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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Empowering Girls: True Price of Abercrombie


Who doesn't need a corporate sponsor for their project?

Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH does, of course.

According to Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, they plan to rename their ER The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center in exchange for a $10 million donation.

The CCFC has made this statement in a letter to the hospital asking them to keep the money and refuse to advertise.

Research links sexualization and objectification with some of the most pressing and common health problems for girls including depression and poor sexual health. It is also distressing that a children's hospital would promote a company that features impossibly thin and idealized body types in its advertising when 10 million girls and young women in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder.

We understand that it is common for public health institutions to seek gifts from the business community. We are not asking that the hospital return the money. But gifts that include a quid pro quo like naming rights cross the line from philanthropy to advertising. Given that this company has built its brand by sexualizing and objectifying children, no public health institution should be advertising Abercrombie & Fitch.

I had to agree I looked at some of Abercrombie & Fitches' advertising, Thongs (pictured) for 10-year-olds that say "eye candy." Shirts with slogans like "Who needs brains when you have these?" (pink shirt pictured) and "Do I make you look fat?" Ads touting group sex to sell clothing to teens and preteens. When it comes to sexualizing children, Abercrombie & Fitch is among the worst corporate offenders.

Send a letter telling the hospital you think it's a bad idea to let our kids associate Abercrombie and Fitch with their health and well-being. You can do it quick as night at this link.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is just disgusting. A hospital of all places I would think had better sense.

Anonymous said...

That is interesting. I have not been a big fan of that store for a long time. There ads are disgusting in my opinion.
Thanks for the heads up~

Anonymous said...

My daughters NEVER have worn and will NEVER wear a piece of A&F clothing- EVER. Thanks for helping raise the awareness of this blatent exploitment of children.

Anonymous said...

Mind blowing.

SecondChanceChicken said...

Really sad - that seems to be my comment on all these crazy things big business does to make more $$$ and not care how it effects our youth. This amount of money is small change to a hospital - why can't they get it somewhere else. If they appealed to organizations who support the mental heath of youth,and publisized the abercrombie marketing ploy, I bet they could get the $$ and maybe enen more$$

SecondChanceChicken said...

I'm more pissed off than usual - maybe because I'm a nurse and I have other beefs about the stupid things hospitals do. I'm going to go and write a specialized letter to the hospital in addition to the general letter we are all signing, asking them to seek funds elsewhere

Allison Cabral said...

Yeah!! I love this campaign to stop the sponsorship... and I love your blog. I have 2 little girls and YES, we need to empower them. a great book to check out is Raising a Daughter by Don Elium.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

I am so glad others feel the same about this. I get mad just thinking about it.

The health of our girls isn't worth more than $10 mill to a HOSPITAL? $10 mill is nothing!

We - as mothers - must insist that our daughters are not a consumable product.

Violet said...

As a person in non-profit fundraising, this is why most of us turn down money from tobacco and alcohol companies and the like. I'm shocked they accepted this.

Anonymous said...

That is AWFUL!

We don't have A&F in Canada (at least not where I live), but I am glad that I know about this!

We won't be shopping there on any trips to the States.

Good for you for standing up for our daughters!

Tracy Berta-daughter to the King, wife, mother, speaker, writer said...

This is so disgusting! What are we doing to our little girls???? I also get mad at the push-up bras available in every store, including Target, that start this "sex appeal" thing at a young age. I emailed the link. Thanks, Tracee for blogging about this. It reminds me that I need to be more aware and active in the media/culture. I used to email frequently on campaigns from 1 Million Moms. (Sent several emails to Hardee's!) As moms we need to be OUTRAGED at the sexualization of our young children.

I am giving away a great book by Max Lucado this week. Come on over to win, Tracee.

Have a blessed Easter.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

An update on this from the CFCC -
"3,000 of you have sent letters to the hospital and the campaign has generated extensive national media coverage, including stories in the Associated Press and New York Times and all the major cable news networks. Most importantly, we've heard from several employees at the hospital informing us that our efforts have reinvigorated internal opposition to the renaming."

Letters matter.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Empowering Girls: True Price of Abercrombie


Who doesn't need a corporate sponsor for their project?

Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH does, of course.

According to Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, they plan to rename their ER The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center in exchange for a $10 million donation.

The CCFC has made this statement in a letter to the hospital asking them to keep the money and refuse to advertise.

Research links sexualization and objectification with some of the most pressing and common health problems for girls including depression and poor sexual health. It is also distressing that a children's hospital would promote a company that features impossibly thin and idealized body types in its advertising when 10 million girls and young women in the United States are struggling with an eating disorder.

We understand that it is common for public health institutions to seek gifts from the business community. We are not asking that the hospital return the money. But gifts that include a quid pro quo like naming rights cross the line from philanthropy to advertising. Given that this company has built its brand by sexualizing and objectifying children, no public health institution should be advertising Abercrombie & Fitch.

I had to agree I looked at some of Abercrombie & Fitches' advertising, Thongs (pictured) for 10-year-olds that say "eye candy." Shirts with slogans like "Who needs brains when you have these?" (pink shirt pictured) and "Do I make you look fat?" Ads touting group sex to sell clothing to teens and preteens. When it comes to sexualizing children, Abercrombie & Fitch is among the worst corporate offenders.

Send a letter telling the hospital you think it's a bad idea to let our kids associate Abercrombie and Fitch with their health and well-being. You can do it quick as night at this link.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is just disgusting. A hospital of all places I would think had better sense.

Anonymous said...

That is interesting. I have not been a big fan of that store for a long time. There ads are disgusting in my opinion.
Thanks for the heads up~

Anonymous said...

My daughters NEVER have worn and will NEVER wear a piece of A&F clothing- EVER. Thanks for helping raise the awareness of this blatent exploitment of children.

Anonymous said...

Mind blowing.

SecondChanceChicken said...

Really sad - that seems to be my comment on all these crazy things big business does to make more $$$ and not care how it effects our youth. This amount of money is small change to a hospital - why can't they get it somewhere else. If they appealed to organizations who support the mental heath of youth,and publisized the abercrombie marketing ploy, I bet they could get the $$ and maybe enen more$$

SecondChanceChicken said...

I'm more pissed off than usual - maybe because I'm a nurse and I have other beefs about the stupid things hospitals do. I'm going to go and write a specialized letter to the hospital in addition to the general letter we are all signing, asking them to seek funds elsewhere

Allison Cabral said...

Yeah!! I love this campaign to stop the sponsorship... and I love your blog. I have 2 little girls and YES, we need to empower them. a great book to check out is Raising a Daughter by Don Elium.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

I am so glad others feel the same about this. I get mad just thinking about it.

The health of our girls isn't worth more than $10 mill to a HOSPITAL? $10 mill is nothing!

We - as mothers - must insist that our daughters are not a consumable product.

Violet said...

As a person in non-profit fundraising, this is why most of us turn down money from tobacco and alcohol companies and the like. I'm shocked they accepted this.

Anonymous said...

That is AWFUL!

We don't have A&F in Canada (at least not where I live), but I am glad that I know about this!

We won't be shopping there on any trips to the States.

Good for you for standing up for our daughters!

Tracy Berta-daughter to the King, wife, mother, speaker, writer said...

This is so disgusting! What are we doing to our little girls???? I also get mad at the push-up bras available in every store, including Target, that start this "sex appeal" thing at a young age. I emailed the link. Thanks, Tracee for blogging about this. It reminds me that I need to be more aware and active in the media/culture. I used to email frequently on campaigns from 1 Million Moms. (Sent several emails to Hardee's!) As moms we need to be OUTRAGED at the sexualization of our young children.

I am giving away a great book by Max Lucado this week. Come on over to win, Tracee.

Have a blessed Easter.

Tracee Sioux, Sioux Ink: Soul Purpose Publishing said...

An update on this from the CFCC -
"3,000 of you have sent letters to the hospital and the campaign has generated extensive national media coverage, including stories in the Associated Press and New York Times and all the major cable news networks. Most importantly, we've heard from several employees at the hospital informing us that our efforts have reinvigorated internal opposition to the renaming."

Letters matter.