Kevin Marshall's America
You may not like The Situation, but at least he never tried to sell a push-up bikini top to an eight-year-old girl.
Abercrombie & Fitch put everyone into a snarky tizzy today when they publicly offered to pay Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, one of the stars of MTV’s “The Jersey Shore,” to stop wearing its clothes. In a sarcastic release, the company stated that cast members of MTV’s reality show appearing in its clothing caused “significant damage” to the brand and “distresses” its customers.
This is the same company that in the past used underage models in provocative poses that would make Dr. Ruth blush, had to apologize in 1998 for a “creative drinking” diagram in its clothing catalog that encouraged college students to binge drink, and came under scrutiny here and elsewhere in media some months ago when it started selling push-up tops to increase the bust size of eight-year-old little girls. And somehow it’s “The Situation” that makes them look bad?
To the folks in the PR and Marketing department(s) at Abercrombie & Fitch: I’d revoke your s***-talking card, but you never qualified for one in the first place. A clothing line that has continually shown crass taste and marketed itself to the lowest common denominator doesn’t really have much of a pedestal from which they can preach. The worst part, though,is that you’re encouraging one of the worst aspects of negative behavior in American youth. You’re a large corporation picking on individuals and trying to embarrass and shame them in front of the entire world in order to make yourselves look better. They may be easy targets, but no matter how big their paychecks are or what you may think of their lifestyle choices, that’s straight up bullying.
With the company’s prevalence in youth culture, the encouragement of this behavior could rightfully be called shameful. We know better, though, than to imply that there could ever be anything resembling shame coming out of your offices.
Abercrombie & Fitch and the readers of this blog may not like the guy who calls himself The Situation, but that doesn’t make him a terrible person that deserves to be shoved into a pillory and pelted with rocks. My frustration, though, doesn’t stem from sympathy for Sorrentino so much as from annoyance that so many people spit out a mighty “hyuk hyuk” and expressed support for a company that regularly exhibits highly questionable judgment themselves.
So how about I flip this on you: I’ll give you money vis a vis buying an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt – Hell, I’ll even post a picture of it on my blog – if you apologize to Mike Sorrentino for this stupid little stunt of yours. That’s right, even though I’m pushing 30 and have an active dislike of your brand, I’m willing to put myself through the embarrassment of pushing your line. And I’ll sweeten the deal with a pair of pants to go with it if you pledge $500 to the Special Olympics of New York State, which helps over 47,000 differently abled children across the State and their families to overcome the stigma and struggles that often come with their inherent disadvantages and makes them feel, and be, champions. AND I’ll also wear the outfit while rappeling down the Crown Plaza.
So how about it, Mike (Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch)? We got ourselves a Situation or what?
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20 Responses to Abercrombie & Fitch, The Situation, and a challenge to A&F CEO Mike Jeffries
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STALK ME
Kevin, this post is outstanding. Way to call this company out on their BS. Abercrombie’s models and “image” push sexuality to the limit for adololescents and now they want to cry wolf. Give me a friggin’ break.
I’ve been not wearing A&F clothing for years – for free. Now I feel like I’ve been cheated.
This is awesome.
Also, I will stop pantsing the mannequins in the Crossgates Mall store. (maybe)
Em – You better not stop pantsing them! Where else will I get my laughs at the Mall?
I know I shouldn’t talk considering where I work and my employers record on stealing design, but why would anyone want to wear A&F at any age? Its cheaply made, highly derivative design sold at insanely inflated prices. And marketed with what borders on child pornography. Can A&F pay me not to wear their line? Oh wait, at a modest size 8 I don’t even fit in their jeans. Sorry A&F, but I am going to stick with my Rerock jeans and Micheal Kors dresses.
Will they seize a second opportunity for a large-scale, viral publicity stunt?
Remember when A&F sold the “it’s all relative in West Virginia” tees? Um… Yeah. Not funny to me, a west Virginian who loved shopping there. Jerks.
They won’t let me in Abercrombie & Fitch anymore. There was some…unpleasantness. I can never go back.
Petition: we also want to get paid for not wearing A&F. http://bit.ly/q3n1sZ
Kevin,
That company is doing this to distance themselves from questionable behavior and presentation. Much like you have described in your diatribe, A&F has some questionable practices in the past.
They are paying to keep their brand off of a questionable attraction after facing previous lawsuits. A&F is doing what they should be doing, trying to clean up their brand and keep it clean.
You are claiming they are trying to pick on Mike Sorrentino, when in fact they are just distancing their brand from his questionable branding.
I’m with you on their product, it’s not my preference either,
Patrick
I got a sneaky suspicion that there’s more to this than meets the eye. I’ve seen publicity stunts like this that actually “say” (wink wink) that they don’t want a celebrity endorsing their product, yet that creates a “reverse psychology” buzz and more people buy their product as a result. How much do we wanna bet that Abercrombie & Fitch and the Situation are all working together on this little campaign?
Sorry, it’s just the cynic in me. Writing about anything involving a clothing store I never patronize, or a television show I never watch, is a waste of my personal keystrokes.
Well said.
Frankly I think this is all one big publicity stunt that ended up going very well for them. Pretty much every major media outlet picked this up and gave A&F a ton of free marketing. Brilliant move on their part.
Good thing the Wilton Mall location closed… I was starting to get migraines from the fumes that spewed from the store entrance every time I passed. Now I have just one more reason not to visit this craptastic retail chain that woos young girls into dressing like strippers. *Fist Pump*
Penny 4 Your Thoughts – The cologne really is quite awful.
It would have a been a lovely picture if someone had pushed him off the boardwalk first.
Woooooooo!
They don’t like him wearing it because he’s too “blue-collar”, and the women he hangs out with are disgusting.
If he was a young lawyer with stereotypical blonde, well-formed associates, I don’t think they’d have a problem with it…despite the behavior that is displayed on the show.
Bravo! I’m not a fan of any Jersey Shore cast members, but A&F took a very cheap and unwarranted shot at The Situation. I’m glad that someone’s willing to call them out on their hypocrisy.