Student 'girlcott' protests Abercrombie t-shirts

With a few words on their T-shirts, Abercrombie & Fitch lets young women send a message: "Who needs a brain when you have these?"

A group of female high school students have a message for A&F: Stop degrading us.

The Allegheny County (Pa.) Girls have started a boycott--or girlcott, as they're calling it--of the retailer. The campaign, conceived three weeks ago during the group's monthly meeting, went national Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show.

"We're telling [girls] to think about the fact that they're being degraded," Emma Blackman-Mathis, the 16-year-old co-chair of the group, told RedEye on Tuesday. "We're all going to come together in this one effort to fight this message that we're getting from pop culture."

After all, that's what men like yourself love to call women who speak out against these sort of things anyway, lesbians, feminazis,etc. 'ugly'.

Examples?

I was not being hyperbolic when I said I was "disappointed." I held you in much higher regard than one capable of such rank duplicity.

Your opinions regarding this lead me to say that youy might as well call them lesbians.

Is it not deceitful to make very specific inferences against me without providing the "opinions" you predicate them on?

The only opinion I expressed was that privilege is rarely disdained by those who actually possess it: nothing more.

I meant what I said. I'm surprised you didn't call them lesbians. Usually men making the accusations that you have DO call girls lesbians. Nothing duplicitious about that. Your first statement about this was to call the girls 'plain' and call their appearance into question. Plain or not, these tee shirts are offensive and degrading to women. If that makes me plain so be it.

Usually men making the accusations that you have DO call girls lesbians. Nothing duplicitious about that.

Yes, there is. I have a long history here, much of which you have observed in agreement, and disagreement. We both know you can point to no specific incident where I've made such a leap.

You castigate me based on your assertion "usually men...do...," when the statement you are castigating me for is essentially "usually women do." And you say that's not duplicitous?

Your first statement about this was to call the girls 'plain' and call their appearance into question. Plain or not, these tee shirts are offensive and degrading to women. If that makes me plain so be it.

First off, if you search my posts to you, you will see I have specifically complimented you on your appearance in the past, so infering I've insulted your appearance is simply a smoke screen.

Next, I made no judgement about whether or not these shirts were or were not offensive and degrading. My speculation was that one would likely find those *crusading against* these shirts were never under any real jeopardy of being objectified for their appearance. As it turns out, my conjecture was borne out.

The opposite of love is not hate: it's indifference. In like manner, those who disapprove of wearing such shirts would likely ignore them. Those who seek to prevent others from wearing them are likely mocked by them.

Lastly, I used the term "plain."

"Plain" is *not* using the term "lesbians." It is not using the term "feminazis." And it's certainly not using the term "ugly." What is your rationale for making such an inflammatory substitution?

Bring back the shotgun father's. I am about to be one?

They never really existed. More the thing of myth and bad jokes than any sort of reality. My best friend growing up actually picked a date up to find cliche of cliches...the father cleaning a shotgun. He said nice gun, asked to see it, winked at the guy and said, "At my house we file the serial numbers off our guns."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.