Even in Mainstream America

Mark Absher

10-01-10

10:45AM


In March of 2008, an 18 year-old woman applied for a job at Abercrombie and Fitch. She describes herself as an avid shopper of the brand, but with one anomaly, she wear’s headscarves as part of her religious beliefs. The store she applied at was in the Bay Area of California, in the city of Milpitas. During the interview, the manager asked her if she was Muslim and required to wear the head covering for religious reasons. Then, the manager made the key mistake, marking the “not Abercrombie look” on the interview form. The lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that Abercrombie and Fitch violated Federal law by not granting an exception to the companies “look” policy. What is most damaging to the company is that this is the second such lawsuit they have had to face due to non-accommodation of Muslim potential employees.
This is sad, yet not surprising. As we have studied, religious division is a global problem, with differing religious views struggling to accommodate each other. We have also studied about migration patterns, and it shows that in areas like Northern California there is a growing Muslim population, so not only is Abercrombie and Fitch behaving unethically, they are also hurting their chances with a new customer base. While they may have certain “look” in mind when they interview and hire, they need to see big picture issues. I know its piling on to just blame Abercrombie as they are not the only ones engaged in these types of practices, but they must revisit their “look” policy. This lawsuit alone will cost them a lot of money, and cause even more damage to the brand, and most importantly loss of customers. It’s time to grow up as a people and put an end to this prejudice.



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