Abercrombie & Fitch Dis "The Situation"

I began this post on the 17th, but I forgot to return to it since.

All I can say, its about bloody time someone else saw the embarrassing nature of this hideous show and its cast of subhuman characters for what they really are. I know having sponsorship of one's show is vital to its continuation, but I sincerely hope this is the end of the line for these losers. I just hate that the worse kind of people represent New Jersey on television.

While it has appeared that the idiots in this show could do no wrong (no matter how often Snooki drank in public, made the stupidest of comments and dissed police in Italy). I am gratified to see at least one company taking a stand against them. I don't know what specifically Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino did to piss off Abercrombie & Fitch, but he really must've put in a huge effort to do it. Sponsors usually really have to be pissed off to pull out its support or to tell a group of telly losers to stay out of their store when they did not have a relationship.

Here is the article I saw:

"Jersey Shore's "The Situation" is known for many things… His jaw-dropping, horrifically embarrassing Roast to Donald Trump, his love affair with Snookie, his blow out hair, an affinity for tanning booths, clubs and the gym… Abercrombie added one more thing to the list. His wardrobe, (and that of his cast-mates) which consist of their merchandise. Abercrombie has kindly asked them to stop wearing their brand. Moreover, they've offered "substantial payment" if they would keep their skin-tight Abercrombie tees in the closet.

Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), whose clothes often advertise their brand in big hard-to-miss lettering, has received a lot of exposure from the Jersey Shore cast members over the years. The show has 4.8 million viewers after all. One might expect the free marking to be advantageous.

Yet appeal to Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (and the rest of the cast) to stop wearing their brand was explained in a Tuesday press release:

"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans." Is this a clever PR stunt to catch the attention of the fans during back-to-school season, or is the teen fashion icon serious about "significant damage" the show is causing to the brand?

As the A&F situation stands now, the market value of Abercrombie fell 8.2% in the first trading session since the announcement, from Tuesday's close at $71.02 to Wednesday afternoon's $65.20. Analysts are not quite sure if the situation is a response to Jersey Shore's dedicated fan base, or more likely, higher economic factors including steep back-to-school sale discounts that dig into profit margins.

The cast of Jersey Shore is not known for their adherence to laws, so it remains to be seen if they will adhere to A&F's request."

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I know that this country is predicated on freedom - freedom to make crappy television, freedom to portray a state as being full of morons... but hey, do you see what kind of commentary comes up with New Jersey? The armpit of the nation; the garbage pit of the Northeast; the insults are endless. I've lived in New Jersey all of my 43 years and I can tell you that while it is true there are dumps in the northeastern part of the state and the six northeastern counties are mostly concrete, there are so many wonderful parts, too. And all within a fairly short drive. The southern pine barrens and covered bridges are there, but I don't need to drive nearly that far to see gorgeous nature, incredible history, all kinds of interesting tidbits.

And we have Weird New Jersey, too! Your guide to all things strange and unusual about the Garden State.

And we do not - I repeat, NOT - have The Situation, Snooki, J-Lo and the cast of losers (they are came from New York, except one - I don't know which one). I suppose they have their fans but frankly, why? Outside of Bayonne, no one talks like them. This was a problem with the Sopranos, as well. I know no one who speaks like they did. The boardwalk of Seaside is tacky (what boardwalk isn't, though) and yes, it is infested with teens, but that is normal, too. Teens and young college age kids go there a lot, usually for the weekend, maybe once in a while for a week, and then they turn back into normal people.

The cast of The Jersey Shore lives every day as if this is normal. I went to Seaside Heights plenty of times and did all the usual teenage stuff minus the drinking/drug use. The ocean is only ever one and a half to two hours from me. I'm very familiar with the area. And I know the types that go there. Once we get to our forties, we usually head farther south along to the shoreline - Deal beach, Barnegat Bay, and for really classy ocean area and history, one goes to Cape May. Cape May has a boardwalk area, too, but it is more upscale and pleasant. Most of us kind of outgrow Seaside Heights after college age.

I'm pretty happy with this snub. I hope this show crashes and burns. I wouldn't mind seeing the housewives show do the same. I know there are people like that everywhere, but sheesh, this is not the norm, either. People like that tend to be reviled by us nice, normal New Jerseyans. Most of us have no real accent (in comparison to the Bayonne or New "yawk" accents that show up occasionally come out); most of us blend in with the crowd, don't get in all kinds of trouble with the law and are at least nominally educated.

I hope more stores dis the Jersey Shore folks!