I was looking for a slideshow of Abercrombie and Fitch pictures and ads but instead came across this commercial, which I wasn’t even aware that they had commercials. Anyway, the men and women featured in this commercial strongly state their ideal men and women and show how they think men and women should look. One’s clothes project one’s image. A&F being a clothing line is apparently projecting the idea that women should be thin, tall, light skinned, silky hair, and a perfectly toned body with a busty chest. Similarly, men are also to be tall, light skinned, perfectly toned, muscular, have thick heads of hair, strong jaws, and sharp facial features among other things. Unless we all airbrush makeup on our bodies everyday, no one is able to come close to the images projected by the clothing line. In addition, there were a couple scenes from the commercial that is directed more towards men. The shots with the couples were practically saying, “Buy these clothes, and you’ll be like me and have beautiful women all over you.” From the commercial, you can tell the target age is in the range of eighteen to twenty-five. However, knowing that there is an Abercrombie Kids line also is a tad frightening because the styles of clothing and the pictures plastered on the walls and turned into shopping bags incorporate the same style of a flawless image for boys and girls, knocking down their self esteem at a very young age. The pictures of shirtless boys, not men, boys, and the short skirts on sale for girls is giving the idea that boys and girl need to be “sexy” in order to be normal and accepted. At least, that is what the ads and what they call “décor” in the stores are saying to today’s children. The idea that one needs to be sexy and flawless to be appealing and normal is being aimed at younger and younger audiences. This is definitely anything but good.
