Abercrombie & Fitch says its summer catalog is sexy in a wholesome sort of way: "Norman Rockwell of 2001." Critics from conservative Christians to liberal feminists call it soft porn, and now they've joined forces to boycott the trendy, youth-oriented retailer.
By the standards of Penthouse or Hustler, the A&F Quarterly might seem tame. But it is displayed in tightly wrapped plastic, intended only for buyers 18 or older, and features young, unclad male and female models in what the company touts as "pictures hotter than a backyard barbecue."
Abercrombie & Fitch spokesman Hampton Carney said the publication is as much a magazine as a catalog, targeted at the college market. But boycott organizers contend the company also is wooing younger customers and using sex to popularize its image.
Illinois Lt. Gov. Corinne Wood announced the boycott campaign last week in Chicago. She has recruited a diverse mix of supporters more familiar with facing off against each other than with working together.
The broad alliance "shows the importance of this issue," said Michelle Dewlen, president of the Chicago chapter of the National Organization for Women. She faulted the catalog for promoting "unrealistic body types" and displaying images that evoked group sex.
"It's not a catalog," she said. "It's a soft porn magazine."
The Rev. Bob Vanden Bosch, head of Concerned Christian Americans, said it was "quite unusual" to find himself allied with NOW. But he welcomed the coalition.
"It's very important for people to get involved," he said. "The exploitation of sex and young people in A&F's catalog is not only atrocious but also a psychological molestation of their teen-age customers."
Carney said Abercrombie & Fitch takes the criticism seriously but has no intention of toning down the catalog.
"You have to be true to your customers — and their response is overwhelmingly positive," he said. "There's nothing in it you don't see on any public beach in Miami. It's the Norman Rockwell of 2001 — wholesome images of kids having the time of their lives."
Circulation of the quarterly is about 300,000. Half go to subscribers; the rest sell at stores for $6 apiece.
The question for some boycott proponents was whether their effort would just win attention for Abercrombie & Fitch, making the catalog even more popular.
"The alternative is saying nothing," said Joe Kelly, founder of the Minnesota-based group Dads and Daughters. "That's just not acceptable when we're talking about our kids, and trying to address some really disturbing things happening with marketing to children."