Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination output

          As someone who has been actively looking for a job these past couple of months, the search has been difficult. Applying to everything from cafes to cupcake shops and restaurants started to make me question my personality as well as my strengths. No emails, no phone calls, nothing.

          Reading Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination not only reminded me of how competitive it is to be hired, but also made me realize that there are more factors in being hired for a job than just being the most qualified. "If someone came in with a pretty face, we were told to approach them and ask them if they wanted a job". (Greenhouse) Abercrombie and Fitch portray their style as "Classic American" with workers associated with collegiate fraternities and sororities. I was shocked to learn how Mr. Serrano and other employers were trained to hire salespeople.

            Not only is Abercrombie turning away qualified people without a "pretty face", but they are also discriminating against race, gender and even age. I find it surprising to learn retail stores are going to such a dramatic extent just to make money. I am aware that in today’s economy it is tough for stores, especially retail, to sell merchandise. But do they honestly have to reject people to find those thin, blonde, blue-eyed people? Our generation is easily influenced by what we hear in our "circle" of friends, as well as by the media. It scares me how by this we won't be unique. We are all pressured to look a certain way, some might disagree and I completely respect their opinions but do we really want to dress the same way? Briefly going back to last week’s question; do you believe that corporations especially retail stores should be able to only hire people who only fit their own image? I’m a very indecisive person for anyone who knows me very well, that being said I came to the conclusion that if companies require a certain wardrobe for their employees, I don’t see a problem whatsoever. Companies who don’t want to hire people because they don’t fit the look? I see their view on the situation and quite frankly I would have to agree with them…to some extent. I wouldn’t want to buy something that didn’t look nice on a model. I know what you’re all thinking, how judgmental is this girl. But it’s the truth, if a model couldn’t pull off a shirt my initial reaction would be “Do I really want to buy or even try it on?” I despise the way advertisements and the media has influenced the way I look at things. I really do. Don’t get me wrong I was shocked when I read Greenhouse’s article and in no way am I supportive of what Abercrombie has done.