Why I Can’t Hate the Abercrombie CEO

Let’s talk about Abercrombie. I mean, c’mon guys, everybody else is. I’m sure you’ve seen the picture with his quote circulating through Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and more. He has stated that he will not allow his company to produce clothing for overweight or unattractive people. His direct quote:

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he says. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either.”

Now listen, he’s right. Before you riot, let me explain what I mean. Mike Jeffries has found a niche market in making “cool” clothes for thin people. He is highly successful, and people continue to shop in his stores. From a business aspect he has done an amazing thing. Mike Jeffries has convinced almost two generations that in order to be perceived as cool, you must wear clothes with a giant moose on them.

He is an advertising genius. He is marketing brilliance. Not only has he managed to provide a product tailored only to a certain demographic, but has made it so that only his targeted demographic (and weird grown ups) can purchase his clothes. They’re the only ones who can a) fit into them, and b) afford them! Mike Jeffries is everything I would want in a marketer.

Does that mean I share his moral values? Hell no.

Does this mean I like what he’s doing? Not really.

Does this mean I plan to shop at Abercrombie now? Well, the smell is a huge deterrent. Also the aforementioned weird old people are enough to keep me away. There are plenty of other reasons why I won’t shop at Abercrombie.

But do I admire his business strategy? His marketing tactics? Absolutely.

I can’t hate him because he’s so dang clever. I admire cleverness regardless of the form it takes.  In order to succeed in today’s economy, you have to produce a product that is so hard to own, that everyone wants it. Everybody wants to be a member of the elite. Abercrombie is one of the many tell tale signs that someone is in that club. Jeffries has made his company a symbol of wealth.

Is he a jerk for not making clothes for bigger people? Sure. But he had the balls to come out and say it. He had it in him to say exactly what his business strategy was. Also, it is his company. He can do what he wants with it.

I’m not saying I agree with what he’s doing, but I can’t help but admire his process.

We

We are Americans.

We win wars after attacks like Pearl Harbor.

We don’t rest after tragedies like 9/11.

We run toward bomb blasts to protect, and save strangers.

America will not be broken by this. We will not be beaten into submission. Terror makes us stronger. It makes us braver. It gives us a desire for togetherness. Tragedy compels us to open our homes to strangers. It leads us to finish marathons and continue running to donate blood for the injured. Tragedy causes us to run into danger, because there might be a chance we can do something.

This is a country I want to be in. I could not be more honored to grow up in a place where we put ourselves in danger for the protection of others. Americans are a “we” nation. There is no individual in a time like this. There are Americans.

We are one nation, and one people. We will continue to do everything we can for each other. We will continue to be proud of our country. We will continue to fight for the freedom, and dignity of one another.

Because we.

 

 

 

The kids in this picture all wear brand new sneakers because a group of teenagers in Ohio cared enough to give. That group worked through another youth run/organized/driven organization called Sole Purpose. To learn more about Sole Purpose and the kids: https://www.facebook.com/DFSolePurpose

We Will Unite

I am a child.

I am a child who belongs to two straight people.

I am a child who belongs to two straight people who have instilled in me the idea that race, gender, sexuality, mental ability, and education do not make a person.

The big one right now is sexuality. I’ve discussed this quite a bit in the past, but I’ll bring it up again. It is 2013. We are so far beyond this. We are better than this. America is a country built on freedom. It is a country built on the desire for equality.

It is a country that now looks back at the Civil Rights Movement and says “Why were we so horrible to other human beings because they were a different color?” We used to not be okay with interracial marriage. Remember that? How dumb was that?

Honestly, I can’t even imagine. It’s time we stop using our religious beliefs to defend our views on this topic.

I’m talking to you, Christians.

The Bible is a wonderful piece. A belief in Christ is a wonderful thing. Using the Bible and Christ to decide that other humans can’t get married is ridiculous. Not everyone subscribes to my belief in God. That’s okay! I don’t mind.

I do mind that my friends who are madly, deeply in love can’t get married to each other because they are both women or just because they are both men. Because sure, they love other women and some people aren’t okay with that. But they still love the way anyone loves. Does it really make sense to ban love?

I live in a free country. That includes the freedom to marry whomever I choose. That includes the freedom to love whomever I choose. It’s a beautiful thing.

We will unite for Marriage Equality because love is love. Discrimination is unacceptable. Hate is unacceptable. It’s time to get on the Equality train, because this is happening.

It’s about time.

