In Dwight McBride’s “Why I Hate Abercrombie & Fitch,” McBride explores the idea that Abercrombie and Fitch is racist. McBride believes that Abercrombie and Fitch the brand acts as an idea and not a clothing company and therefore targets a specific audience. Through advertisements and employment practices, Abercrombie and Fitch has built an image for the company; an image that McBride feels is racist.
McBride supports his claim by arguing that Abercrombie and Fitch sells their idea of how an American should appear, “Natural, American, classic.” McBride tells of how Abercrombie wants their models and employees to have a “natural” look. To give employees and consumers an idea of how they were suppose to appear in order to have this so called “natural” look, Abercrombie produced the Look Book. Inside the Look Book are different types of hairstyles and guidelines that Abercrombie feels are necessary to give one the “Natural, American, classic” look. McBride feels the Look Book demonstrates racism because it does not allow dread locks, a hairstyle natural to African Americans. McBride shows that the African American community is excluded from Abercrombie’s idea of “Natural, American, classic” and as a result African Americans are excluded from the idea of how a natural American should appear. To further support his argument that Abercrombie is racist, McBride re-tells a story an ex-assistant manager from Abercrombie and Fitch hold told him. The assistant manager told McBride that while working at the Abercrombie and Fitch the stock room workers were all African American and all brand representatives were white. The actions of this Abercrombie and Fitch retailer solidifies McBride’s argument the Abercrombie is racist. McBride also makes a very interesting point that the idea of what is “Natural American” is not correct if one defines “Natural American” exactly as it is stated. According to McBride, in order to have an authentic Natural American look one would need to dress like a Native American. The Native Americans were the first ones to live in America and lived off the land, how much more “Natural American Classic” can one get? This example demonstrates that the idea of what is “Natural American” has been built by those in power.
So what is the “Natural American classic” look that Abercrombie is selling? When I think of what a typical American looks like I think of a white man dressed in casual clothes, much like clothes that are sold at Abercrombie and Fitch. As McBride demonstrates, the idea of how an American is supposed to appear is sold to Americans through companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch and as a result the American public thinks the typical American is a white man. Up until reading this article I had not really thought about why the typical American appears to be a white male.
McBride’s argument that Abercrombie and Fitch is racist is extremely eye-opening. I believe that McBride is correct that Abercrombie sells an “idea” but I’m not so sure I agree that buy targeting white men the company is racist. Companies have target audiences they attempt to direct their products towards and use different methods of selling their products. FUBU, For Us By Us, is directed towards African Americans, much like Abercrombie is directed towards white men. In conclusion, I believe McBride is correct that Abercrombie sells an idea but is wrong in believing that A&F is racist.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Takaki Chapter 7
Takaki chapter seven shows how Americans colonized and stole land from Mexico to form both California and Texas. America saw the need to move westward and in doing so felt that they needed to take control of Mexican land. Mexicans believed, and rightly so, that Americans thought Mexican land was theirs for the taking, “The idea these gentlemen have formed for themselves is, that God made the world and them also, therefore what there is in the world belongs to them as sons of God”(171-172).
According to Takaki, in 1840 American’s began to seize land from the Mexicans to form the “Great Bear” and the “Lone Star” states. American’s felt that Mexico’s land was for the taking because the “idle” mindset of the Mexican citizens. Richard Henry Dana once said Mexicans are “an idle, thriftless people,” and suffered from “California fever,” also known as laziness. Dana also felt that Americans differed from Mexicans in the sense that the Americans were people of industry, frugality, sobriety, and enterprise (171). Once again America found itself discriminating against those of different ethnicities. While in Mexico, Dana divided the class of Mexican citizens by the skin tone of their skin, “‘even as fair’ as the English: of ‘pure Spanish blood,’ they formed the upper class. Racially the laborers ‘[went] down by regular shades’”(Takaki 169). Dana used his stereotypical ideas to try to categorize the Mexican citizens.
It is disturbing to me to see that America not only discriminated against the African Americans, but also Mexicans. It appears as though Americans wanted Mexico’s land so America took the land on the basis of skin color. Americans seemed to connect all bad character traits with those with dark skin tones.
