
The store carries “women’s” sizes that range from 0-10. What does that mean? Their t-shirts, which are designed to hug the body, will fit girls with a 32-inch bust (small) up to a 38-inch bust (large). In pants, a size 0 will fit a girl with a 23-inch waist, and a size 10 will fit a 31-inch waist. Yes, I am saying “girls” because the clothing does not accomodate puberty-induced factors such as cup size or hip measurements.
Young men don’t suffer the same fate. Their sizes go up to XXL.
Obviously, my boycott of the company hasn’t hurt them, but filmmaker Greg Karber has come up with something that may work. He’s proposing a brand readjustment, which essentially means putting A&F clothes on the very people that Jeffries wants to exclude – those who are not rich or beautiful. Karber’s tongue-in-cheek social media campaign, “Fitch the Homeless,” encourages people to scour thrift shops for donated A&F clothing and then distribute the items to the homeless. Some may say that Karber’s actions are insulting to the less fortunate. Others may ask, “Why do we have to punish the homeless by making them wear this crap?”
Overall, the idea makes me smile- it clothes the needy and makes a statement against Jeffries’ snotty and egotistical behavior.
I’d like for all moms to take Karber’s campaign a step further. I’m thinking about hitting the thrift shop with several of my friends. We’ll buy some A&F items, let out some of the seams, cram our middle-aged busts and butts into them and march around the mall. We may even recruit some grandmothers to take seductive pictures of themselves in the A&F clothing and make a special catalog just for Jeffries.
See Karber’s plan below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O95DBxnXiSo]
However, what if the mistake has already been made? The best thing a PR professional can do in this scenario is admit the lapse in judgment and apologize immediately. Once Jeffries’ comments went viral, he stayed silent, which was perceived as insensitive. It would have been far more effective for Jeffries to have reacted quickly, immediately issuing an apology and urging the public that his comments were taken out of context. Since the initial outrage, he did eventually offer a “ half apology ,” which has not gone over well. The damage has been done, and it’s unclear how the brand will recover.