In recent years, companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch have adopted the practice of hiring employees based on looks. Whether this practice should be supported is a point of contention throughout the nation. Marshal Cohen, a senior industry analyst with the NPD group stated that, “In today’s competitive retail environment, methods have changed for capturing the consumer’s awareness of your brand. Being able to find a brand enhancer or… a walking billboard, is critical.” Cohen goes on to say that, “It’s really important to create an environment that’s enticing to the… younger, fashionable market. A guy wants to hang out in a store where he can see good-looking girls.” Though the retail industry is indeed competitive, it is not acceptable to hire employees based solely on their physical appearance in order to a boost a company’s profits. This practice compromises morality, quality service, and has the potential to elicit discrimination charges.
In companies like Hollister and Abercrombie, many individuals who are more than qualified to complete the tasks required of them are being overlooked because they may not have the appearance that the companies want in their stores. Tom Lennox, Abercrombie’s communications director, said that the company wishes to hire sales representatives who have a, “natural classic American style.” It seems that according to the brand, this is mainly achieved by Caucasian, young, and wealthy individuals. What looks good to some may not suit others, when hiring on the basis of physical appearance, racial, gender, age and disability discrimination charges can arise, according to the director of the L.A. office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Businesses can only operate when they profit, but...
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...because they are not attractive enough or do not present the desired physical features does not seem equitable. In fact, disregarding everything but one’s semblance seems entirely wrong. This alone is reason enough for a practice to be evaded.
Ultimately, there are many ways that companies could increase monetary yield and capture the public’s awareness without implementing such superficial tactics. For example, having a sale or sponsoring different events in the community would bring shops into the community’s reach while representing the businesses in a positive light.
The method of hiring based on looks will lead to discrimination charges, a lack of quality service, and a collapse of the moral values this country claims to support. Clearly, it is neither necessary nor right for a company to follow the council of Mr. Cohen in order to boost their commercial gain.
After reading the article, “Why 62,000 Abercrombie & Fitch Employees Are Suing The Company,” there were two different problems that were brought to attention regarding Abercrombie & Fitch’s business ethics. The two problems were the mistreatment of their employees, and how their business marketing strategy is not well developed throughout their company. Abercrombie & Fitch is a company that has always been concerned about their image, which leads us to their, “look policy.” A “look policy” is a policy that relates to a certain look every employee has to follow to be eligible to work there. The company is facing a high-profile lawsuit over its, “look policy” (Greenhouse, 2015). Each employee is forced to purchase the company’s clothes to wear to work, each time a new sales guide comes out (Greenhouse, 2015). This is known as compelled purchases, which is a violation of the state’s labor codes (Greenhouse, 2015). They force the “look policy,” way too strong upon their employees, which developed into a huge problem. The company is facing a high-profile lawsuit
Many companies are using new techniques to attract modern day society. One of these techniques is revising their hiring practices. Instead of hiring based on intelligence, or skill sets, they desire employees with “the look”. Companies want people that represent their product or brand. In the article, “Going for the Look, But Risking Discrimination” by Steven Greenhouse, the store Abercrombie and Fitch hire people with a “classic American” look. However, there are many problems that can arise with this. Marshall Cohen, a senior industry analyst, claims that companies are forced to do what is necessary. I disagree with this statement. Companies that hire based on looks are risking more they assume.
In the 1997 article Listening to Khakis, published in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell effectively paints a vivid picture of the thought and science that goes into advertising campaigns. Gladwell begins his paper by focusing on the Dockers’ advertising campaign for their line of adult male khaki pants, which he labels as extremely successful. This campaign was the first line of successful fashion advertisements aimed directly toward adult males (Gladwell, 1997). This campaign was cunningly simple and showed only males wearing the pants being advertised with the background noise filled with men having a casual conversation (Gladwell, 1997). This tactic was used because studies showed that Dockers’ target market felt an absence in adult male friendships. (Gladwell, 1997). The simplicity of the advertisements was accentuated as to not to deter possible customers by creating a fashion based ad because, based on Gladwell’s multiple interviews of advertising experts, males shy away from being viewed as fashion forward or “trying to hard” (Gladwell, 1997).
Currently television networks and stations require a set appearance and weight standards for news reporters, newscasters, weather forecaster. Our society looks at the news and weather to see not only the news and weather but the persons. They believe that physical attractiveness and pleasing body image have long been known to have marketplace advantages. Therefore many organizations set appearance standards for their employees, because they think that will project a particular image and as well as a favorable working environment. (Harvey & Allard , 2012, p. 231)
.... "The Beauty Industry Promotes Unrealistic Beauty Standards." Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2007. Rpt. in The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
We see the ways that the popular media uses gender tensions everywhere. The truth is that sex sells, we know that. The challenge that advertisers face is: How to use it best. Some advertisers do this better than others and the ones that truly have an understanding of gender tensions will, in the end, sell the most. In my last paper, I explored how the company Abercrombie and Fitch uses gender tensions to sell their clothes. They have become among the masters in advertising and the business in booming. They cater to young adults and young adults only for one powerful reason: It is at this age in which the sexual tensions between male and female are greatest. Abercrombie and Fitch has found their niche.
