Abercrombie and Fitch Analysis

This is an wepisode of "New Faces" on the Abercrombie and Fitch website. This series features new models on the A&F modeling team.  I will critically look at this webisode through a Gender Lens as well as through a Class Lens.

This clip is easy to read through a Gender lens.  I think it's important not to just focus on the feminist lens, but to include masculinity in the "Gender" lens.  The featured model, Danny, is a good Rugby player that "plays beyond his actual size." Organized sports and competition are essential interests for a "man" to have.  One of Danny's teammates plays into the powerful masculine stereotype, "When going into battle, you gotta know who to trust."  Sports have often been referred to as the more civil, modern version of battles between men in different communities: but battles nonetheless. The guys in the webisode appear animalistic; they are shown shirtless, muscular, and sweating.  These are effective cues the clip makes to clearly identify these guys as real "men."  This clip reinforces the masculine stereotype.

I chose this clip for a very specific reason.  At 1:39 into the clip (right after Danny says that he likes Rugby because "you can go out there and just kick the crap out of each other"), one of my previous bands' songs starts to play.  After unknowingly selling our publishing rights, (companies often times buy cheaper songs from a "stock" of songs that relatively unknown bands sell) our song appeared on this ad.  For nearly a minute, our song is featured while a game of Rugby is played.  There was much controversy within our band about being included in such a masculine advertisement.  We knew that this was not an ideal place for our song.  I can honestly say that this webisode was a contributing factor as to why we disbanded.....

On to the Class Lens.....Rugby is a sport originated in England.  Although it is also played in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, Rugby is widely regarded as an elite European sport.  The biggest icon that comes to my mind when thinking about Rugby players is Prince William, future King of England.   In the United States, Rugby is usually only offered as a sport in college.  The numerous people that do not attend college are not exposed to the sport, and therefore Rugby has become more of an elite sport.  I guess Abercrombie and Fitch, with this ad, is trying to sell to a US college market that, much like Rugby, wants to take part in a unique, yet elite forum.

As far as the classroom goes, I could have students view commercials and analyze them through these lenses (as well as the others) in class.  We could spend some time analyzing what motivates commercials to play into these powerful visual cues.  A homework assignment would be for the kids would be to go home and watch a few TV commercials.  Have them analyze four commercials from four different lenses on their own.  In doing so, they will learn to pull out cues by themselves and have the skills to view commercials more analytically rather than just passively.