Running

Let me start off with the fact that I actually enjoy running, under the right conditions. I’d rather run now, in November, because I feel like less people are watching me run and I can compete only with myself and not with all the other runners. I’d rather run at night, when I can run as quickly or as slowly as I want under the cover of darkness; also everything seems way less far away when you can’t see where you’re going.

I started running this summer. My soccer coach asked me to run thirty-five miles over the summer to make up for practice time I’d miss. Don’t get me wrong, I was not thrilled about having to run everyday in the Ohio heat in front of God and everyone. But, I ran anyway because I had to. Honestly, I fell in love with it. It was cheaper than therapy, and I got to listen to music while I ran. It was a pretty sweet deal. I stopped running when the season started as to not burn myself out. However, our season was over for a this Monday, so I pulled out my running tights and sneakers and put them on reluctantly,and hauled my butt into the cold November air and started running.

Initially (the first two nights) I ran in my old Nikes. They have a pretty thick sole, and that caused some intense arch/knee/lower back/quad pain during and after the run. Tonight though, I ran in my Vibram Fivefingers (www.vibram.com). They managed to give me a pain free, longer, faster, better feeling run. Woohoo! Go Vibrams.

I run in the Bikila model, but I have a pair of KSO’s as well. I prefer the Bikila because they have a wider mouth for you to get your foot into and an overall better feel. The KSO’s and the Bikila both a great for hiking/kayaking/swimming (both lakes and oceans)/ running in sand/ on trails/ or in dirt. The Bikila feel better on the road though. If you’re looking for new running shoes, try to go with the closest to barefoot of the brand you like. If you really like them, go all the way. Vibrams are the way to go.

Stop Light Living

My whole life has been a series of reaching average childhood goals like walking, talking, learning to ride a bike, not dying of pneumonia or embarrassment. I’ve been stuck reaching these mundane milestones, and apparently I got bored enough to stick a few extras in there.

I leave for college in about ten months. My friends say that this is the fastest ten months of my life. Based on the schools I’m looking at, in a year I could still be in good ole Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, or Florida. In a year I’ll be learning how to be a doctor, I’ll be doing something that could very well change the world. But I can’t focus on it. I’m sitting at this red light right now. And not in a bad way.

I’m sitting at this red light, and I’m basking in the warm sunlight. I’m perfectly happy to sit at this light for the next ten months. I just have to remember that, when the time comes, I have to take my foot off the break and slam the gas. It’s going to be a blurry haze of college applications, and test scores, and scholarships essays for the next few months.

I’m doing this whole college thing the way I learned to ride a bike: wildly excited and absolutely terrified. I couldn’t be happier.

The Basic Constructs of Sister-Friendness

First and foremost, you are  mine. And I don’t mean to sound like a five  year old who can’t share her toys, but I will. You are mine, and mine alone. You are mine to torture. Mine to fight with. Mine to be furious with. Mine to give to. Mine to protect. Mine to stand up for. Mine to share what I have with. And I am yours.

We are sisters, if I’m mad at someone, so are you. And vice versa, woman.

Sometimes I get all sorts of angry for no reason. I’m sorry for any of the spiteful things I say out of being a stupid girl. Next time just call me something mean, and then we can all get over it.

The truth will set you free, but first it’ll infuriate you. That’s just the way life works. Spoiler alert: The truth is less painful anyways.

Learn to communicate with Mom and Dad, but mostly Mom. Your life will be exponentially easier.

I’m proud of you now and forever, and will support you always. But if you make the decision to be a homeless cocaine addict, I’m dragging you to rehab no matter how much you protest.

Yes, you can borrow that sweater. If I’m in a bad mood, and say no, borrow it anyways. Then tell me Mom said you could. I’ll get over myself.

Do whatever you want with your life (EXCEPT what we’ve earlier discussed). Do stupid things with your life. Take all kinds of risks; financial, physical, metaphorical, emotional. Remember that I’ll be there to cheer you on as you succeed, and to pick you up when you fail. I’ll probably laugh a little first, sorry in advance.

Don’t always listen to me. I’m not always right. Do what you want to do. Sometimes, don’t listen to anyone but you. A little rebellion is healthy.

Not all soul mates are lovers. Some are friends, some are family. We probably all have more than one. You were my first. You are my favorite soul mate. You’re my person.  Nothing can change that. I don’t care what it is, or how far it is, or how bad it may seem. I will always help you drag the dead body across the living room floor. I’ll bail you out of jail. I’ll fly across the world for you. Hell, I’d run across the world for you. I just may roll my eyes through most of it.

You are my first and oldest friend. Thank you.

