Most clothing ads are in fact trying to sell their company’s clothing, but the rhetoric it uses for the message it is relaying to a specific audience is intriguing within each company’s context. While targeting the young, attractive, and caucasian youth, the rhetorical proofs used with the risqué physical representation of these models, specifically the positioning and appearance of the woman, conveys the message that being sexually rebellious is to dress edgily by wearing Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. In the context of the company, one can understand what motivates Abercrombie to convey this specific message. Lately, “indie” or “hipster” is a prominent goal for the youth to dress. Westernized cultures promote individuality and edginess in fashion that are often equated to sexual rebellion. Sexual “rebellion” for girls means posing naked for a picture which implies an edginess, and “rebellion” as depicted in this ad for boys is having a girl naked on top of you. The company only caters to people who are very skinny and “attractive” but apparently hides the woman’s presence. Her face is hidden. This also speaks to the image of the company. Besides just their advertisement in their stories, even their employees are ads having been chosen to fit a certain caliber.
Using the idea that “sex sells” this highly erotic advertisement attracts young buyers with the implication is that buying Abercrombie clothes will lead to a life full of love, and success. When one looks at the photo, both the male and the female are not wearing a shirt. However, the company takes it upon the audience to understand that the female is considered topless in that she is doing something wrong, while the guy is shirtless, but males in today’s society are typically “allowed” to go about life bare chested. For females, however, this implies promiscuity. While a very sexual image is being portrayed, there is a contradiction to normal societal norms in that the girl is not wearing a shirt. Lately, as established before, the youth is attempting to dress edgily in a new sense to counter uniform fashion. Abercrombie presents itself as a brand that could lend itself to that style. Pathos and logos are primarily used in this clothing ad. Most clothing ads use logos to promote consumers to buy their products. The key of an advertisement for any company, from a marketing perspective, is to create a quick rationalization where people will think to buy the product. Attractive people wearing the jeans of this company could attract buyers who consider themselves attractive, and have found themselves the perfect pair of jeans, and people who are trying to find clothes to make them attractive. Pathos exists in the message the ad is trying to convey, that this high risk love is a possibility for people who wear these jeans.
The company’s advertisements often follow such a theme and are not only restricted to their photos. The company hires employees with a specific “look” which fits the standards of the audience they are trying to sell to. Indeed, they are not trying to reach as large of an audience as possible – to make as large of a profit as possible – but they are instead limiting the targeted consumers by the size of their clothing. In the photo, two caucasian models are depicted. It targets the caucasian audience, but apparently the targeted audience was indeed too little to be solely caucasian, so now the company has it easier for colored people to find jobs with them. In the end, however, only the caucasian models are depicted on the photographs. There are problems with this ad with the assumptions it makes about the audience as well. The girls face is completely hidden, while the man’s profile is being shown. It implies a vulnerability, and sends a message to girls as to what is considered attractive and fashionable. This is a concurrent issue in many clothing advertisements and is definitely used to sell Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. Often times, the male models are incredibly strong looking males, while the females do not have similar athletic bodies, but instead incredibly skinny bodies. While looking at the ad, it can easily be said that the woman is being objectified, and to an extent, the male as well. Both bodies are being advertised as a part of the campaign to sell the clothing and they stop being models as people but objects for the company. The employees are the same way, considering the models are former part time employees. The way the company hires, they exploit the young attractive part time employees and hire them in as “models” not “sales-associates”. Then, pictures are taken and eventually certain part timers become the models on the bags, and in the photographs. Advertisement, and appearance are the company’s ultimate pride, and that is why it is so easy to objectify these models’ bodies and eliminate most/all of their faces from the photo.
The company assumes that a young attractive audience is trying to dress rebelliously and they also assume that the public will not be offended by this message. The ad is slightly misogynistic, and although that necessarily is not an object of concern in society, nudity in general usually is. Parents in a typical family structure do not want their children seeing an ad like this as an example of what to wear. Although the people in the advertisement appear in their late twenties, the rhetorical devices used in it apparently seem to not be working. Abercrombie and Fitch uses specific kairos with the theme of the ad and the type of edgy fashion people in this time are seeking. However, is sex really selling for the company? It appears as if the message that it assumes the audience to capture, and the context in which they want the audience to derive it is failing. The company has been required to cut hours for their stores and worst of all decrease their standard. Physical appearance is key for Abercrombie and Fitch. Other clothing brands rely on the name, or theme within the clothes, but A&F uses its precise standard and “look” as a marketing strategy. Most stores have standard implemented, but it is incredibly specific in A&F stores. All jeans and tee shirts have a certain fold, and each fold is required to be exactly similar in length as the previous. Now, however, because of budget cuts, hours have been cut, employees reduced, and standards abandoned. The standards represent the importance in which Abercrombie puts in physical appearance, a message also conveyed by the objectifying of the models in this ad. Clearly, sex is not selling. The rational decision that they assume consumers to make, that this clothing is meant for attractive people, is simply not happening. Their “attractive” store employees are apparently not selling the clothing well enough, and this highly erotic ad is not attracting customers as it use to.
Abercrombie and Fitch uses a highly erotic display to intrigue buyers which adheres to its core belief as a company that a sexual approach to selling clothes will be successful. It uses pathos to invoke logos in the rationalization they expect from their customers that one can be attractive by wearing Abercrombie and Fitch clothing. Also, it caters to a certain audience: a younger attractive audience. In terms of the success of this advertisement, its limited audience could be hurting its sales, and perhaps their ads are not appealing enough as well. It can be analyzed further to understand the misogynistic implications made by the hidden features of the female. Eventually, the conclusion that the ad is only somewhat successful can be drawn.
