In the last few weeks, Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO Mike
Jeffries has been getting some less-than-reputable publicity. Following
statements defending the company’s exclusionary sizing protocol, an interview has surfaced with information that A&F goes so far as to routinely deny requests to donate clothing to those
in need. Rather than give clothing those who are less fortunate, A&F maintains
their staunch commitment to the company’s pristine, “all-American”, cool-kid
image.
One anonymous A&F District Manager
was quoted in an interview saying, “Abercrombie and Fitch doesn’t want to
create the image that just anybody, poor people, can wear their clothing. Only
people of a certain stature are able to purchase and wear the company name.”
Abhorrent. Repulsive. I think we can all
agree on that. Judging from the state of social media, we all do agree on that.
In response, some have taken to ranting.
Others, like Los Angeles filmmaker Greg Karber, have taken to action. Karber
has launched a movement to “readjust” Abercrombie & Fitch’s image, coined
#FitchTheHomeless.
His short film shows clips of Karber purchasing
up all A&F apparel from a local thrift store, driving to Skid Row
in LA, and delivering the clothing to the homeless. While it's a seemingly laudable way
to provide clothing for those in need while sticking-it-to-the-corporate-man,
I’m afraid that Karber’s “charity” has done even greater damage than A&F’s
statements and policies.
For starters, let’s look at his
movement’s name: #FitchTheHomeless. From square one, this movement was never
about clothing people who are in need. It’s about thrusting what Karber himself
refers to as “douchebag” clothing into the hands of scores of the nameless,
faceless homeless.
Clips of Karber handing out the clothing
show him placing pieces of A&F clothing onto the personal belongings or into the hands of the
people of Skid Row and briskly moving along to the next token “homeless
person”, leaving them with an new t-shirt or pants (nevermind if the clothing
actually fits them) and a puzzled look.
Sure, Karber’s readjusting the brand
name, but at the expense of the further dehumanization the people of Skid Row.
We never hear from a recipient. We never learn their names. We never see more
than a brief pan over their befuddled, care-worn faces.
Karber’s movement, with every retweet,
share, comment, and like, drives the public’s image of the poor further and
further away from the truth that these are people with names, personalities,
and stories. Rather, we foster an image that destroys the humanity of
marginalized people.
Consequently, we define these people by a lack of
material wealth and then proceed to give them our unwanted (and now despised) clothing. Following the
collective statements of A&F leadership, I think it’s fair to say that
A&F’s critics wouldn’t be caught dead in A&F clothing. Just image the
judgment from our peers! So instead we push the very clothing that represents bigotry, discrimination, and exclusion onto the marginalized.
Sounds like a great way to value the people we claim to care about.
Unfortunately, this blog post will
probably only reach a few people while Karber’s video will flood the public’s
eye. But to me, that’s fine. Even if this entry causes only one person to think
twice about the ways that we represent and misrepresent our vulnerable brothers
and sisters, it’s completely worth it. I’m confident that the conviction of a
few can change more ideas and policies than we think possible.
“Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead