Joe Gibbs’ Letter to Abercrombie: Invaluable Resource     1/19/2004
By Robert Knight

Redskins coach lets corporate America know why A&F needs a heavy penalty.

Now that Joe Gibbs has announced his return as coach of the Washington Redskins, we thought it would be useful for people to access his excellent letter to Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) announcing his intention to alert everyone to their pornographic materials and A&F’s agenda to seduce young people into casual sex.

Under pressure from leaders like Gibbs and organizations like Concerned Women for America, the American Decency Association, Focus on the Family, American Family Association and others, Abercrombie pulled its Christmas catalog that had featured nudity and the usual articles instructing teens on how to engage in sex-related activities. Abercrombie is not entirely repentant, however, with its chairman saying that they will be back with another steamy quarterly this spring. Profits were down 13 percent in November compared with the previous year, which may indicate that parents are increasingly unwilling to buy their teens’ clothes at A&F.

Many pastors and Christian parents are just waking up to the extent of Abercrombie’s plunge into filth and their unwitting sponsorship of it through purchasing and wearing Abercrombie products. Christian school headmasters are circulating memos that outline the clothier’s long and seamy record, which includes A&F’s posting oversized photos of naked models in their stores, and depictions in the A&F Quarterly suggesting group sex and homosexuality. One edition of the Quarterly featured “Santa” having sex with “elves,” and articles about how young people can break into the porn business.

Joe Gibbs is one of the few National Football League figures to take a moral stand on controversial social issues. He picketed Universal Studios when it released The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988, and this letter, written in 2001, is one of the most articulate and passionate missives to a corporation that we have ever read.

TAKE ACTION: We urge people concerned about Abercrombie’s continuing corrosive effect on young people to download and circulate Coach Gibbs’ letter. Give a copy to your pastor and make sure that youth group leaders and youth pastors have it as well. If you’re feeling bold enough, you might want to drop off a copy at your local A&F store and politely inform the manager what you think of A&F.

While you’re at it, give a copy to the manager of the Victoria’s Secret store nearby. When Victoria’s isn’t airing pornographic TV specials during “family hour,” its stores are posting giant pornographic photos of nearly naked women on their outer windows for all to see, including children, in the nation’s malls. They are sexualizing our children without a trace of conscience. Take a moment to lodge a complaint with store managers, the mall's management, and to the anchor stores in the malls. If a few dozen people do this in each location, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie will be forced to clean up their acts.

Robert Knight is director of the Culture & Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America.

Here’s the Gibbs letter:

August 24, 2001

Mr. Michael Jeffries

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Abercrombie& Fitch

6301 Fitch Path

New Albany, OH 43054

Dear Mr. Jeffries,

I am writing today to express to you my strong feelings of displeasure concerning the objectionable A&F marketing campaign directed toward the young people of this country.

I am appalled at your efforts to market clothing by using sexually suggestive photographs and an obvious promotion of gratuitous sexual behavior and promiscuity. I think most Americans would consider these images to be pornographic in nature.

It is hard for me to believe that you and the upper management of A&F would approve and endorse a marketing program such as this. The idea that each of you approved a campaign that distributes these sexually suggestive images to make a profit is, in my opinion, stooping as low as you can go. Do you allow your own children to view these images?

I want to be one of the Americans to stand up and say I’m embarrassed by your efforts and I’m embarrassed for each of you.

My goal is to become personally involved in a grass-roots campaign to end this sickening marketing strategy. I intend to work diligently to make as many Americans as possible aware of your sexually provocative advertising campaign and to encourage them to boycott A&F.

I have recently spoken to executives at Fellowship of Christian Athletes (500,000 young people participate weekly) and Young Life (850,000 young people participate in the YL programs and 250,000 adults are sponsors). They have agreed to join me in a nationwide effort to get the message out about your disgusting marketing.

As a NASCAR Winston Cup team owner, former coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, I have the unique opportunity to speak to hundreds of thousands of race fans and football fans during the course of the year. I commit to you that each time I am speaking at an event associated with racing or football, I will mention you, your company and your repulsive marketing campaign that is aimed at exploiting our youth.

I am also fortunate to be invited to give motivational speeches at business conferences across America. I further commit to include you and your company in such speeches to better inform Corporate America of your lewd campaigns and to make them aware of the image you and A&F continue to display to our children.

I have numerous friends on Capitol Hill and intend to speak to them personally as well as forward a copy this letter. If given the opportunity to speak before our nation’s political leaders, I will make it a personal goal to speak out about your company.

I can promise you—I will devote my full efforts to spread the word about this campaign. My hope is your business will indeed suffer as a result.

A lot of us out here are concerned about this country and we do stand up for moral rights. We care about the youth of America. I can only hope that you will see your profits decline as a result of this campaign.

Sincerely,

Joe Gibbs

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