination within Abercrombie & Fitch.
This made the news recently. To paraphrase:
"In 2005, a "girl-cott" was launched against the retail chain Abercrombie & Fitch for selling T-shirts bearing phrases like "Who needs a brain when you have these?" The girl-cott went national on NBC's "Today" show and on November 5, A&F pulled the shirts from their stores under pressure from media attention. This is not the first time the store has faced controversy. In 2004, the store agreed to a $40 million settlement with minority workers after being accused of offering white employees better positions and recruiting at primarily white sororities and fraternities."
posted by Molly Tillyer @ 11:08 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Like the blog.
Just to play devil's advocate, why is it not mentioned that clothing companies such as baby phat, sean john, ecko, and the list goes on, rarey if ever uses a white model to promote the lines, yet abercrombie gets all of this bad press. I suppose I don't see the harm in a company who styles clothing that appeals to the tastes of young white america, using primarily white young "frat boy and girl" to model, market and sell the line. This is no different than hiring ethnic or edgy/urban type models to promote a young urban line of clothing. It would look rather out of place to see a barbie type in an ecko ad, wouldn't it? As other cultures seek an identity of their own, so do whites, what is fair for one is fair for another.
To Devil's Advocate: For Abercrombie, it was not a question of models, it was a question of "offering white employees better positions and recruiting at primarily white" institutions. It was their employment and recruitment practices that were successfully challenged. Discrmination is what it is no matter what race or gender is practising it. Remember, Bakke was able to make his case against "reverse" discrimination before the Supreme Court. What makes Abercrombie noteworthy is the large settlement on behalf of the minority workers. There is nothing to stop white workers from making similar charges against the companies you mentioned if similar discriminatory employment practices are in use.
Thanks for writing in! You sparked quite the debate amongst the projectgail crew. Here’s my opinion. (And mind you, I’m not an attorney.) I agree that a company should have the right to market themselves in the way they see fit. If your target audience is a young, urban crowd you’re not going to use senior citizens as models. That’s just marketing 101. However, from what I understand, the suit against Abercrombie and Fitch wasn’t due to models promoting a line; rather, it was about offering white employees better positions within the company. If you’re applying for a manager position, a job as an accountant or a logistics supervisor, the color of your skin, the age of your body, your national origin, or your gender should not be a prerequisite for the position. Filing a discrimination case with the EEOC or an attorney is not the easiest thing in the world to do. They generally won’t take a case unless it’s a “slam dunk.” In conclusion, I'm of the belief that companies tend to get ‘bad press’ when they do bad things and people call them on it.
Thanks so much for the comments! Keep ‘em coming! --Molly
Hi, I definately agree that race should not play a part one way or another with regards to promotion. I certainly didn't mean to spark any particular controversy. In fact, not long ago, I was repeatedly denied a permanent position with Indian Health Services, as I am not a Native American. This, of course, is perfectly legal. I am not racist in any way, I just believe in the right of certain groups to remain exclusive if they wish to. I also believe that this should apply to all people. For example, there is a Miss Black America, and a Miss America, but thats it. There is no white history month. There is Latina magazine, but there are not any models of other backgrounds in it. I can't even imagine the backlash that would ensue it someone published Caucasian magazine. I understand the need for identity with like people, but it seems that whites are the only ones not alowed to form an identity, lest they be called a racist. I am a young woman, and I have even served in the military, but I can still understand why the Citadel and the students there may want to keep it an all male school. There are programs, scholorships, clubs, pageants, events, holidays and even jobs that are exclusive to a particular race or gender, so long as the race is not white and the gender is not male. All of the above is just my humble opinion, of course!
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