In the essay “Why I Hate Abercrombie” the author, McBride shows us how Abercrombie and Fitch have and still uses company policies to their advantage. Abercrombie has a “look” that must be maintained and by using “company policy” as an excuse Abercrombie is able to be very discriminatory in the employment process.
Abercrombie uses certain company policies to hire employees based on the AF “look” which inadvertently is white and upper middle class. The store tries to sell the idea of a certain lifestyle that goes along with their clothing, because really the clothing is the same stuff you could buy at JcPenneys. The label of A & F seems to give the clothes some kind of power, a feeling of belonging to whoever wears it. Abercrombie can’t flat out say no blacks or gays allowed that would be discrimination. What they have done is make company policies that denote the A & F “look.” These physical criteria include such things like banning certain styles that are prominent among different racial groups and the gay community. By doing this, they were able to discriminate when hiring without seeming like they were. Recently, it has been noted that there are a lack of people of color working in Abercrombie stores and some have actually filed lawsuits against the company for their unfair hiring policies and for having to conform to the “look.”
the article mentions briefly about other stores engaging in the same activities as Abercrombie, but I have to think that its actually done a lot more than we know. There are so many store brands that seem to be more about the label and what it supposedly represents than the clothing itself. Most brand name things are more expensive; just think Kroger brand vs. Kraft or General Mills. Since these stores sell their clothing for, way more than its worth, an extraordinarily high price, you have to have good finances to afford it. When an outrageous price is marked only people of middle to upper class are the only ones likely to afford it, and statistically that means white people. However, McBride does make mention of Ralph Lauren and says that they are different because their clothing is offered in department stores, not just Ralph Lauren stores. In department stores, like Dillard’s, the Ralph Lauren Company cannot control the employees who sell the product, it is the stores right to hire whom ever they see is the most qualified. If you have ever seen a Ralph Lauren advertisement though, you will probably still see the all-American look: young adults spending their free time at a country club or on a yacht. Another store, although completely opposite of what A & F stands for, is Hot Topic. Unlike Abercrombie Hot Topic does sell other brands besides their own, but they are all the same style. Hot Topic is geared toward the “Goth” crowd; most of their clothing is black or has chains on it. At the Hot Topic inside Westfield Franklin Park Mall, even the manager is what most people would classify as “Goth.” (She is very nice though) What I am saying is that its not just the “all- American look” that is being sold and marketed as exclusive. I shop at Hot Topic myself and I find their prices to be within reason but if I wore an Abercrombie shirt (which I would never do) into the store, I know that all eyes would be on me. They would all be thinking, “what’s the prep doing in here? She doesn’t belong here.” Hot Topic wants their employees and customers to have the Hot Topic “look”, just like A & F does, but it has never been so bad to were people want to file lawsuits against them.
Overall I thought this article was really interesting, although kind of difficult to read. McBride uses some very intense vocabulary and some of his sentences were very wordy. However, I was very interested in the information he was sharing. I have never taken a marketing class, but now I may reconsider because the information had a really powerful effect on me. I would have never noticed any of the things he mentioned on my own and neither would most people, so its definitely time for a change.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
takaki chap 12 question and answer
Takaki Ch. 12 “El Norte: The Borderland of Chicano America.”
1. How did this group come to be in the U.S.? How much of this was “by choice” and how much as a result of pressure or force? Identify drivers or motivations for coming to be in the U.S.
The Mexicans came to the U.S because of the revolution in Mexico there were no jobs anymore. More or less, the Mexicans were forced to come to America if they wanted to make a living and be able to survive. The U.S. had jobs available, mainly railroad and agricultural work.
2. What is the significance of the title of the chapter?
El Norte (the north) is what the Mexicans called the U.S. “The Borderland of Chicano America” basically says that America became the place that Mexicans immigrated to and because Texas is right on the border, it was very easy for them to “jump the border”. So the significance is that it describes how both the Mexicans and the Americans felt about the situation. It was good for both: Mexicans were able to get a job and Americans were able to get cheap labor. But the Americans soon wanted the Mexicans to go back to Mexico because they were “infecting” their land.
3. What mechanisms of social construction are discussed in the chapter?
Social construction is used here by limiting the amount of money that the Mexicans can make and by limiting them to very few jobs.
4. How did these groups resist discrimination and racialization?
The Mexicans resisted discrimination and racialization by demanding better wages for the jobs no one else would do. The whites that did work with the Mexicans received about $1 more. By demanding their wages the Mexicans went against what was “known” about them; that they were docile, patient and cheap.
5. Give one example in the chapter of “race” and one example of “ethnicity.” What is the difference between the two as they are discussed here?
An example of race would be calling people Mexican; this is a broad term that identifies anyone from Mexico. Ethnicity is used when Takaki calls them Chicanos; he says they are rural people. Think of in terms of a person’s race is Middle Eastern but their ethnicity is Lebanese.
1. How did this group come to be in the U.S.? How much of this was “by choice” and how much as a result of pressure or force? Identify drivers or motivations for coming to be in the U.S.
The Mexicans came to the U.S because of the revolution in Mexico there were no jobs anymore. More or less, the Mexicans were forced to come to America if they wanted to make a living and be able to survive. The U.S. had jobs available, mainly railroad and agricultural work.
2. What is the significance of the title of the chapter?
El Norte (the north) is what the Mexicans called the U.S. “The Borderland of Chicano America” basically says that America became the place that Mexicans immigrated to and because Texas is right on the border, it was very easy for them to “jump the border”. So the significance is that it describes how both the Mexicans and the Americans felt about the situation. It was good for both: Mexicans were able to get a job and Americans were able to get cheap labor. But the Americans soon wanted the Mexicans to go back to Mexico because they were “infecting” their land.
3. What mechanisms of social construction are discussed in the chapter?
Social construction is used here by limiting the amount of money that the Mexicans can make and by limiting them to very few jobs.
4. How did these groups resist discrimination and racialization?
The Mexicans resisted discrimination and racialization by demanding better wages for the jobs no one else would do. The whites that did work with the Mexicans received about $1 more. By demanding their wages the Mexicans went against what was “known” about them; that they were docile, patient and cheap.
5. Give one example in the chapter of “race” and one example of “ethnicity.” What is the difference between the two as they are discussed here?
An example of race would be calling people Mexican; this is a broad term that identifies anyone from Mexico. Ethnicity is used when Takaki calls them Chicanos; he says they are rural people. Think of in terms of a person’s race is Middle Eastern but their ethnicity is Lebanese.
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