I'll be the first to admit that I did not have perfect self-esteem when I was younger. Likewise, I'll also be the first to recognize that I was (and frankly still am) a chubbers, with all of my wobbly bits and dimples firmly grounded and planning to stay :)
We blame the media for a lot of false senses of how we, as humans, should view ourselves. With photoshop and hollywood mass producing life size barbies, it's hard to not feel a little inferior when you stare at yourself in a swimsuit for a few minutes before going out, mildly defeated and regretting the horizontal stripes, to the summer air. For years I have racked my brain trying to figure out how to provide confidence to my future daughters who will be, most undoubtedly, condemned to mature in a confidence-deficit world. Occasionally I think that I've come up with a game plan to thwart the critical ideas of the world, and then I run across an article like this.
Title:
"Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Explains Why He Hates Fat Chicks"
Yea, you read that right.
Abercrombie and Fitch, (known for their expensive "cool" clothes, and advertisements selling cosmetic surgery) honestly tries to repel plus sized women. Is anyone feeling a little less confident in yourselves, or is it just me? I'm ashamed to admit that I remember wanting to wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothes in High School thinking that they would make me cooler and prettier, so I guess in that aspect their marketing strategy was pretty successful, but heavens! My mom used to tell me I couldn't shop there because of the "Teen Porn" on the walls and because they were outrageously expensive, little did I know that they probably wouldn't have had my size anyway!!!
“He (the CEO) doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people,” Lewis said. “He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the ‘cool kids.’”
Call me naive, but I'm just appalled.
I agree, it's totally ridiculous! I haven't fit (and haven't tried to fit) into their clothes in years. Even when I was in middle school wearing a size small, I would only fit into their size large. They're scaring away customers and a market that they probably should invest in.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't believe the CEO actually said that! I mean it's one thing to have that mindset, but to actually say it?! Oh goodness gracious... Bless their hearts.
Thanks for tackling such a rough subject! You rock!
katieelizabethbaker.blogspot.com
Right?! I'm glad I'm not alone!!!
Deletethis makes me want to set out on a journey to find this crazy man and knock some sense into him.
ReplyDeletei'm so scared for the future generation, they deserve so much more than this.