Abercrombie fires woman for refusing to take off hijab

[Cisco_Pug]

Just read this article about an Abercrombie owned stored firing a woman for wearing a hijab. The comments are insanely nasty.

http://www.today.com/money/abercrombies-look-policy-gets-slammed-judge-over-hijab-8C11126082

[ILoveJellybeans]

I think their look policy is stupid. She is in the back room anyway, nobodys going to see her. Also Muslims should be able to wear clothes from there as well, I bet loads wear Abercrombie clothes and also cover their hair-loads of Muslims I know wear trendy clothes and also a hijab :)

[Cisco_Pug]

Their policy is absolutely stupid. The Judge is totally right and I hope she succeeds in her lawsuit. What kills me is the comments to that article. Where are these people from???

She had worked there for 4 months and THEN some douchebag district manager comes in and demands she take off her hijab? What an a-hole!

[OkToBeTakei]

The judge also noted that Khan had interviewed wearing a headscarf and that her job was to fold clothes in the stockroom, where she wasn’t visible to customers.

OH..because if she is not visible then it's ok?

The comments make me feel sick to my stomach. Really sick. Ignorant, racist, did I mention ignorant?

[MyNameIsJonas]

She won her suit: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/09/ ... fitch.html

ETA: should have read the original article :lol:

[2xx1xy1JD]

People really don't understand the idea of freedom of religion and reasonable accommodation, do they?

Abercrombie sounds like it would love Quebec and its new "Values Charter":

http://www.nosvaleurs.gouv.qc.ca/en#propositions

[Quick summary: If you are on the public payroll in Quebec, we won't allow you to where a hijab, kippah or turban, because we want to be religiously neutral, but we won't remove crucifixes from our National Assembly because it's a symbol of our history. We think that preventing women with niqab from not only working, but even receiving any public services, will somehow empower them instead of forcing them into isolation. Oh, and we'll allow some institutions like the Jewish General Hospital to apply for a 5 year exemption, because someone pointed out that there could be a mass exodus of doctors. We're also changing the human rights rules for the private sector and encouraging them to discriminate as much as the public sector. This is a Very Important Issue for us, even if it means that we aren't focusing on the economy or health care or education, and even if it causes yet another wave of people from Montreal to go down Highway 401 to Toronto.]

As a Canadian, who still has relatives in Quebec, I find the level of xenophobia and ignorance downright scary.

Look, it's not rocket science. Allowing religious headgear doesn't push your religion on anyone else. If anything, it's a sign that you recognize that in a multicultural society, people come in all varieties and all religions, and that different religions have different requirements. A rule that looks neutral is not if it affects some groups more than others, particularly when it favors a dominant group over minorities.

Yes, there are questions of religious accommodation. This isn't one of them. If this employee insisted on wearing a full length jilbab so that none of the Abercrombie clothes were visible and she couldn't be easily identified as a store employee, that might be unreasonable. If it was a safety issue, as was the case with Sikhs asking for an exception from rules on hard hats on construction sites, the rule should be permitted to stand. Simply wearing a simple headscarf or kippah, however, doesn't hurt anyone's ability to do their job, and doesn't affect anyone else.

Here's an ad that may make you smile:

http://o.canada.com/2013/09/12/lakeridg ... of-values/

[rward]

I think their look policy is stupid. She is in the back room anyway, nobodys going to see her. Also Muslims should be able to wear clothes from there as well, I bet loads wear Abercrombie clothes and also cover their hair-loads of Muslims I know wear trendy clothes and also a hijab :)

There is a woman where I used to live who looks like a fashion model, tall, thin, wears extremely fashionable clothing, and a hijab. The hijab makes the outfits, like the perfect jewelry, to the point where I'd feel unfashionable for not wearing one.

My point is that hijab, in and of itself, is not fashionable or unfashionable. That's up to the woman wearing it and A&F was just being racist.

[Emkay]

When I taught high school, there was a girl who asked if she could paint her nails in my last-period study hall. Her polish had chipped, and she had to work (at A&F) later that day- she would get in trouble for chipped nail polish. She also said that if she gained more than five pounds, she could be fired for it. A lot of bullshit for a part-time, low wage job!

