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Abercrombie & Fitch, a brand name that is plastered all over college campuses across the country, has recently been under fire for a new line of T-shirts that have been perceived as a racist, negative stereotyping of Asians. The shirts, which sold for $24.50, featured caricatures drawn with slanted eyes and conical hats and depicted them performing menial and servile tasks.
One shirt portrays two Asian men at "Wong Brothers Laundry Service" and carries the logo "Two Wongs Can Make it White." Another one shows a man pulling a rickshaw with the words "Rick Shaw's Hoagies and Grinders. Order by the foot. Good meat. Quick feet."
"I am offended by these shirts because Abercrombie & Fitch is such a big company, and the material presented in the T-shirts is obviously derogatory, and poking fun of Asian stereotypes that date back in the times where Asians had no choice but to work in Chinese restaurants and laundry services," said David Voung, CSOM '05.
A third shirt that was removed from the market shows a smiling Buddha figure with the caption "Abercrombie & Fitch Buddha Bash: Get your Buddha on the Floor." Vuong was particularly offended by this shirt's blatant disrespect of a religious icon.
"Buddha is a major religious figure across Asia and to make fun of it is just plain wrong. If an Asian person came out with a shirt that said 'Jesus Bash, Get your Jesus on the floor,' I'm sure everyone would get offended and act upon this, just as we have to A&F," he said.
The shirts generated an uproar across the country, primarily from college students who happen to be Abercrombie's target market. Student groups took swift action and spearheaded boycotts and protests against the store, demanding a public apology from Abercrombie implementation new diversity measures.
Members of the Boston College community also took part in spreading awareness of this incident. Quarter sheets were passed out in residence halls and dining halls, and many students participated in a protest held in front of the Harvard Square store. A table was also set up in McElroy to further spread the word and to gather student signatures on a petition insisting that Abercrombie meet their demands.
They hope to achieve four things: a public apology from the company; for the company to post that apology in all of its 311 stores, its Web site, and A&F Quarterly; that Abercrombie implement diversity training for its employees; and finally that it should increase diversity and visibility of minorities in its catalogs and promotional materials.
At least 10 colleges in the Boston area, including BC, joined forces for an anti-racism rally that was held in front of the Harvard Square A&F store on Saturday, April 20. It was attended by approximately 150 people, representing a multi-racial group of students, professors, and citizens of the greater Boston area. The group showed their disgust for the offensive T-shirt line with numerous signs and chants.
Catherine Koo, CSOM '03, feels that the incident has pulled students in the Boston community together and has therefore been positive in that sense.
"It is a shame that it took an event like this to occur for unity to be formed. What we hope to do is to have our requests from Abercrombie & Fitch fulfilled, as well as raise awareness about the issues involved."
Abercrombie did in fact immediately pull the shirts from the shelves of its 311 nationwide store and its popular Web site, but only after tens of thousands of shirts had already been sold.
Hampton Carney, a company spokesman for Abercrombie & Fitch, publicly apologized on the store's behalf after the backlash started to spread. "We're very, very, very sorry. It's never been our intention to offend anyone. These graphic T-shirts were designed with the sole purpose of adding humor and levity to our fashion line," he said.
While it claims the shirts were just meant to be comical, the company also readily admits that it regularly pokes fun at other groups. This fact is offered as a defense, but some view it as further proof of the company's insensitive and irreverent marketing. In the past its clothing lines have mocked women, football coaches, Irish-Americans, flight attendants, and snow skiers.
"What struck me the most about this incident is the fact that most of the community chooses to remain ignorant of the situation," said Koo. "Not only has Abercrombie & Fitch blatantly attacked an ethnic group, but they have done so by showing our peers that it is okay to propagate stereotypes of Asians. These are the stereotypes that we, as student activists, have worked so hard to overcome. Their behavior in producing and selling these shirts was in such bad taste and form."
This is not the first time Abercrombie has garnered media attention for employing misguided marketing tactics. Their catalogs are known for featuring scantily clad models in sexually suggestive poses. Women's organizations and conservative politicians have rallied against its advertisements, expressing distaste for their risqué photo spreads and marketing tactics.
As far as the future of Abercrombie & Fitch, it is uncertain how much this incident will damage the store's popularity, especially among college students. While some students have expressed intent not to ever buy from the store again, others recognize that what they have is done wrong but will probably continue to shop there. If anything, students hope that Abercrombie will at least take care to use respect in future advertisements and clothing lines.
For more information about these Abercrombie and Fitch shirts, please refer to the following Web site: www.boycottaf.com
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