|
|
NOTE: Please see our
May 18 alert for updated information.
Abercrombie and Fitch, the clothing line so popular among young people, is
once again dispersing with taste and appropriateness to send dangerous
messages about drinking.
The women's t-shirt line currently includes such subtle slogans as:
 |
"Sotally
Tober."
"If you can read this, you need another cocktail"
"Bad girls chug. Good girls drink quickly."
"Candy is dandy. But liquor is quicker."
"I see drunk people."
"Rum Forest Rum." |
(Visit http://www.abercrombie.com;
select "women" then "short sleeve tees" then "humor")
Young men have a choice of "Together we can get the
planet trashed," "I give to the pour," "I brews easily," "Beer Fest Staff,"
and "Filler Up."
According to the A&F web site: "our casual , classic, all-American lifestyle
brand of clothing is synonymous with quality. Although we specifically
target college students between the ages of 18-22, our appeal is universal."
A&F's thoughtless and tasteless promotion of binge and underage drinking
sends a dangerous message. The company's cavalier attitude toward
drinking is particularly disturbing given the fact that alcohol is the
leading drug threat for young people in America. Each year, an
estimated 1,700 college students die from alcohol-related causes, 70,000 are
victims of alcohol-related sexual assualt, and 400,000 have unprotected sex
under the influence of alcohol.
This is not the first time that A&F products have created controversy.
Unfortunately, well-intentioned efforts to shame the company into pulling
offensive materials or products has only lead to greater publicity for A&F's
wares and further boosted their "edgy" image among teens.
CSPI is developing an action plan to respond to this latest round of
underage drinking promotional clothing. Meanwhile, you may want to
call the A&F's customer service line: 888-856-4480, and voice your concerns
about this latest egregious marketing practice.
Updated May 9, 2005
|
Related Links:
Abercrombie site
Email this link
Download the free Acrobat Reader
here to view PDF
files.
|
