“He [Jeffries] doesn’t want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people,” Lewis told Business Insider.  “He doesn’t want his core customers to see people who aren’t as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they’re one of the cool kids.”

I decided it would be beneficial to check out the A&F experience at the store level to see if the strategy is, in fact, working. What’s an Abercrombie and Fitch experience like? After passing two nearly-naked live models and risking asphyxiation from perfume, you will find yourself standing in the middle of seductive and provocative images featuring exclusively “good-looking” people.  

It’s clear that the brand encourages sexual attraction and has a defined “look”: skinny, blonde and, in my opinion, malnourished.

Only individuals that fit A&F’s cookie-cutter mold of beauty can wear the brand; the size range makes sure of that. Abercrombie doesn’t carry sizes bigger than extra large for women and, per Robin Lewis of Business Insider, only does so in the men’s category to cater to strong athletes that have a larger muscular structure. The biggest jean size at Abercrombie is a size ten, while similar retailers such as H&M and Forever21 offer up to size 16 and American Eagle even offers up to 18. Since when does size constitute beauty?

Even more infuriating is that this sizing structure is not based on the fact that larger sizes don’t sell, but rather is a brand decision. Abercrombie doesn’t want certain people to be wearing their clothing and makes it impossible for them to do so.

Jeffries told Salon in a 2006 interview, “Looking good is almost everything. That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”

However, Jeffries doesn’t stop there. When asked about his feelings toward excluding those that don’t fit his exact body-type ideal, he told Salon:

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

Los Angeles-based writer Greg Karber decided to protest against A&F’s discrimination by purchasing the brand’s clothing from a thrift store and handing it out to the homeless. It’s a trend that is catching on and even sparked a Twitter trend, with the phrase #fitchthehomeless. The Huffington post reported that Karber wants to make Abercrombie the “world’s number one brand of homeless apparel.”  

Although there are those that will speak against the cruel words and tactics of Abercrombie, others will continue to follow. Regrettably, along with sparking unrest among those that don’t fit his definition of beauty, Jeffries is forming a stronger brand loyalty with his current customer.

It’s human nature to have a desire to fit in and be wanted; to be part of the group. This marketing strategy, although malicious and hateful, constructs an “it” group that some people want to be part of.

That said, I plead that you consider this the next time you’re out shopping and pass an Abercrombie store. Throwing away all the A&F clothes you’ve ever bought is a bit extreme, but making the decision to not support these manipulative marketing strategies and not buy anymore in the future can really make a difference.

Nicole Soyka can be reached at soyk9466@stthomas.edu.

Photojournalist Whitney Abrahamson searched high and low amongst the St. Thomas student body for hair styles that stand out. She found seven unique styles from blue streaks to twisted hair.

Tommie women's track and field will send seven athletes in five events to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, May 23-25 in LaCrosse, Wis.

Senior Taylor Berg is seeded fifth in Thursday's 1,500 prelims and first in Saturday's 5,000, with season bests of 4:28 and 16:34.

UST junior Emily Van Heel is seeded 20th in Saturday's triple jump with a season best of 38-3 1-4. Van Heel will also compete in Thursday's 4x100 and 4x400 relay prelims.

Joining her on the 4x100 will be junior Mallory Burnham, junior Christina Rozeske and sophomore Erika Tipp. Joining Van Heel on the 4x400 will be sophomores Angela and Erika Tipp and Kayla Goeman.

Click here to see a list on NCAA women's qualifiers:

http://www.ncaa.com/content/2013-diii-womens-outdoor-track-and-field-qualfiers

Click here for meet webpage, schedule:

http://www.uwlathletics.com/sports/2012/12/13/MTRACK_1213120030.aspx?id=122

Tommie men's track and field will send four athletes in five events to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, May 23-25 in LaCrosse, Wis.

Senior Eyo Ekpo is seeded seventh in Saturday's triple jump and 14th in Friday's high jump, with season bests of 48-5 1-4 and 6-9.

UST has two entrants in the Thursday's decathlon -- senior Gavin Yseth is seeded fifth, while senior Maxwell Dunne is 13th. 

Junior Cody Jerabek is seeded 16th in Friday's 100 meters with a season best of 10.71.

Click here to see a list on NCAA men's qualifiers:

http://www.ncaa.com/content/2013-diii-mens-outdoor-track-and-field-qualfiers

Click here for meet webpage, schedule:

http://www.uwlathletics.com/sports/2012/12/13/MTRACK_1213120030.aspx?id=122

UW-Stevens Point scored a 1-0 victory over Case Western on Saturday to a cap a 4-0 run through the NCAA baseball regional tournament in Whitewater, Wis.

The Pointers (39-9) advance to next weekend's College World Series in Appleton.

Seven of the 10 regional games were decided by one or two runs, including three in extra innings. Point won a pair in extra innings and finished with the 1-0 victory.

St. Thomas had one player on the all-tournament team -- junior catcher J.D. Dorgan. He batted 6-for-13 with four RBI in the Tommies' three games.

UST also had two excellent starting pitching efforts from junior Steve Maher and sophomore Colin Wendinger, who combined to allow no earned runs in 14 1-3 innings.

St. Thomas hit just .286 (30-for-105) and committed five errors in the three games.