WTFlocka?! Abercrombie & Fitch is bribing The Situation and his “New Jersey Shore” cast mates with a “substantial amount” to stop wearing its clothing because the clothing-maker feels they are tarnishing their image. Tarnishes?!
Has it not checked out its creative direction in all its photo advertisements? Laced with young adult nudity. Let’s not forget that last year the wrinkly clothing giant sparked an outrage from parents and psychologists with its line of bikini padded bras targeted towards girls aged 8-14-year olds.
Did you see the proof in the pudding that I spoke about? The only difference between those models and “New Jersey Shore” cast is skin color and hair styles. Who are Abercrombie & Fitch to decide who can and cannot wear its clothing. The cast after all, patronizes the clothing store in a honest way – they’re not doing anything wrong. They’re not even getting naked like their models do in the ads. And to add to the clothing store’s hypocrisy it actually sold shirts paying tribute to the “New Jersey Shore” mantra G.T.L., or Gym, Tan, Laundry, without paying the cast.
On Tuesday Abercrombie & Fitch issued a press statement:
“We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”
This is another case of Euro-centric elitism. Yes, the “New Jersey Shore” cast are Italians, but this particular bunch are considered the guidos – the Italian trash – and that is not good enough for Abercrombie & Fitch.
This attitude reminds me of a time in the 90’s when Wu-Tang upset designer Tommy Hilfiger for wearing his clothing line so prevalently enough that it influenced trends in the hip-hop community. Hip-hop mogul rapper, Jay-Z, explained his distaste for this type of elitism in his book “Decoded” when champagne maker Cristal denounced in 2006 associations with the “bling” lifestyle.
“I felt like this was the bullshit I’d been dealing with forever, this kind of offhanded, patronizing disrespect for the culture of hip-hop,” Jay-Z wrote. “Why not just say thank you and keep it moving?” After Cristal’s diss towards hip-hop the rapper said he’d never drink it again, et voila, a new liquor got the hip-hop love. Now it’s all about Spades, Rozay, and Ciroc.
DJ Pauly D tweeted his opinion about this prejudice:
[blackbirdpie id=”103896537482002432″]
Not long after the Dow reported a nine point plummet in Abercrombie & Fitch’s stock. So, please learn from Hilfiger and appreciate those who wear and patronize your clothes because you probably don’t know you your audience really is, and you can piss off your coveted sales.
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