Dear Abercrombie Target Audience,
That’s you, thin girl. Pretty girl. Member of the in-crowd. That’s you, athlete. Apparently, according to Grand Master Idiot Mike Jeffries, you are the only people beautiful enough to wear his clothes. You are the only people with enough worth and value to slide into a pair of Abercrombie shorts (as long as you’re no larger than a size 10.) Unless you’re a guy. Then you can be an XXL because you’re likely a football player.
And everyone knows that football players are the epitome of cool.
I know it’s challenging in high school to think about anything other than what you’re wearing and how cool you are…or maybe that’s just what Mike Jeffries wants to believe.
Maybe he doesn’t know the real you. Maybe he’s forgotten that you are a generation that loves deeply, that believes in respecting each other, that sees the differences in those around you and celebrates them rather than viewing these unique qualities as something to be called out and mocked.
Maybe he hasn’t been clued in that your generation cares less about clothing and more about feeding starving orphans in Africa. Or maybe he doesn’t see the way you pursue those gifts God has so happily given to you—music, art, athletics, science, math… gifts that could lead you to uncover the greatness inside you.
Because that’s who you’re striving to be, isn’t it? A girl more focused on her brain than her boobs? A boy who values his creativity rather than his biceps? Because let me tell you something, it’s these things that set you apart. Sure, it’s great if you’ve got a pretty face or you fall into society’s idea of “beautiful” but the truth is, none of that really matters all that much once you get out of high school.
The people who change the world don’t have time to worry what other people think of them. And they sure don’t have time to agonize over what brand name their clothes are.
I know you’re too young to know this now, but someday you’ll be surrounded by people who are far more impressed with your brain than your looks, and those are the people that matter.
I challenge you to show Mike Jeffries and the rest of the country that your generation is smarter than mine. Be the generation that demands a change. The generation that stops bullying, that values the things with lasting worth. That understands that there is more to every person than what you see when you meet them. That chooses kindness.
Always.
We all have a story. Make it your mission to find out someone’s story before you make up your mind about them.
For more of the heinous misjudgments put out by Abercrombie, click HERE.
You’re smarter than Abercrombie and Fitch understands. Smart enough to call them on their wrong thinking and make them see the real you. The leaders of tomorrow who are already leaders today.
And lest you think I’m just a bitter old lady (and if you know me, you know it takes a lot to get me fired up), I can tell you that size-wise, I could absolutely shop at Abercrombie and Fitch. And so could my husband and so could my daughter and eventually my sons. I wasn’t a social outcast in high school. I’m not bitter or angry.
But I have seen how this kind of hateful message is destroying our children, our teens, our future.
Be better than this, young person. Because you are better than this.
