Abercrombie and Fat

So, I should probably start by reposting old posts. However, I thought this was a pretty interesting development in the greater world, even if it isn't quite current events anymore. I'd love to know what you guys think.

A bunch of articles and opinions on the subject are featured below. Here is a quick overview of the story:

The CEO of the clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, stated that his store/brand refused to carry large sizes (XL and XXL) since the store was aimed at "attractive, all-American kids"  and intentionally excluded everyone else.
This infuriated a fair number of American female bloggers (bloggeuses? bloggettes? 'Blogger' just seems like a masculine-gendered noun to me.).
Reactions ensued.
One bloggess created a series of images starring a fat woman and a skinny man, seen here. (Not quite tznius)
Reactions ensued
One man, Greg Karber, began giving A&F's clothing away to homeless people, as explained in this video.
Reactions ensued.

Here are some of my reactions, in no particular order.

• A&F wants to carve out a marketing niche and is doing so through generating outrage. It's like when a particular celebrity claims to be x, knowing that it will provoke a reaction. So why is everyone (including me) giving them this reaction?
• Why can't I shop at stores like Torrid or Lane Bryant? Why can't I generate some outrage on behalf of my lack of shopping options? Y'know, 'cause us skinny folks feel excluded from the stores aimed at plus sized people.
• Pretty is power. Pretty women are treated very differently than plain ones. Do the most vehement objections come from the women who feel excluded?
• A&F doesn't care about the skinny people. All they care about is making money. They said it themselves. 
• Why are fat people getting mad? Why aren't they changing their diet/exercise program? I get that losing weight is difficult, frustrating, and just plain old hard. I've done it. 
• Take a look around the next time you're out in public in America. Skinny is dying. Most people nowadays are, at the least, comfortably padded. A size "small" today is comparable to a former "medium."  So...who can AF target? 
• Do these shoppers have no other option? They don't need to shop there. At least, I hope not. It's a pretty expensive store. 
• Why should A&F cater to you, you special widdle snowflake? You don't like them? Then don't give them your money! Why are you entitled to demand that a store, which admits to catering to a certain demographic, however tastelessly expressed, should consider you a part of their demographic? Go shop at a competing brand's store. Hit up your friendly local thrift shop. Learn to sew.
• The homeless only matter if you're making a point? Nothing in society is lower than a homeless person? That, right there, that is real consideration for the value of human dignity. I hope that Mike Jeffries is proud of himself. I am appalled. 
• A&F's target demographic is actually young men. Aside from Karber, where is the collectively blogged outrage of the menfolk? Buehler? Buehler...?
• Why is the countering photography campaign just a picture of a fat woman and a skinny man? Why not an overweight gentleman and a svelte dame? Oh right, "Family Guy" is already on television.
• I've never shopped there. Entering a dimly lit hallway, under the gaze of a half-dressed young man - my mama raised me better than that. ;) Actually, I just think that their clothes are severely overpriced, and those photos at the entrance scare me. 

How does something like this get more of a reaction than, say, nuclear developments in North Korea and/or Iran? Or the plight of the homeless in general? Or the chemicals in our food and cosmetics?

?!

I've started off with this because this is a fairly current event, and I think it says a lot. What do you all think?

Sheker hachen, hevel hayofi...

Be well,

Sparrow

_______

Sources:

The original story:

• http://www.salon.com/2006/01/24/jeffries/
• http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-wants-thin-customers-2013-5#ixzz2SSY5zAd0
• http://www.metro.us/newyork/news/national/2013/05/07/abercrombie-fitch-only-wants-skinny-beautiful-customers/
• http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/abercrombie-won-sell-xl-article-1.1339454
• http://www.examiner.com/article/abercrombie-fitch-markets-to-skinny-women-only-no-fat-girls-allowed
• http://elitedaily.com/news/world/fat-blogger/
• http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/12/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-no-fat-girls-xl-xll
• http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-wants-thin-customers-2013-5
• http://www.forbes.com/sites/barbarathau/2013/05/21/may-21-embattled-ambercrombie-fitch-ceos-day-of-reckoning/
• http://retailindustry.about.com/od/frontlinemanagement/a/AbercrombieFitchMikeJeffriesquotes.htm
• http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/12/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-no-fat-girls-xl-xll
• http://www.proprcopy.com/copywriters-blog/exclusivity-in-marketing-a-lesson-from-abercrombie/
• http://www.hlntv.com/article/2013/05/12/abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-no-fat-girls-xl-xll

Some of the reactions:

• http://shesjustpleasantlyplump.com/2013/05/10/a-note-to-mike-jeffies-you-nasty-skinny-slimebucket/
• http://overit.com/blog/polarization-in-marketing
• http://www.growthelove.com/

On the plus size bloggeree:

• http://designtaxi.com/news/357748/Plus-Size-Blogger-Challenges-Abercrombie-Fitch-s-Skinny-Image/
• http://blog.timesunion.com/kristi/abercrombie-likes-their-customers-like-their-staffers-skinny/54863/
• http://suffragettekitty.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/the-skinny-of-abercrombie-fitch-it-aint-pretty/
• http://www.babble.com/kid/so-the-abercrombie-fitch-ceo-likes-hot-and-thin-people-this-is-new/
• http://juliehaddenblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/abercrombie-fitch-thinks-you-have-to-be-skinny-to-be-cool-think-again/
• http://marchingthroughlife.org/the-skinny-on-about-abercrombie-and-fitch/
• http://www.staceysays.com/2013/05/abercrombie-fitch-likes-skinny-chicks-who-cares/

Karber's Campaign:

• http://inhabitat.com/help-make-abercrombie-fitch-the-worlds-number-one-brand-of-homeless-apparel/
• http://www.tinaenad.com/tag/donating-abercrombie-fitch-to-the-homeless/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/17/abercrombie-fitch-homeless_n_3293624.html
• http://www.theatlanticwire.com/business/2013/05/abercrombie-fitch-the-homeless/65297/
• http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-using-the-homeless-to-bash-abercrombie-fitch-not-cool-20130516,0,7446131.story
• http://mashable.com/2013/05/15/fitchthehomeless-abercrombie-fitch-homeless/
• http://boringly.com/abercrombie-fitch-is-worlds-number-one-brand-for-the-homeless-video_2e77698b7.html