The Farkers were right to slap the "Obvious" tag on this one - goth chicks don't get hired at A&F, and preppy girls aren't welcome to work at Hot Topic:
It turns out what your mother always tells you is true: People judge you by your looks. Just ask Shannon Nichols, a senior at Livermore's Granada High School. Nichols, 18, recently tested that theory when she was applying for jobs...[Shannon and a friend] got the idea after reading about a lawsuit successfully brought by employees against youthwear retailer Abercrombie & Fitch for trying to make its employees project a certain image. They decided to apply for jobs at the company's Pleasanton store.
Since Abercrombie would probably jump at the chance to hire the preppy-looking Nichols, she decided to test their tolerance for someone dressed as a goth. She sprayed her sandy brown hair black, layered on the heavy black eyeliner, added a fake lip ring and bared her jeweled navel...
...[but] Nichols experienced a [negative] response from store employees, who basically made it clear: Don't let the door hit you on your gothic backside on your way out.
"I waited in line to ask the cashier if I could fill out an application, and she tried to not even acknowledge I was there," Nichols says. "When it was my turn, she actually turned to the man behind me and asked if she could help him. He told her that I was first."
My initial reaction was, Shannon looks great as a goth. Those stupid short, flared pants are flattering to few figures, but she pulls it off, and the dark hair looks great. Let me be the first to say she should keep that look.
Seriously, though, A&F got sued because they wanted their employees to project a certain image? Are you kidding me? That's what stores like that are all about. No one is forced to work there, and no one is forced to wear their overpriced preppy clothes. Please. A&F is selling an image. Hot Topic is selling an image. Stores should be free to require employees to project that image. How is that different from perfectly legal dress codes in other organizations?
Posted by kswygert at June 7, 2005 05:57 PM