Something people might frequently worry about is self-identity, and how to express who they are. When looking for an outlet to do this, the easiest way to show what kind of person someone is, clothes are usually the first choice: a black t-shirt with a cynical saying, or maybe some skinny black jeans. Whether the advertising agencies created the personalities that come with clothes or took advantage of what was already there, clothes are often sold as something more than just clothes. Companies must ask how to convince consumers to buy their product instead of the competitors’, regardless of price difference. Particularly Levi’s jeans, a 150+-year-old American business, has been trying different approaches to packaging the type of consumers that buy their jeans.
Melissa Nelson, a dental assistant in Iowa, experienced her workplace to be a place where she was judged by her looks and not by her skill level. She was fired because her boss thought that she was too attractive and too threatening to his marriage. Therefore, she was fired for her appearance, not because she did something wrong (Kimmel). An article in The Washington Post expresses beauty’s role in work perfectly: just like goldilocks’ porridge, you can’t be too unattractive or too beautiful, you have to be just right (Rampell). Ms. Nelson’s experience is proof that beauty is not all it’s cracked up to be at
I had classmates in high school that worked at the local mall in the Abercrombie and the “look policy” that has come up was certainly a thing in the early 2000s. Their employees look strikingly similar to the models that showcased their clothing line and it was not by coincidence. Abercrombie has been known to hire solely based on a person 's looks. However I can see how you can look at Abercrombie as fair since, “Under the employment-at-will doctrine, workers in the United States are free to work for whomever they want to (or not work at all), and employers are free to hire whomever they want to, and fire them at will. The vast majority of workers in the United States are covered by the at-will doctrine”
....” Skeeter observes the discriminatory actions of the employers within her town. Even today, gender, race and national origin may still result in discriminatory business practices. Fortunately, today, in first world countries, there are laws in place to protect the rights of equality.
Everyone judges and I personally have first hand experience; to judge is human nature, but to stray away from judgement makes you a better person as a whole. Whether they be obese, unattractive, skinny, or appealing society judges constantly. "Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination," written by Deborah L. Rhode, is a text about the affects of not fitting into the social ideal image. Rhode says that in the nineteenth century, a Chicago ordinance was passed that made it illegal for "unsightly" individuals to be seen in public. Any "unsightly" or unattractive person that was seen in public was issued a one dollar fine. Another scenario Rhode brought to attention was the story out of Texas. In Texas of 1994, a 240 pound woman was rejected from a job as a school bus driver as she was seen unfit for the job. The company doctor for the public schools system inferred that the woman wasn't up for the tasks the job held which included evacuating children from the motor vehicle in case of an emergency. Truth be told, the woman was never given any agility test to see if she even could be fit for the job because of the discrimination placed on
The laws generally support employer dress code and appearance policies, while employers try to be flexible by having employees to present themselves in a way that is consistent with the employer's image (Gross). As long as they do not discriminate on race, color, religion, age, nationality or gender, employers a...
In many companies, especially fashion industries, promotion for merchandise is mainly targeted to attract a youthful and attractive youth. One of the most noticible tactics of this example is advertising, usually showcasing a beautiful and lean supermodel. However, businesses are now hiring good-looking employees, in an attempt to lure in more customers. Recruiting people as "walking billboards" is controversial, considering the chances of being employed would be biasied, due to how a worker may look. Steven Greenhouse, the author of "Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination" provides the reality of how looking a certain way for a job, is associated to prejudisim. In contrast, Mr. Cohen's analysis depicts that "being able to find a brand enhancer, or... a walking billboard, is critical." However, I disagree with Cohen, because there is more to a product than just an attractive representative.
Employment discrimination legislation has evolved to include race, disabilities, sexual harassment of either gender, and age. In lieu of this evolution and an increasing trend toward equality for all individuals in the workplace, the time has come for the protective reach of employment discrimination law to cover ugliness. While the proposal may cause titters at first, evidence exists that discrimination based on looks (or physical appearance) occurs in the workplace. An investigation was conducted by ABC’s 20/20 news program in 1994 that sent two men and two women into the workplace to secure the same jobs (Sessions 1). The individuals were coached to act in a similar manner during the interviews and took with them resumes with matching education and experience. The only difference was that one of the men and one of the women was superior in physical attraction to their counterpart. The results demonstrate whether intentional or not, looks discrimination does play a role in the employment process “In five cases out of five, the more attractive woman got the job; in three chances out of three, the more attractive man was hired” (Sessions 1).
There are over seven billion people on earth and every single one looks different. No matter how much people say that being different is unique, they are wrong. Society has set a beauty standard, with the help of the media and celebrities, that makes people question their looks. This standard is just a definition of what society considers being “beautiful.” This idea is one that mostly everyone knows about and can relate to. No one on this planet is exactly the same, but people still feel the need to meet this standard. Everyone has two sides to them; there is the one that says “you are perfect just the way you are”, while the other side puts you down and you tell yourself “I have to change, I have to fit in.” There is always going to be that side that cares and the one that doesn’t.