'Girlcott' Activists Lauded for Protesting A&F's Offensive T-Shirt Line
by Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
November 14, 2005
(AgapePress) - - A veteran Illinois lawmaker is commending an effort that compelled clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) to listen to thousands of teenage girls voicing their complaints against a line of shirts they found objectionable. Last week officials with A&F announced that the company would stop selling some of its T-shirts with controversial slogans. The action came after a protest, dubbed a "Girlcott," that was sponsored by the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (WGF) and spearheaded by a group of 13- to 16-year-old girls in Allegheny County who jointly called upon young women across the U.S. to stop shopping at the popular A&F chain until the clothier agreed to stop selling several of its so-called "attitude Ts."
The T-shirts targeted by the "Girlcott" bore slogans supposedly designed for laughs, but which many of the teenagers considered offensive, degrading, or derogatory toward women and girls. Some of the slogans emblazoned across the offending shirt fronts include, among others, "Anatomy tutor," "Please tease," "Available for Parties," and "Who needs brains when you have these?"
Two teens representing the Pennsylvania girls' group appeared recently on the Today Show to talk about the WGF's call to protest A&F's "attitude Ts." In an interview with NBC's Katie Couric, 16-year-old Emma Blackman-Mathis and 13-year-old Jettie Fields described why they were encouraging other girls nationwide to shun these T-shirts and the retailer distributing them.
Blackman-Mathis noted that many of the shirts' messages "get really, really offensive to me, just because they're very degrading to my friends and myself." And Fields observed, "It really just disgusts me .... We would not want anyone exploiting us, so why would we exploit ourselves?"
Reportedly, after the Today show interview and other media appearances by teens promoting the "Girlcott," the A&F Co. headquarters in Ohio was inundated with media inquiries. Shortly afterward, the company issued a statement saying it had reached an "amicable agreement" with the WGF of Southwest Pennsylvania "under which we will stop selling several T-shirts in our stores."
Stating its recognition that the shirts "might be found to be objectionable to many young women, who are among our best customers," A&F announced it had contacted Heather Arnet, executive director of the WGF, and offered to discuss the issue. The retailer stated that it looked forward to "meeting in person with representatives of the 'Girlcott' action in the immediate future."
Steve Rauschenberger is a state senator in the Illinois General Assembly who introduced a resolution asking the clothing store to stop selling the shirts. In comments on the Fox News Channel, the legislator said the WGF and the teens who helped make the "Girlcott" happen are to be commended for their successful protest. "It's about free speech, which is why we should be proud of the actions of these young ladies," he noted.
Senator Rauschenberger says a resolution in the Illinois General Assembly is the primary way the General Assembly officially communicates its position. In his resolution calling for A&F to voluntarily withdraw the offensive T-shirts, he points out, "We didn't propose censorship -- we were supporting the good work of these young ladies."
The Illinois Republican says he expected public outcry over the shirts to affect A&F's bottom line eventually. "In the past when Abercrombie & Fitch has gotten in trouble, they've actually seen sales decline," he notes, "so I wasn't as concerned about that." However, he adds, "I thought it was important to stand with the girls and share the message with parents that Abercrombie & Fitch was out of line."
Ultimately, Rauschenberger says, the controversy over A&F's provocative T-shirts proves that large corporations will listen to concerned consumers who voice their dissent. He says that is because the companies realize that kind of publicity is never good for a retail store.
