![\"arminarm2\"](\"https:\/\/oshetablogs.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/05\/arminarm2.jpg\" "\\"From")
<\/a>Yesterday, I pulled on my favorite gray sweatshirt.\u00a0 The one with the slightly frayed hood.\u00a0 The one that falls just right below my bum hiding the junk in my trunk oh so cleverly.\u00a0 The one with the kangaroo pouch that camouflages my \u201cmama pooch\u201d and holds everything from my iPhone to the Beyblade pieces I find while cleaning house.<\/p>\n
I pulled my hair into a high ponytail, threw on some simple silver earrings, and my comfy house-booties.<\/p>\n
I was Housekeeping Chic!\u00a0<\/strong> Ready to tackle the kitchen and laundry while looking cute.<\/p>\n Until I glanced down and saw this logo in the bottom left:<\/p>\n Then I verified my suspicion by yanking it off and finding this tag:<\/p>\n (Shocked and appalled gasp here)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n And so I was stuck in a conundrum!<\/p>\n There\u2019s been quite a firestorm against Abercrombie and Fitch\u2019s CEO for his outrageous business strategy of not carrying sizes over large (10) in his stores and making this statement:<\/p>\n \u201cWe go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don\u2019t belong [in our clothes], and they can\u2019t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Which explains my reaction.<\/p>\n How did this end up in my wardrobe?<\/em> I wondered.<\/p>\n Then I remembered a tag sale at the now closed consignment shop down the street from my house where I snagged this for five dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cSocial Justice \u2018Sheta\u201d said:<\/p>\n Burn it!\u00a0 Toss it!\u00a0 Get rid of the evidence that you\u2019re one of the \u201ccool kids\u201d!\u00a0 Down with the oppressive, sizest, \u201cexclusionary\u201d Man.<\/i><\/p>\n But \u201cSubversive \u2018Sheta\u201d said:<\/p>\n Well\u2026you did get this from a local business AND\u00a0 you\u2019re totally not the A&F demographic so\u2026 rock that sweatshirt with pride Sistah!<\/i><\/p>\n Then, I checked Facebook (part of my revving up to do chores routine) found my friends sharing #Fitchthehomeless video<\/a> and both Social Justice \u2018Sheta and Subversive \u2018Sheta said:<\/p>\n HUH?!?!?<\/i><\/p>\n Quick Recap:<\/b><\/p>\n #Fitchthehomeless campaign is a response to Abercrombie and Fitch made by Greg Karber in which he purchases A&F clothing from a local Goodwil\u00a0(at one point, Greg asks one of the employees where they keep the \u201cd**chbag\u201d clothes when he couldn\u2019t find A&F in the racks) and then hands them to the homeless on Skid Row.<\/p>\n I posted to Facebook:<\/p>\n This campaign just doesn\u2019t sit well with me.<\/p>\n Sure, he\u2019s giving the homeless clothes and making a statement against A&F\u2014 \u201cre-branding\u201d is what he calls it, but he\u2019s also using<\/i> people to make his point.\u00a0 And if you watch the video, not once does he stop to actually talk to the homeless he encounters.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t explain what he\u2019s doing, he doesn\u2019t even ask them if they need a new shirt, and he surely doesn\u2019t invite them to partner with him in \u201cre-branding\u201d A&F.\u00a0 He just hands them shirts as if the simple act of giving them his ideological cast-offs is enough buy-in for him.\u00a0 It\u2019s borderline objectification.\u00a0 Which is why I was so happy to read this post <\/a>by Kristen Howerton at Rage Against the Minivan.\u00a0 I completely agree with all six reasons.<\/p>\n What we give to those in need and the manner in which we give to them matters. We who have an abundance hold the power to bestow dignity to the less-fortunate\u2014 let\u2019s not mishandle it.<\/p>\n I remember when we lost everything, our home included, to Hurricane Katrina. We were given so<\/i> much stuff.\u00a0 I was incredibly thankful, but as I sorted through the bags of baby clothes, I found clothes with stains, holes, and completely impractical items (what infant wears a size 14 boys polo?!?).\u00a0 I slowly realized that thoughtfulness when donating really does matter.\u00a0<\/strong> When you give something to Goodwill or to a person in need, it should be something that you would wear or put on your own child.\u00a0 Anything less demeans the recipient.\u00a0 If I wouldn\u2019t put A&F on my child or wear it myself, then I have no business giving their clothes to someone in need.<\/p>\n This campaign did exactly that. It demeaned the homeless by giving them\u00a0 \u201cd**chbag\u201d worthy clothes. Those people, those image bearers are not d**chbags, so let\u2019s not celebrate their reception of A&F clothes through this campaign.<\/p>\n But, I totally get this guy\u2019s point.\u00a0 A&F\u2019s CEO is completely out of line and he needs to be challenged. But we don\u2019t fight fire with fire, Kingdom People. We are better than that.\u00a0 There are better ways to be subversive.<\/strong><\/p>\n So here are my three ways I\u2019m going to respond to A&F\u2019s crazy, that upholds both the mission to challenge A&F and the dignity of the people involved:<\/p>\n 1: I\u2019m going to rock my A&F sweatshirt that I bought locally. But, I\u2019m modifying it.\u00a0 I\u2019m ironing on this really cute applique I bought at Micheal\u2019s on sale. \u00a0I like my sweatshirt and since I\u2019m not shopping for anything retail <\/a>for a long a time I don\u2019t have shirts to spare.<\/strong><\/p>\n 2:\u00a0 I\u2019m going to go to my Goodwill tomorrow and buy every A&F t-shirt I can find and mail them to The Open Arms Shop<\/a>.\u00a0 This is a fantastic company that recycles t-shirts into stylish scarves, skirts, and accessories.\u00a0 The thing I love most about The Open Arms Shop is that they attempt to break the cycle of poverty for refugee women in America by employing them and paying them a living wage.\u00a0 They\u2019re offering community and purpose to these precious women.\u00a0 I can get down with that.\u00a0 Check out this amazing video:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>
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