Dear Mr. Jeffries,
My name is Andreea Hluscu, and it is fair to say we will never meet. I am writing to you because your latest comments about overweight, unattractive and not-so-cool kids affect me, and if you’re going to publically state that you look down on this group of individuals and refuse to sell your company’s clothing to them, I feel like I need to introduce myself.
I’m not really a cool or attractive kid by your definitions. I have a dry sense of humour, my eyebrows are usually uneven, I have a chipped front tooth that I’m too scared to get fixed, and I have a nervous habit of biting my nails. When I sit down, my thighs expand and I have a few rolls on my stomach that no amount of sit-ups can seem to fix. That being said, I also have a lot of really great qualities. I am educated, I am a kind person, I am loving and I am fortunate to be very loved in my life. I like my sense of humour and my ability to connect with others, and I work very hard because I have a lot of big dreams that I know I will accomplish. Unfortunately, Mr. Jeffries, I am not a size 4 and I probably will never be a size 4, but guess what? I’m still a good person.
Those people you’re putting down, the “not-so-cool” kids? Those happen to be some of the most interesting people I have ever met. They are the people with stories to tell. They are the ones who embrace their differences and are a better person because of all the struggles they have faced in their past. They are the ones with hearts as big as their brains, and if I were you I would be lucky to have those types of individuals wearing your brand.
Mike (I hope you don’t mind I’m calling you Mike!), I did a little bit of research on you and I discovered that you don’t have a child. I can’t say that surprised me. Maybe your comments wouldn’t be as harsh if you saw your own child cry to you after he/she got bullied for not being cool enough or attractive enough. Maybe you would be more accepting if you saw the struggles that young men and women face every day, or if you were aware of the rising rates of depression and eating disorders amongst youth. Maybe you would think twice about making hurtful comments towards human beings and let them decide whether or not they even want to wear your company’s clothing.
By the way, Mike, I own one thing from Abercrombie & Fitch and that’s a pair of sweatpants. In honour of you, I’m going to put them on and eat as much pizza in one sitting as I can.