Keileen's+Editorial

Shirts or Skins?

[] [] This editorial is the first written aspect of my final project. It got me thinking about how I wanted to answer my question by forcing me to choose a position. I chose to criticize Abercrombie and Fitch for their advertising techniques. This company uses body image and sex to sell a product. The models barely wear A&F clothing. So what are they trying to sell? It is common to see shirtless males with six pack abs and beautiful female models. By buying their clothing, A&F wants its consumers to think that they can achieve this fantasy look. Are We Buying an Image? “Hey, what’s going on?” says the Caucasian male or female who greets you at the door. The women have nice figures, are good-looking, and dress with a casual style. The men, although fully clothed, look like they appear right out of magazine with perfect hair and a good build. After taking a few steps into the store, your eyes are drawn to photographs of models who are half-naked. What is Abercrombie and Fitch trying to sell with pictures of models who are barely wearing A&F clothing? The advertising techniques that Abercrombie and Fitch use to promote products and their image are unethical. More than allowing today’s youth to conform fashionably to one another and set themselves apart from those who can afford $24.50 for a T-shirt, Abercrombie and Fitch is all about image. The words “Abercrombie and Fitch” have become important to teenagers, causing them to wear clothing almost exclusively Abercrombie clothing in an attempt to be popular. Teens prominently display the name by even covering books with A&F bags. Although the clothing is simple, the feeling of conformity and belonging with others adds to its popularity. By displaying these certain words on a T-shirt, the power of name has gotten out of control. Advertising a name is immoral because people are buying the product just for the name. They buy into the stereotype that if they wear a shirt that says, “Abercrombie and Fitch,” they will look a certain way. Abercrombie and Fitch maintains its competitiveness with its unparalleled marketing tactics. They use sexuality and physical beauty to sell a simple yet unique style of clothing. According to Michael Solomon and Elnora Stuart in //Marketing: Real People, Real Choices,// they describe this technique as classical conditioning. It is the "learning that occurs when a stimulus eliciting a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own but will cause a similar response over time." ("Abercrombie & Fitch Clothings Brand Marketing,” 2009) If the marketing team ties a product directly with uncontrolled emotions such as sexual desires, it has stepped beyond its ethical boundaries. For example, photographs used in campaigns elicit sexual desires from consumers. The feeling of beauty is a response of classical conditioning. When faced with an ad, consumers are not able to evaluate the product's characteristics. Presenting bodies that nearly all consumers find attractive is an attempt to tie physical beauty with a product. A&F advertise an unattainable utopian lifestyle within its quarterly catalogues via photography. A woman’s advertisement portrays a male and female on the beach kissing. The woman is wearing a sleeveless top, her hair is casually teased, and she is lying on top of the male. Everyone will not be as sexy as these models by simply wearing A&F clothing. Another ploy that Abercrombie uses is providing customers with clothing that advertises what lie beneath the clothing. This tactic is apparent in nude photography, which has recently been harshly criticized. By wearing this brand of clothing, many people think their body is comparable to those of models. If people think they can look as sexy or as skinny as models by wearing an A&F shirt, they are wrong. Thus, they are buying an image. Sex sells. Over time, the standard for determining what defines sexual content has deteriorated. Abercrombie uses explicit advertising to advertise sex, not clothes. It is ironic that a clothing company presents ads where very little clothing is worn. One of the latest shopping bags portrays an upper body portrait of a shirtless male. He doesn't have a head, but does it matter when his body is sculpted like Michelangelo's David, with chiseled muscle and washboard abs? When females see this photograph, they are immediately drawn to his “sexy” body. Researcher Deborah Schooler from Brown University who has looked into the affects media has on self-esteem says, "Body image is not just a concern for women. It affects men, too, and it demands attention." But, what is A&F selling when consumers can’t tell what brand of clothing he is wearing? They are using marketing tactics to advertise sex, which draws consumers to their products. Using physical beauty in photographs to sell a body and selling a lifestyle that doesn't exist are marketing tactics. Abercrombie and Fitch uses image to convince consumers that they will look like models. The next time you walk into Abercrombie and Fitch, consider what they want you to buy: a perfect image or clothing?

Editorial Assignment Works Cited "Abercrombie & Fitch Clothings Brand Marketing." //Zimbio.// 29 Apr. 2009. 19 Apr. 2011 < http://www.zimbio.com/Abercrombie+and+Fitch+Clothing/articles/19/Abercrombie+Fi tch+Clothings+Brand+Marketing> Forson, Lindsye. "Abercrombie & Fitch too sexy for young kids." 1 Mar. 2010, //The Battalion// // Online. // 19 Apr. 2011. < http://www.thebatt.com/2.8482/abercrombie-fitch-too-sexy-for- young-kids-1.1212839> Thomas, Veena. "A&F's Advertising Image." 12 Mar. 1999, //The Tech.// 18 Apr. 2011 < http://tech.mit.edu/V119/N12/col12veena.12c.html> Zamarippa, Christina. "Abercrombie & Fitch Advertising-Can I look like this?" 8 Oct. 2006, //Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles.// 19 Apr. 2011 < http://www.piercemattie.com/blogs/2006/10/abercrombie_fitch_advertising.html>