I have no words for the
Abercrombie & Fitch controversy that happened back in 2003. I mean, I do
understand that diversity wasn’t as common before in the workplace as it is now
– and who am I to judge them when up until now, racial discrimination is still
happening. However, it doesn’t make it any less wrong to discriminate, degrade
or humiliate someone based on their ethnic origins.
I get where they’re coming
from that they want to keep the “classic American look” that they are well-known
for, but how does having non-white workers have anything to do with that? I
know that looks are very important especially when you’re doing sales – you want
your store staff to look presentable and approachable – but I don’t think the
color of someone’s skin is important for them to be able to sell their classic
American look.
It’s great that they changed
business operations to cater more to women and minorities. It just shows that
they are trying their best to diversify the workplace but having their campaign
changed to “Diversity is who we are” just made it pretentious in my opinion. It’s
like they took advantage of their situation so that they could look good at the
eyes of the public. This is just my opinion though.
I have something to say
about the shirt designs. First off, the designs are not “witty” at all. This is
generalizing Asians by assigning them to the stereotype of having chinky eyes,
wearing bamboo hats, being Buddhists, etc. Also, why is it that they are working at bowling places, operating laundry services - why aren't there shirts for Asian doctors or teachers? It's like they intentionally gave them these designs to represent that these are the jobs fit for Asians. The way they worded each shirts were kind of offending too. For example, the Pizza Dojo (bottom right) shirt says "Pizza Dojo: Eat in or wok out. You love long time." Is it just me or does this try to mimic the speaking style of a Chinese man? The spokesperson for A&F said that these shirts were targeted for young Asians who have a good sense of humor. I honestly think only shallow-minded Asians would appreciate these kinds of shirt.
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| Source: stuarte.co |
In
the end, we will always have our own opinions of what is ethical and unethical.
We can’t blame the design supervisors if they thought that the designers made
funny, creative statements. Maybe they themselves have Asian friends who are
very open when it comes to making these kinds of jokes. But that shouldn't be enough proof that they should continue on with these designs. Why didn't they try to ask the opinions of their target segment regarding the designs? How could they hire a design supervisor that cannot draw the line between racist and witty? I think that Abercrombie & Fitch made a good decision to change their operations to allow diversification but I also think this wouldn't have happened if they tried to ask the opinions of their target segment regarding the designs and if they tried to understand that giving the consumers the "classic American feel" doesn't need to have to do anything with the skin color of its employees. This case study shows how businesses need to cope up with the changes in society in order to serve the whole entity better. We now live in a generation that values equality and braces uniqueness and if companies can't cope with that, they will face a lot of issues and will be left behind.
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