According to Takaki, in 1840 American’s began to seize land from the Mexicans to form the “Great Bear” and the “Lone Star” states. American’s felt that Mexico’s land was for the taking because the “idle” mindset of the Mexican citizens. Richard Henry Dana once said Mexicans are “an idle, thriftless people,” and suffered from “California fever,” also known as laziness. Dana also felt that Americans differed from Mexicans in the sense that the Americans were people of industry, frugality, sobriety, and enterprise (171). Once again America found itself discriminating against those of different ethnicities. While in Mexico, Dana divided the class of Mexican citizens by the skin tone of their skin, “‘even as fair’ as the English: of ‘pure Spanish blood,’ they formed the upper class. Racially the laborers ‘[went] down by regular shades’”(Takaki 169). Dana used his stereotypical ideas to try to categorize the Mexican citizens.
It is disturbing to me to see that America not only discriminated against the African Americans, but also Mexicans. It appears as though Americans wanted Mexico’s land so America took the land on the basis of skin color. Americans seemed to connect all bad character traits with those with dark skin tones.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Takaki Chapter 6
Takaki Chapter 6
In chapter six, Takaki explains how class amongst whites first began with the arrival of the immigration of the Irish to America. The Irish were forced from there native home of Ireland because the English colonist seized Irish farm land and begun harvesting beef. Only fourteen percent of Ireland’s land was under Irish control and therefore over ninety percent of the population was left without an occupation (141). Those who once had been farmers no longer had land to farm on, which left them with a diet that consisted mainly of potatoes. After a fungus began to cause the potatoes to die, this in effect, caused about one million people to die from starvation and disease (143). The Irish were finding that it was difficult to survive in Ireland and began to immigrate to America, “room for all-employment for all and success for many,” but once the Irish arrived in America they met the same fate as every other ethnic group that had ever immigrated to America (143).
The Irish arrived in America at a time that labor was in high demand, and the Irish were the most qualified for these jobs in the eyes of the American’s. Many Irish immigrants worked before sunrise until sundown at their bosses command. Many of the jobs the Irish occupied were extremely dangerous, for example coal mining and building rail lines (146). It was some common in fact that the Irish were placed in such dangerous jobs that they accounted for many job related accidents which led the Irish to believe that they were, “thought of nothing more that dogs…despised & kicked about” (147). Also, to accompany the feeling of worthlessness was the fact that the Irish had to compete with other ethnicities to compete for their jobs. The Irish also were compared to blacks because they were felt viewed as “savages.” (149). While the Irish were discriminated against at first, they eventually gained acceptance in society. Many Irish women became maids which in turn gave them the ability to read and write; thus allowing the women the ability to earn more money.
As seen in Takaki chapter 10, chapter 6 shows that skin color was not as big of a factor in determining class as one might believe. The Irish came to America, their skin was white, but they were discriminated against. It then becomes clear that skin color was the reason why the upper class discriminated against other ethnicities. Takaki makes this extremely clear in chapter 6.
In chapter six, Takaki explains how class amongst whites first began with the arrival of the immigration of the Irish to America. The Irish were forced from there native home of Ireland because the English colonist seized Irish farm land and begun harvesting beef. Only fourteen percent of Ireland’s land was under Irish control and therefore over ninety percent of the population was left without an occupation (141). Those who once had been farmers no longer had land to farm on, which left them with a diet that consisted mainly of potatoes. After a fungus began to cause the potatoes to die, this in effect, caused about one million people to die from starvation and disease (143). The Irish were finding that it was difficult to survive in Ireland and began to immigrate to America, “room for all-employment for all and success for many,” but once the Irish arrived in America they met the same fate as every other ethnic group that had ever immigrated to America (143).
The Irish arrived in America at a time that labor was in high demand, and the Irish were the most qualified for these jobs in the eyes of the American’s. Many Irish immigrants worked before sunrise until sundown at their bosses command. Many of the jobs the Irish occupied were extremely dangerous, for example coal mining and building rail lines (146). It was some common in fact that the Irish were placed in such dangerous jobs that they accounted for many job related accidents which led the Irish to believe that they were, “thought of nothing more that dogs…despised & kicked about” (147). Also, to accompany the feeling of worthlessness was the fact that the Irish had to compete with other ethnicities to compete for their jobs. The Irish also were compared to blacks because they were felt viewed as “savages.” (149). While the Irish were discriminated against at first, they eventually gained acceptance in society. Many Irish women became maids which in turn gave them the ability to read and write; thus allowing the women the ability to earn more money.
As seen in Takaki chapter 10, chapter 6 shows that skin color was not as big of a factor in determining class as one might believe. The Irish came to America, their skin was white, but they were discriminated against. It then becomes clear that skin color was the reason why the upper class discriminated against other ethnicities. Takaki makes this extremely clear in chapter 6.
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