By Darlene Pham
<[email protected]>

Recently, as I walked along the various shops of Clay Terrace, a pungent perfume overcame me, threatened the fragile nerve endings of my nose. Without looking, I instantly recognized origins of the scent. Although several stores away, Hollister, the daughter company of Abercrombie and Fitch Co. and California-inspired clothing store, consumed shoppers with its pounding music and overwhelming aroma.

I have only dared to venture in the store a few times before, and each time, It was as if I walked into a nightclub. The store is so dark, there is a need for night vision goggles. The light barely allows you to see where you are going and gives maybe an idea of what the clothes look like.

I found myself slightly disoriented inside the store with its music and scent. That’s probably why shoppers would spend $30 on a plain T-shirt with only the word “Hollister” and an icon of a seagull placed on it somewhere; they are obviously confused.

It’s not the unnecessary loud music or the darkness or the heavy odor or even the ridiculous prices that bother me. Rather, my concern is that Hollister Co. embodies the very superficial ideals that threaten to corrupt society today.

Every single worker in the store looks as if he or she were plucked out of magazines. I often wonder if the store ever hires anyone who doesn’t look like a model. The truth is… it doesn’t.

Since the company utilizes the technique of “walking self-marketing,” meaning it uses no advertisements, it relies on its employees to sell the product. Hollister doesn’t just have sales associates, it has “models,” as the employees are officially called. By only hiring those deemed “beautiful” enough, Hollister encourages the shallow perception of what is beautiful and what is not. It suggests that only pretty people can wear Hollister clothing. By doing so, many people, especially teenagers, attempt to imitate this artificial perception of beauty and be somebody they’re not.

This certain look, however, does not come without consequences. According to an article on www.cbsnews.com, Abercrombie and Fitch Co. was accused of racial discrimination to an Asian employee. She was fired after corporate officials visited the store and demanded more Caucasian workers. The store was accused of hiring only Caucasian employees to greet customers and work sales, while minorities were often hired to work in the stock room.

Unfortunately, this deception is seen everywhere, in all media outlets. It’s not a surprise efforts such as the Dove Campaign exists to combat this misleading look.

To be honest, I have occasionally compared myself to these Hollister models, only to find myself feeling bad because I don’t live up to that certain image that society calls beautiful.  It doesn’t bother me for long because I know this image is not real. I’m short, 5’2” to be exact (5’1 ½” if I’m honest). If being beautiful means I have to be tall and somehow grow eight inches, well, that won’t happen. To change myself enough to fit this standard of beauty would be impossible.

As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” While it sounds cliché, it’s true. Beauty comes in all different forms; don’t allow clothing companies to shape your idea of beautiful because the only definition of beauty is what you make it to be.  Shop at Hollister because you like the clothes, not because you think it will make you attractive to others. So my advice, the next time anyone steps into Hollister, don’t pay attention to the walking advertisements or the giant photos of half-naked models. Pay attention instead to the clothes that make you feel good or the clothes that reflect both your other and inner beauty.

Oh… and bring a flashlight.