I sold my body (and nearly my soul) to Abercrombie

[ismnotwasm]

Not exactly feminist , and not exactly well- written, but a cautionary tale about working for a company that's full of shit.

This is the story of the year I discriminated against everybody.

♦◊♦

We have to begin somewhere, so let’s begin with bodies. Mine, yours, hers, theirs. All of the bodies that entered the store and left it. All of the bodies that could fit into our clothing and all of the bodies that didn’t.

“No ma’am, we don’t carry size 16 in those pants,” our cattiest assistant manager, a former cheerleader with a rail-thin physique, would gleefully inform potential customers.

“No ma’am, we don’t carry size 16 in those pants,” I soon found myself saying. First sadly, then automatically and cattily. First time as tragedy, second time as farce, amiright?

Those big bodies didn’t belong in “our” clothing, you see. I mean, look at this killer body–I bulged out of the A&F’s 100% cotton and 100% poorly ventilated “muscle-fit” t-shirts. Get out of here with that sloppy trash. ”We” were hot and “you” weren’t.

I don’t know if I ever totally bought that. Then again, I can’t reproduce my interior thoughts from a decade ago with a high degree of accuracy. Did I drink the Kool-Aid? Was I “collegiate” and “quality” to the core of my being? My terrible performance as a manager suggests that it didn’t take, but, then again, I was also something of an arrogant 20-year-old asshole who took inordinate pride in his ripped 220-pound physique.

Or I was until the weekly meetings started.

http://www.salon.com/2014/05/05/i_sold_my_body_and_nearly_my_soul_to_abercrombie_partner/

[seaglass]

1. My daughter was recruited when she was in college for an A&F subsidiary - same deal except they

didn't call the floor staff brand reps, they called them "models." A lot of kids took these jobs because they were offered them - not because they are all egotistical about their looks. How many companies approach people and ask them if they want a job? Couldn't be easier to say yes.

This guy is a horrible guy with a horrible attitude. My daughter would never make fun of someone's looks or be gleeful that clothing didn't fit. That's just nasty. I do agree that the company is awful and they treat their employees like crap.

She didn't work there that long and I can say she got one good thing out of the company - she is an excellent folder.

[monmouth3]

2. That was a good read. Thanks for posting...n/t

[riqster]

3. I worked in their IT department for a while.

But being a competent PM was not enough to counterbalance my obvious old hippie status, so they found a buff young guy to do the job in my place.

Even where the public cannot see, the look is everything.