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Too Sexy Too Soon? A Case Study of Abercrombie & Fitch Stephanie Roussell / MC 7999 / 11.21.11

Introduction Abercrombie and Fitch, an American retailer with nearly 800 U.S. and international stores, is no stranger to controversy. The company has long profited from shock value and consumer backlash not only in its marketing, but also in its clothing and employment practices. Known for its preppy, casual style of mid-luxury clothing, the retailer is a mainstay in the American shopping mall. But recent controversies about its product style and marketing practices have kept the company continually in the news. The latest controversy is no different.

In March 2011, the company posted a new product on its Abercrombie kids website: the “Ashley” bikini, a striped triangle bathing suit, sized for girls ages 8 to 14. It seemed innocent enough until one small word in the clothing description caused a firestorm of media and activist backlash. The website described the bikini as a “push-up,” complete with “extra padding for breast enhancement.” (Mendez, para. 1) Because this description was added to a website that markets to girls as young as 2nd grade, it caused an uproar about the company’s intentions of over-sexualizing young girls. Comments began pouring in decrying the company’s apparent lack of decency or sensitivity. All were asking the same question: “how soon is too sexy?”

Did this controversy expose a company intent on objectifying young girls? Or is it another cog in the successful marketing wheel of one of the popular clothing retailers in America?

Company Background Founded in 1892 as an elite outdoor clothing store, Abercrombie and Fitch, or A&F, was the brainchild of owners David T. Abercrombie and Ezra H. Fitch. In 1976, however, the company

closed after filing for bankruptcy, but was revived soon after by Oshman’s Sporting Goods of Houston as a

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