The A&F people are attracting the attention of interest groups of all kinds. There are suggestive themes there that bear watching. There is something called Vague Gay, and it is scrutinized by the Commercial Closet Association, a gay PR group. The young men in A&F catalogs are intimately engaged in shot after shot. Is there an implied denigration of good, wholesome gay sex? You have to weigh things carefully. "A man sits in a car sipping a cold drink, then puts it between his legs. Another fellow gets into the passenger seat and puts an even bigger cup of soda between his legs! (Exclamation point in the original.) The first guy eyes the other guy's lap, then looks down at his own smaller cup -- an obvious play on penis envy."
Wait a minute! (Exclamation point is mine.) Abercrombie & Fitch used to be a sportswear outfit for everybody. Then it became something of a nudist colony for 18- to 22-year-olds. Then it is derided as a Caucasian holdout banning blacks in general, and Asians except to make fun of in T-shirtwear. Now it has to watch out because the gay liberation people are looking. On that last bit, the Commercial Closet commented: "This could easily have also been handled with a negative homophobic reaction, but was not." But it's a risky life, A&F's.
The only force the organization can absolutely ignore is that which holds it dishonorable to prey on hormonal flushes of 18-year-olds to advance commerce. It is satisfying, and revealing, that you are not allowed even to buy A&F's catalog until age 18, though the catalog displays thong underwear for girls age 10. These last were pulled for the Christmas edition of its catalog. "In previous years," laments porn publisher Nerve magazine, "we've enjoyed layouts depicting Santa and elves engaged in BDSM and giving advice on seducing nuns." Maybe they'll run that in the spring edition.