What Do Mormons Think of Abercrombie and Fitch?

Abercrombie and Fitch, of course, were the two older brothers of Nephi in the Book of Mormon, older than Laman and Lemuel, the ones we often read about. Abercrombie (Hebrew for “less is more”) and Fitch (Hebrew for “yuck!”) were trendy moguls of fashion in Jerusalem and were the reason why the family had silver and gold. Unfortunately, they were not only rebellious, but utterly shocked their parents in the New World by introducing immodest styles for men such as their “Nothing But a Loincloth®” line that became an instant hit with many locals in the hot climate of Mesoamerica. (Scholars to this day fail to recognize that many ancient Mesoamerican carvings and figurines of mostly naked people were actually part of early advertising campaigns for Abercrombie and Fitch’s fashion shop and the related businesses spawned by their breakthroughs in fashion.)

Lehi was so disgusted that he burned their beautifully illustrated catalog, forcing Abercrombie and Fitch to start engraving their designs on metal plates which could not be so easily by fire. Yes, that’s where the idea actually got started. Nephi tried to stop their repulsive business by stealing the plates and later realized he could use them for his own record, starting another enduring trend among his people. But Abercrombie and Fitch only escalated their business, drawing upon the shrewd business skills of their brother Laman who helped draw numerous locals and much of Lehi’s family into the fold of their scantily-clad customers.

Lehi disowned them and decreed that there should be no mention of those two sons in any family records. And as the current record indicates, tensions between Nephi’s group and his more fashion-conscious siblings escalated, forcing Nephi to head north in hopes of living life in a more modest environment. But once a fashion trend starts, it’s hard to stop, and soon the land was sprawling with “Lamanites” – Nephi’s euphemism for those who dressed with appalling bad taste (staying true to Lehi’s command to never mention Abercrombie and Fitch again).

That ancient business has been revived in our day. Some of us find it ironic that showing people without much clothing is how one sells clothing these days. In any case, it is my opinion that the marketing approach of that store verges on the pornographic and certainly appeals to prurient interests and the glorification of immorality to advance its bottom line. In fact, a recent catalog apparently even has full nudity, drawing serious complaints from the tiny minority of parents who pay attention to what their kids are being exposed to. While the Church has not made any statements on this business, the leaders of our Church stridently urge us to avoid immodesty, pornography, and unwholesome media. My personal advice is for parents to keep their kids out of that store, keep them off the catalog mailing list, and encourage them to avoid their products. It’s very popular among teenagers, but their parents rarely know what kind of messages are being sent to the kids who shop there.

(This was just added to my one of my Mormon Answers pages.)

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Author: Jeff Lindsay

9 thoughts on “What Do Mormons Think of Abercrombie and Fitch?

  1. Just a curious sidenote. A few years ago one of the main models for A&F (not catalog, but on all their bags) was a LDS girl. She never did the more risque shots, but her face was used in a lot of the promotional posters on the walls of the stores and as mentioned above, the bags.

  2. I think of Abercrombie and Fitch the same way I think of most other clothing companies these days. They are, if not actually pursuing a Satanic agenda, then at least woefully out of touch with the shape of REAL people’s bodies. My objection to the skin in their catalogs is as much sparked by the totally unrealistic depictions of the human body as it is the immodesty involved. They and all others like them who promote “heroin chick” or whatever the fashinably body of the week is, are directly responsible for the crushing of the spirits of our youth– boys and girls a like. Our children and even ourselves, for we are no more free of the advertising images than they are, must choose either to swallow their definition of “desirable” hook, line and sinker or spend the rest of their lives resisting it. Not that resisting it is bad, just wearing. Or not wearing, in the many cases where none of the clothes available are ones you can actually wear.

  3. Okay, I have a question? If God wanted our bodies so uber-coverd, why create Adam and Eve nude in the first place? Why not creat them with clothes? And also, people don’t always wear “immodest” clothes just to show off. Girls wear tank-tops and shorts, and bikinis in the summer because it’s HOT OUT!!! Most of the “immodest” clothes are worn because they are so comfortable. Besides, since when did the shoulders become sexual? I must have been living in a cave all my life.

  4. I agree that most of the time people should be modestly dressed. Not uber covered, just balanced in thier dressed. However, in real life today Ambercrombie and Fitch is just a clothing store like any other clothing store that sells clothes to make maney. The people who like the clothes buy them the people who dont shouldnt. So I guess in short what I mean is buy what you like, with your own money, and dont worry about if another group or stores clothing doesnt agree with your personal taste.

  5. To those who say "I've never heard that story before."
    …open your eyes. It's everywhere. It's easy to go around not knowing anything and then you can't be held responsible…right?

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