The Gender Ads Project

Advertising, Education, Activism

A&F
Background: In 2003 a campaign by Abercrombie & Fitch sparked controversy across the nation. Though A&F pulled the 2003 Christmas Field Guide from its stores, concerns linger regarding the sensibilities of such marketing campaigns. I am featuring a number of the images from the Christmas Field Guide to illustrate the levels to which some advertisers and corporations will stoop. As always, Dads & Daughters deserves special attention for its efforts in pressuring Abercrombie & Fitch to pull the campaign. The Ads: Clearly, the images from the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog illustrate the pressing issues that progressives face in confronting the negativity of popular culture. One important lesson is that advertisers are now objectifying and dehumanizing both men and women (and boys and girls) in their campaigns. Discussion Questions: (1) Why are campaigns like that of A&F developed? Is the bottom line the company's interest in selling its product or are other motivations involved? (2) How has advertising changed over the years. Specifically, do you believe that campaigns like those of A&F, especially in their use of teens as subjects of advertising, are more common today? (3) What can parents do to address campaigns like those of A&F? (4) Are images of these sort damaging to our youth?
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