This is a copy of the letter I sent the Abercrombie company, and I never did get a reply to it. Quite a shame, I must say.
I suppose that I do have my own POV on the whole "Abercrombie Epidemic." I categorize it this way mainly because in my High School it has all but engulfed the mindless teenagers wandering from class room to class room. These clothes are not being bought by so many people because of the quality, trust me in this. The billboard they display across their chests only boosts your store so that you can sucker more and more teenagers to swindel their money into an already powerful empire. These "kids" are just being conformed into one copy that is repeated all over America. How can someone express individuality if they are dressed exactly like everyone else, wearing the same label that boosts a company who's website instructs its customers on how their lifestyles should be run? Though it may not exactly state it in those words, it does press the beliefs of this company upon its already vulnerable buyers. Think about this, you already have a girl dishing out $70 for a shirt thats made to look FADED, like it is going to take much persistance to have her change her entire lifestyle to match those played out in this website. You have all of these beautiful people advertising a product that will inturn make thousands of self conscious teens beg their parents to buy for them, or in some cases, scrounge up all the money they may have just for a pair of cargo pants that range near a hundred dollars. You have a market in your hands that controls not only your future destiny as a consumer, but how todays youth will carry out their everyday lives. If they have to patent their lives on being accepted and fitting in where clothes are the major issue of the day, they're going to have some pretty screwed up lives. Once they're out of High School, noone cares what brand your sweater is. There are students in my class that spend half the hour talking about how their entire outfit is from your store. Well congratulations, you have just signed another sucker. It seems that the only reason they buy into your clothing is so that they can have a conversation with "Miss/Mister Popularity" during precious class time. Do not get me wrong, its not as if I'm some big loner and I have no friends whatsoever. My friends and I just believe that individuality is an extreme part of a high school career, if you hope to get anywhere in the future. We still have just as much fun as everyone else, and (OH MY GOD) I do hang out with people that buy you clothes. All I am stating is that you would never catch me buying your merchandise for the simple case that my money would much rather be directed elsewhere. Hats off to you for cornering Generation X before they wise up and take charge of their own actions, but shame on you for actually playing on words, and following through with conformity. And as another writer has brought to your attention, their is a group forming at my school, Anti-Abercrombie Activists (AAA) and don't lay on me about how my time could be used elsewhere. Its not like I live to crush your mindless, money sucking projects, I just make sure to voice my opinion (Freedom of Speech~Check it out conformists) to people that seem to think totally one sided. Sure, they're nice clothes, but definatly not worth what you're raking in. What are you doing? Fueling sweatshops in China? Now that's what I'd like to see, homeless people in A&F clothing. Though I am sure they're not as focused on appearance as so many others, no are they? I am strongly for shopping where the clothes are guaranteed not to fall apart on you, they look nice, and they are affordable. How about you? Signed, -Meredith-