The Fault in our Stars

I have read The Fault in our Stars exactly twice. The first time I read it, I finished it in about a day and a half. Something inside of me felt like I hade missed a huge chunk of the book. So, in order to locate and revel in that chunk, when I read it this time, I went through it with a felt tipped highlighter. I think that helped.

First off, this novel was absolutely brilliant. I’m not saying that just because I love John Green. I do love him. I’m saying this because there is something so charismatic about the way he writes, that I can’t really it it down in words. Reading books written by John Green is incredibly reminiscent of being about five years old, hunkered down in the warmth of my bed, caught in that wonderful state between awake and asleep. John manages to recreate that feeling while I am sitting in the doctor’s office, or lying in the couch. So, this novelist made great mostly by the fact that John is a genius.

The Fault in our Stars (TFioS) is based around the life of the average teenage terminal cancer patient. I don’t want to give a lot away. This novel is so full of everything you would want in a book. It’s light, but only for a moment. And then, it’s tragic for a while. TFioS has the perfect balance of happiness, light, romance, tragedy, and triumph. It is written in a way that ripped my heart out, stomped on it,and then put it back in my chest. The way John writes his character’s is just as brilliant as you’d expect. He allows you to fall in love with them. You don’t think you will ,but you really start caring about these crazy kids, and then you’re invested. A writer that can get you invested deserves nothing less that to be dubbed a saint.

I know, I didn’t really tell you what happens in the book. But that’s because YOU HAVE TO READ IT. My copy is currently out, but you have to go to the bookstore or the library or something and you have to buy this book, and you have to read it. Then you will see. It teaches. That’s got to be the best thing. It teaches you. And it teaches something new. Every. Time.

Okay, my book rant is done.

Date A Guy Who Writes

Date a guy who writes. A guy who totes around moleskin notebooks in his backpack. You’ll know him when you see him. He’s the one with sharpened down pencils tucked behind his ear. There’s sheets upon sheets of loose binder paper literally everywhere.

Date a guy who writes because he understands mistakes. He’ll understand when you need to start fresh. It’ll just be like a new sheet of paper in the same notebook. A guy who writes will understand why you want to hold onto your past. He’ll probably equate it to the shoeboxes full of completed notebooks.

A writer will know everything about you. He’s incredibly observant. He’ll remember that you like green tea on Saturday mornings, and that pink flowers are your favorite. Date a guy who rights because he’ll love to remember things about you.

Date a writer because he’ll write foryou. When you have a bad day at work, he’ll write you a goofy poem. Or when it’s your birthday, it’ll be a song. And when your standing in the kitchen shouting at each other because you just can’t figure out where everything went wrong, he’s rummaging in his pockets for a sheet of notebook paper and you shout “What are you looking for?” he pulls out an old, folded sheet of binder paper and starts reading off random things. Slowly you’ll realize that they’re about you. and then the fights fade away.

Date a guy who writes, because he’s good. Date a guy who writes because he’ll love you for everything about you. Writers know details better than anyone. Date a guy who writes because even if just for a while, you will be his only focus. It’ll show in his writing, and it may just be the best he’s ever written. And that’s got to be the best feeling in the world.

Fake?

Let’s get something straight right off the bat, friendship isn’t like the movies. It takes a lot of work, and sometimes it even gets down right difficult. But you need people. They say that no man is an island and they’re right. I get that there are times when it feels like no one cares, or no one understands, or like you have literally no one. But it comes down to the do or die moments where you make the conscious decision to keep a friend. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they found out in high school that they have no real friends. We constantly complain about “fake” people. But do we ever take the time to get past the false part of people? Now, you know this is something even you do, we build up these walls in our lives. These personas we have for different people. To my best friend I am a compassionate, empathetic person, but I’m not like that with strangers. I’m more soft spoken in front of authority figures and significantly more outgoing with my peers. Does that make me fake? Maybe. Does that make me less of an honest person? If it does, and you have to think really hard about this, but doesn’t it make you a less honest person too? I don’t mind if you have a set standard you judge people by, that’s on you. But before you go and declare someone fake, take a look at yourself and see if what you’ve found in them isn’t just you pointing out the walls they’ve built up. You want them to talk about everything that ever happened to them? You can’t expect that from people; it’s not fair. We all have stuff we don’t like to talk about. Even more so, we all have stuff we don’t want others poking around in. That doesn’t make someone fake, it makes them human. And well, if you’re judging people on human faults then I’m not sure what you think you are. People are basically good. That’s the entire point here. But he’ll hath no fury like an angry person. So if you want people in your life, people you can call when your car breaks down, or people who will listen when you talk to them, you have to stop judging everyone and let somebody just be who they are.