Disabled Employee Feels Abercrombie & Dissed

By Mike Schuster Jun 26, 2009 3:20 pm

Popular retailer accused of discrimination.

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Picture, if you will, one of the many ads for Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). Typically, a few bronzed, sculpted specimens are arrayed in languid poses -- splayed poolside, perhaps, or perched atop a split-rail fence. The ads feature the kind of Aryan perfection rarely seen outside of Gattaca.

As such, the brand has set its standard of beauty at an unattainable height for the vast majority of people, But then, A&F has always been "unapologetically elitist -- indeed, almost eugenic" -- in its brand image:

"This is largely CEO Mike Jeffries' doing: In his words, Abercrombie '[goes] after the cool kids... A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong.

" That's why we hire good-looking people... Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people... We don't market to anyone other than that.''"

Unfortunately for the image-conscious clothing retailer, reality can't be airbrushed. Now, one of A&F's employees is alleging that the company discriminated against her -- because her disability kept her from being "good-looking" enough for the company's purposes.

Riam Dean -- a 22-year-old law student and former A&F employee -- apparently isn't among Abercrombie's eugenically chosen people. Dean was born without a left forearm, and claims that A&F's management banished her to the stockroom -- away from customers' view -- because of her disability.

"I had been bullied out of my job," Dean told The Guardian. "It was the lowest point [at which] I had ever been in my life."

When she started working at A&F, Dean and the retailer had an agreement whereby she could work the showroom floor -- provided she wear a white cardigan to cover the link between her prosthetic limb and her upper arm.

However, the store subsequently claimed Dean was violating its "look policy," and demanded that she remove the sweater or be forced to work in the stockroom until -- according to the head office -- "the winter uniform arrive[d]."

Dean claims that the cardigan conundrum was just an excuse to keep her off the main shop floor. Shes reportedly seeking around £25,000 in compensation, and a tribunal's been established to discuss the merits of her case.

A&F's official "look policy" contains highly subjective language, similar to that found in many company policy handbooks. Employees are told to: "represent Abercrombie & Fitch with natural, classic American style consistent with the company's brand" and to "look great while exhibiting individuality."

At least at the London branch, that seems to mean: No disabilities. Apparently A&F believes that you can't look great -- or classically American, or stylishly individual -- while also being disabled.

I guess those brands which have featured disabled models in their ad campaigns -- including Visa (V), Nike (NKE), and Target (TGT) -- didn't get that memo.Twitter: @mcs212