Abercrombie’s new fall catalog is out and it looks more like Maxim than a clothing catalog. The “magalog”, which costs $7 in stores or by subscription features young hotties in various stages of near nudity. In one shot a woman (girl, really) pushes her breasts up against a window and a guy pushes his butt against a window. There’s also the standard plaid skirt, prep school girl thing where a chic ends up looking like she’s having sex in the back of a car.
“It’s just like one big orgy,” observed Zoe Paolantonio, 19, after a store visit.
“It seems like they’re selling a lifestyle, and it’s unrealistic considering their clientele and who they’re marketing to.”
As erotic as it is, it seems most in the target group see right through the ploy.
“They’re not modeling clothing so I don’t see what the point is,” said shopper Dan Langlitz, 20, of Marlton, an advertising major at Penn State.
“It doesn’t make me want to buy more clothes,” said his girlfriend, Jen Braytenbah, 18.
The question is whether this is appropriate or not. Obviously teenage sexual desire is being exploited here and some fear it perpetuates promiscuity and reaches for the lowest common denominator to make a buck. But, teens aren’t stupid. Today’s teens are more savvy than previous generations and can filter though advertiser’s crap and see it for what it is: a shameless ploy at gaining attention using teen’s most powerful emotion. That said, the catalog is sure to be a hit.