[louisa05]

When I taught high school, there was a girl who asked if she could paint her nails in my last-period study hall. Her polish had chipped, and she had to work (at A&F) later that day- she would get in trouble for chipped nail polish. She also said that if she gained more than five pounds, she could be fired for it. A lot of bullshit for a part-time, low wage job!

Kind of OT, but when I taught in an "interdenominational" Christian school, we could be written up for having chipped nail polish. Most of us who did our nails kept remover pads in our desk drawers so we could just take it off quickly if a chip happened at school.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Wow, they really do treat their employees like shit.

[kb2]

Once I went to A&F with my mom (I was in high school), and it was pretty much the worst experience ever. They acted like she was too old to be there, and I was too old to be there with her, but then everyone experienced an EPIC FLIP OUT when we tried to open their catalogue and order from it in store because there were naked people in it and I was underage. It was like, "Poor you, your elderly parent is preventing you from showing your midriff all the time NO YOU CANNOT LOOK AT PENISES WHY WOULD YOUR MOM EXPOSE YOU TO THAT!" So I'd start boycotting them for this but I haven't gone into their store since 2003 for personal reasons.

[tropaka]

Isn't this the same co. who caught shit for firing a young black woman out of a supervisory position?

Re the Quebec Values bullshit; that needs its own thread....

ETA: A&F among others

http://racerelations.about.com/od/thewo ... -Suits.htm

[snarktastic]

I wonder if A&F stopped to think about how acting like racist dicks would affect brand perception?

And I can't believe that Quebec is being so ridiculous.

Love the Ontario healthcare ad. Nice one.

[lilwriter85]

Wow, they really do treat their employees like shit.

I remember a few years back reading a thread on a topix board about A&F and how they treat their employees and some of their hiring practices. There was a guy who said he applied to work at A&F and was told by the manager that they wouldn't hire him because of his height was was 5"6.

[AnywhereButHere]

Everything I've read/seen about the founder, or whatever you want to call him, of A&F just screams inferiority complex. It's like he's tring to overcompensate for some negative high school experience. It's sad really.

[Dysfundamental]

They're able to get away with a bunch of discriminatory practices with the customer-facing staff because they argue that they're "models". I always assumed they would lose in court if they tried similar shit with the back-of-house staff. Glad to see that sanity prevailed.

To me, the owner of A&F is terrifying-looking because of his extreme cosmetic surgery. Not that he should care what I think, but I find it a bit ironic.

[anjulibai]

A&F has a reputation for being obsessed with a certain "look", which is young, skinny, and attractive. If you do not fit their look, they don't want you in the store, neither as an employee nor as a customer. They will ignore people that come into the store if the person doesn't fit the "look".

The CEO is also a complete weirdo, and frankly, wouldn't be able to get service in the stores.

[Jana814]

Everything I've read/seen about the founder, or whatever you want to call him, of A&F just screams inferiority complex. It's like he's tring to overcompensate for some negative high school experience. It's sad really.

Kind of like Steve Maxwell.

[RainbowSky]

Yeah, their owner/CEO/WhateverTheFuckHeIs doesn't "belong"in the stores either. :evil-eye: :hand:

...I've almost always been poor, tall, not gorgeous, and not model thin, so never had a reason to go in one of their stores or anything so I'm curious. Why are there penises in a clothing catalog?

[twin2]

I have to hold my breath every time I walk past that store in the mall. Do they douse the place with cologne before opening or what?

[theologygeek]

I have to hold my breath every time I walk past that store in the mall. Do they douse the place with cologne before opening or what?

I had to leave the store in the mall because I felt like I was having an asthmatic attack, and I don't even have asthma.

[lovemygsp]

Uh and the music!! It hurts my head to even walk by. Yuck.

[Jana814]

I had to leave the store in the mall because I felt like I was having an asthmatic attack, and I don't even have asthma.

Same here on both accounts!

[Rescinded and Mended]

I had a rather knee-jerk, cheeky reaction to this issue where I thought the reason why they fired her is because she wasn't naked enough to work there. ;)

Seriously, isn't the point of having clothing models in the store ads to, oh, I don't know, actually display the clothes that are being promoted? Why are all the A&F models naked? :lol:

[Stephanie66]

Thankfully, my kids hated-HATED-A&F (and Hollister, and AE) so I have never had to go in the store. My son is a Levis guy, through and through. :)

The perfume gives me a headache. And-it is incredibly insensitive to people who have allergies or are going through chemo.