Abercrombie Campaign Angers Child Advocates
Normally, you wouldn’t expect a company that has pledged $10 million to a children’s hospital to come under the wrath of child advocates, but Abercrombie & Fitch has managed to do just that. The clothing retailer, known for its and provocative and sexually-charged advertising campaigns, recently offered the large sum of money to a Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, in exchange for permission to affix its name to the hospital’s trauma center. But a coalition of children’s right groups, the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, has urged the Columbus hospital to drop plans to name its future center after the retailer.
Abercrombie’s sexualized advertising and clothing, they claim, objectifies and harms children. The coalition says research points to a link between sexualized images of teens and mental health problems. “It is troubling that a children’s hospital would name it emergency room after a company that routinely relies on highly sexualized marketing to target teens and preteens,” wrote coalition members in a letter sent to the hospital, according to the New York Times.
“The Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center marries the Abercrombie brand to your reputation,” the letter adds. “A company with a long history of undermining children’s well-being is now linked with healing.”
Abercrombie & Fitch has declined to comment on the matter. The hospital has referred to the project as the Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center, but it has yet to determine if the retailer’s name will appear on its center, scheduled to open in 2012.
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