Abercrombie & Fitch may have experienced a style resurgence in recent years, but the brand’s rather murky past has now returned to the forefront of pop culture after a long-standing policy dictating how they should resurface on social media. dress your employees.
The brand became a shopping center in the 2000s, famous for its perfectly stylish, tanned and well-groomed employees; However, she was later dragged into a scandal amid accusations of racism, fatphobia, and discrimination.
The controversial claims returned to the spotlight after a TikTok user who did not wish to be identified resurfaced the brand’s former “appearance policy,” which included strict instructions on the appearance of all its employees.
The employee handbook even includes illustrations, making it a sort of unofficial “preppy handbook.”
Abercrombie & Fitch was the hottest department store in the 2000s, famous for its perfectly stylish, tanned, well-groomed employees, but they had to follow strict instructions.
The employee handbook or ‘look policy’ recently resurfaced on social media, showing that the brand only wanted ‘clean, natural and classic’ hairstyles.
Abercrombie insisted that its employees display “classic American style,” although the term was not technically defined.
In the 2000s, the popular retail chain required its employees to have “natural-looking or sun-kissed hair,” and even gave illustrated examples.
‘Acceptable’ styles would be right at home on the reality show Laguna Beach or The OC
“Unacceptable” styles included short bleached locks for women and two-tone hair, which was one of Myspace’s favorite hairstyles back in the day.
“The lights should blend together and there should be no contrasting stripes, blocks or chunks of color,” he said. manual preached.
Employees could not wear baseball caps; however, technically there is an exception for “religion or disability.”
‘No head covering’ was another rule that proved controversial after the brand denied employment to Muslim women. In 2013, after a court case, they agreed to allow women to wear headscarves.
Employees were not allowed to wear jewelry that was not “simple and classic”, and could only have two earrings in each ear for women, which would certainly cause a problem today.
Men were not allowed to wear earrings at all.
The video was in response to another he created about how Abercrombie went from being “the most hated brand in the country to TikTok’s favorite fashion brand.”
Since its strict rules and multiple controversies, the brand has gone through a major rebrand that has made it popular among millennials once again.
The ‘appearance policy’ remains a point of contention on Reddit, where users discuss the details behind the hiring process.
The “appearance policy” remains a point of contention in redditwhere users discuss the details behind the hiring process.
Abercrombie insisted that its employees display “classic American style,” although the term was not technically defined.
TikTok commenters were quick to weigh in on the policy, and many had experienced it themselves.
“Oh my god, I completely forgot about the stories I could tell working there in the 2010s,” one wrote.
“I received a $20 class action settlement for working here during this policy,” another shared.
“I was fined for getting a sunburn when I worked there,” said one tale of woe, although the manual specifies that employees must look “sun-kissed.”
‘The seriousness of it all, just standing in the front of the store saying ‘hey, what’s up!’ to everyone who entered ABSURD,’ one commenter recalled.
“My first job was at Abercrombie, where I stood right under the vent that was constantly spraying cologne,” another recalled.
Others were simply dismayed, with one joking, “You don’t meet all those requirements for a minimum wage job.”
‘To pick up some clothes?!’ another person asked, and one commenter joked: ‘You’re hired! $7.25 an hour!!!’
TikTok commenters were quick to weigh in on the policy, and many had experienced it themselves when working at the mall chain in the 2000s.
In April 2022, the documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall Of Abercrombie & Fitch was released on Netflix, covering the discriminatory practices faced by female salespeople, known as ‘models’.
Since its strict rules and multiple controversies, the brand has gone through a major rebrand that has made it popular among millennials once again.
The rebranding and resurgence was quite shocking, especially after the employer’s past behavior was exposed.
In April 2022, The documentary White Hot: The Rise & Fall Of Abercrombie & Fitch was released on Netflix, which covered the discriminatory practices faced by female saleswomen, known as ‘models’.
Not only did the company require people to adhere to a strict appearance policy, but they also had to purchase their own clothing from the chain and wear it during their shift.
The company agreed to pay $2.2 million after nearly 11,000 former employees said its uniform policy violated California labor rules.
DailyMail.com has contacted Abercrombie for comment.