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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online Parents Say Kid's Thong Is Just Plain Wrong By VIKKI ORTIZ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff Calling it the "modern-day version of Underoos," a national clothing company is selling thong underwear in children's sizes - with the words "eye candy" and "wink wink" printed on the front. Abercrombie & Fitch, the same retailer that enraged parents last year with a summer catalog of teenage-looking models groping each other and in the nude, now offers several varieties of thongs at its Abercrombie stores, the division of the company for children 7 to 14 years old. "It's cute and fun and sweet," said Hampton Carney, spokesman for the company based in New Albany, Ohio. But some parents are far from tickled. In fact, they're outraged. "I think of myself as fairly hip, and I think it's just disgusting," said Julie McNamara, a 40-year-old mother from Whitefish Bay. The thongs, part of Abercrombie's summer line, sell for $7.50, or 3 for $15. Some have stripes, others are solid pink or blue. The solid-colored thongs have the words "eye candy" printed in a little pink heart and "wink wink" in a small green box. The rearless underwear comes in sizes for girls ages 10 to 16. The smallest size - a medium - appears small enough to fit an even younger girl. McNamara said she was livid when she stumbled upon the thongs while shopping for her three children at Bayshore Mall. She grabbed a pair and confronted a clerk at the register. "I said, 'Will you tell me what this is?' They said, 'I know, I know, you're the fourth one today,' " McNamara said. The flap over the thongs is not the first time that Abercrombie & Fitch has caused controversy for its edgy themes and designs. Last year, the company caught ire from parents over its quarterly catalog, which was filled with models who appeared to be college age or younger in the nude, kissing and fondling each other. The company defended its publication, calling it a celebration of a youthful and spirited yet responsible lifestyle. Racial Caricatures Criticized In late April, the company again inspired protests and boycotts over a T-shirt line featuring Asian cartoons with slanted eyes and coolie hats. Protesters called the company racist for the shirts, one of which said: "Wong Brothers Laundry Service - Two Wongs Can Make it White." Carney said the T-shirts were intended to be teasing and fun, but the company pulled the Asian-themed line in response to the complaints. Because of the company's repeated media exposure, some experts believe Abercrombie is following the advertising theory that any publicity - good or bad - is positive. "Abercrombie has built their whole image on edginess, and even if people still don't buy them, they win because people are talking about them," said Laura Peracchio, a professor of marketing and consumer behavior at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. Peracchio said the recent Abercrombie flap is reminiscent of debate in the early 1990s over advertising by the Italian clothier Benetton. Back then, the sportswear company made headlines for using ad images that included a dying AIDS patient, a nun and priest kissing and a black woman nursing a white baby. She added that companies are more apt to try radical attention-getters when business is hurting, which could be true of Abercrombie. Although Abercrombie has seen consistent sales growth in the past several years, the company's earnings have flattened out. Its stock has suffered, too, and is down sharply from where it was a year ago. Abercrombie stock closed Thursday at $31.63, compared with $42.10 a year ago. Abercrombie spokesman Carney strongly denied claims that the company uses radical measures to make money. The Abercrombie & Fitch clothes may be designed with a certain irreverence, but it is all meant to be fun and fashionable, he said. He said the company found nothing objectionable about thongs at Abercrombie stores because the underwear isn't made in sizes smaller than medium. The underwear, he said, is targeted for the same market once the niche for Underoos, the children's underwear that debuted in the 1970s and depicted superheroes and other characters. And, taking offense at the idea that some parents suggest Abercrombie is inciting pedophilia, Carney contended the thongs were designed for girls to enjoy, and no one else. He said he could list at least 100 reasons why a young girl would want thong underwear, the need to hide pantie lines being one of them. "It's not appropriate for a 7-year-old, but it is appropriate for a 10-year-old," said Carney. "Once you get about 10, you start to care about your underwear, and you start to care about your clothes." Still, local parents said they had a hard time understanding the thong. "It's out of hand at this point, it really is," said Lisa Maxwell, another parent from Whitefish Bay. "It's Frederick's of Hollywood for preteens and teenagers." Jo B. Paoletti, a costume historian and associate professor at the University of Maryland, said parents who get upset about the latest fashion must realize that it is all part of an evolution toward promiscuous clothes. "It is outrageous. But we're living in outrageous times, in terms of pop culture," she said. To return to the “Media Articles” Gateway page, click HERE To return to the “Active Boycotts” index, click HERE To return to the HOME page, click HERE To leave a comment, click HERE To join our confidential email list, click HERE To navigate further throughout the Boycott Network, please use the links on either side or the bottom of this page.
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