A&F Denies Pro-Family Boycott Caused Removal of Its Racy Catalog
by Jody Brown and Rusty Pugh
December 2, 2003
(AgapePress) - If you believe the word coming from Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters, pro-family groups have no reason to take credit for the retailer's decision to pull its sexually explicit catalog from its stores -- and no reason to expect A&F to change its advertising ploys in the future.Pro-family groups were elated at the news on Monday that A&F, with more than 600 stores nationwide, had ordered those outlets to stop selling "The Christmas Field Guide" -- this quarter's edition of the clothier's so-called "clothing" catalog. For several years, those catalogs -- which have triggered boycotts by several pro-family groups -- have featured more bare-skinned models than clothed as well as advice from so-called "sexperts."
An initial report from National Review indicated the decision to yank the quarterly catalog came as a result of two weeks of almost nonstop phone calls from people announcing they were boycotting A&F stores. According to that report, when an A&F employee named "Brennan" was asked who was behind the boycotts, he responded: "Ever hear of Dr. Dobson?" -- a reference to Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson.
But a later report -- interestingly enough from CitizenLink, a news group within Focus on the Family -- quotes an A&F spokesman who says the Christmas quarterly was pulled because it was taking up display space needed to promote a new line of perfume. Hampton Carney said "it's really an internal decision" and "part of our normal rotation." In addition, Carney denies any knowledge of who "Brennan" is.
The A&F spokesman states the company has no plans to ditch its marketing strategy behind the catalogs, which pro-family have consistently referred to as "pornographic."
"The quarterly is very much alive," Carney told CitizenLink. "I assure you that you will see the 'Spring Break' quarterly in our stores very shortly. [And next Christmas], without a doubt, it will be in stores. And you will see no change in direction [in terms of content]."
That cannot be good news to Bill Johnson, president of the Michigan-based American Decency Association. The ADA has worked for years to educate parents about the A&F quarterlies, which Johnson describes as "blatant pornography." Still, regardless of A&F's intention to continue its focus on nudity in a clothing catalog, Johnson says it is a "major victory" that the Christmas quarterly is no longer being sold in the stores.
"When you consider the fact that this catalog is falling into the hands of such a wide variety of ages -- primarily the younger [ages], I'm sure -- and to be able to have this catalog no longer be out there, at least for this Christmas season, it is huge," he says.
Even with the removal of Christmas catalog from stores, Johnson's group is urging people to continue their boycott of Abercrombie & Fitch. He notes on his group's website that A&F continues to exhibit "inappropriate wall and window displays" and to play videos in their stores that display "inappropriate images and themes."
Another pro-family group, the Ohio-based National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, is also keeping its supporters at the ready. Coalition president Rick Schatz tells CitizenLink that the boycott is not over. "Until Abercrombie & Fitch rejects the ideology that they have embraced, we will continue to promote ... the awareness campaign."
Don Hodel, president of Focus on the Family, agrees. "As long as Abercrombie & Fitch is committed to pornographic catalogs, we should encourage parents and young people to do no business with them whatsoever," Hodel says.
