Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been under fire lately for a comment made about why his store doesn’t carry XL or XXL sizes for women. Jeffries admitted, “Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”He said that his clothing is only for “hot” people who set the trends. His clothing isn’t for “uncool” or “bigger women”. Of course, in the male clothing section, sizes go up to XXL, but only to appeal to large, male athletes who are “hot.” Jeffries, who has been with A&F since the 90s, has sparked controversy with his comments, infuriating many, including yours truly.
Let me be honest with you now: I worked at Abercrombie for a month this school year. You know how it is: school books, Starbucks lattes, bar tabs—it drains your bank account. So around January, I began looking for jobs. Lucky for me, a friend of mine worked at Abercrombie and promised she could get me a job easily. Obviously I took it. Now, if I’m going to be really, really honest: I’ve never owned anything from Abercrombie. But when I got hired, that didn’t seem to matter. It was just a job, right?
Upon my first day at work, my manager told me I wasn’t allowed to change my look. “You were hired for the way you look,” he told me, which basically meant I wasn’t allowed to dye my hair or pierce anything on my face without their permission. I also had to abide by almost impossible rules of appearance, such as having a clean, natural face, clean hair that could not be in a ponytail or braided, and Abercrombie jeans (double-cuffed). Needless to say, the job didn’t last long. Do you know how hard it is to go through a whole school day then straight to work and expect to look flawless? It isn’t possible. I started having to wear jeans to class (gasp!) so I could look “Abercrombie hot”. Abercrombie hires pretty people—people who look good naturally. I wasn’t allowed to wear a lot of make up, and I couldn’t wear my hair pulled up, which is a severe problem when you have 8 AM classes and no time to shower before work. I quit within a month, other issues also pushing me to the decision.
After hearing about Jeffries’s comment, I’m glad I no longer work at a place that defines beauty by pant size. This isn’t just a problem in Abercrombie. The socially constructed idea of beauty is directly related to what size your waist is. Can we all just stop and think about how absurd this is? If I’m not a size 2, does that mean I’m suddenly ugly or “uncool”? I can’t wrap my mind around it, to be honest.
Jeffries, and others who agree with his position, are the reason so many girls develop eating disorders. Do you see how messed up this is? We’re starving ourselves, throwing up, and hating ourselves so others perceive us as beautiful. much pressure is put on us to look like Victoria’s Secret models or be a perfect size 2 so we can buy Abercrombie jeans that we’re beginning to look in the mirror and hate ourselves.
Beauty is not your pant size. Beauty is not airbrushed skin. Beauty is not big boobs and tiny waists and long legs. Beauty is not a thigh gap. Beauty is not what Jeffries thinks it is.
Beauty is looking in the mirror after you take off your makeup and still loving yourself regardless. Beauty is wearing a pair of pants that fit you comfortably, no matter what size they are. Beauty is realizing your flaws and loving them regardless, because that’s what makes you, you. Beauty is your laugh, beauty is your smile, and beauty is the love you have for yourself.
Do not let others, like Jeffries, tell you that you need to be a certain size to be considered beautiful. You already are.