IN AN EFFORT TO CELEBRATE THE START OF PRIDE
MONTH, THIS JUNE ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH TWEETED OUT THAT PRIDE
IS FOR EVERYONE NOT JUST FOR
LGBTQ COMMUNITY.
A SENTIMENT THAT WAS MET WITH A
LOT OF BACKLASH.
THIS IS A QUOTE FROM KAYLA, A MERCHANDISER.
SHE
IS WITH THE TREVOR PROJECT, A COLLABORATION THAT ABERCROMBIE
AND FITCH IS DOING WITH THE SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE.
SO
AT LEAST THEY ARE KIND OF DOING SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.
THEY
DELETED THE TWEETS AND RESPONDED WITH
A PSEUDO-APOLOGY/TWEET.
THEY JUST MISS THAT WHOLE I'M SORRY PART, BUT THE SENTIMENT
WAS THERE.
MAKE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE RESPONDING TO THIS ON
TWITTER ARE POINTING SOMETHING OUT IMPORTANT HERE.
THEY REALLY
MISSED THE POINT.
PRIDE TALKS ABOUT BEING PROUD TO BE A PART
OF THIS COMMUNITY REGARDLESS OF THE BIGOTRY THAT YOU MAY FACE AS
BEING PART OF THAT COMMUNITY.
IT
REALLY IS FOR THAT.
I DO THINK EVERYONE CAN BE AN ALLY FOR THE
COMMUNITY BUT WHAT THEY
BASICALLY DID HERE WITH THIS COMMENT IS APPLY THE ALL LIVES
MATTER ARGUMENT TO THE PRIDE COMMUNITY, AND THAT IS MESSED
UP.
I'M GLAD PEOPLE CALLED THEM OUT AND I WISH THEY WOULD'VE HAD
A BETTER APOLOGY.
BUT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO WORK WITH THE
COMMUNITY.
I WANT TO GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR THAT.
WHAT YOU GUYS THINK?
>> I THINK THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CORPORATE INTERESTS
SUPERSEDE A THOUGHTFUL UNDERSTANDING OF AN ISSUE.
WE
SAW THIS WITH PEPSI.
ALTHOUGH THEY ARE SUPPORTING THE TREVOR
PROJECT, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO CALL INTO QUESTION THE MOTIVATION
BEHIND THIS SUPPORT.
ALSO DO RESEARCH AND EXAMINING WHAT
OTHER CORPORATIONS OR INTERESTS THEY SERVE.
A LOT OF
CORPORATIONS KIND OF SIMULTANEOUSLY SUPPORT
ORGANIZATIONS THAT SEEM
PROGRESSIVE AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT FUND MASS INCARCERATION OR
OTHER INTERESTS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY HARM
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
ABERCROMBIE HAS NEVER BEEN ON
THE RIGHT SIDE OF ISSUES, THIS IS NOT THEIR FIRST MISSTEP.
I'M JUST SUSPICIOUS.
>> YOU SAID IT RIGHT, IT IS THE BLACK LIVES MATTER, ALL LIVES
MATTER THING ALL OVER AGAIN.
AFTER THAT IT IS HOW YOU
BACKPEDAL FROM IT AND TRY TO RETAIN SOME DIGNITY FOR YOUR
COMPANY.
IT IS CLEARLY A GRAB OF THE SPOTLIGHT WHICH IS ON THIS
COMMUNITY, WHICH NEEDS A SPOTLIGHT.
NOW YOU ARE TRYING TO
NUDGE YOUR WAY AND AS A COMPANY FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.
IT IS BLACK LIVES, ALL LIVES OVER AGAIN.
>> WITH THESE SCENARIOS THERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING
IF THEY HAD REALIZED THERE
MISSTEP AND REALIZE THAT MAYBE KAYLA MINCED HER WORDS.
AS JOHN
BROUGHT UP DURING THE PRODUCTION MEETING THAT MAYBE THIS WAS AN
INTERN WHO DIDN'T FULLY
UNDERSTAND, BUT IT IS STILL A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SAY WE ARE
SORRY, WE MUST UP, BUT HERE IS WHAT WE ACTUALLY MEANT.
>> YES.
>> THEY SHOULD'VE MADE A FEW MORE STRIDES TO REMEDY THE
SITUATION AND TO BE MORE SUPPORTIVE FROM THE OUTSET.
BUT
I AM GLAD PEOPLE ARE DRAGGING THEM FOR THIS BECAUSE IT WAS A
HUGE MISSTEP WHETHER IT BE ON ABERCROMBIE AND FITCH'S
SHOULDERS WERE KAYLA'S.
>>BEFORE YOU INSERT YOURSELF INTO AN ISSUE MAKE SURE YOU
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
>>BY THE WAY, IT IS TRUE, YOU SHOULD RUN A TWEET LIKE THAT
PAST SOMEONE ELSE.
>>THERE IS NO WAY THAT OUT OF THE ENTIRE ABERCROMBIE CAMPUS
THAT THERE WAS NOT SOMEONE ON THE MARKETING TEAM OR SOCIAL
MEDIA AND TEAM WHO IS AN ALLY OR IS AWARE THAT SAW THIS TWEET AND
SAID SOMETHING.
I NEVER UNDERSTAND HOW THESE THINGS SLIP
THROUGH THE CRACKS.