Clayton News Daily

Today's column is dedicated to topics that make you go hmmm.

The topic today, Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement. The reason I am talking about it, well, after hearing about it for two consecutive days, I just wanted to give my two cents.

Now, I have heard things in the past about Abercrombie & Fitch advertisements. Descriptions ranged from too provocative to homoerotic to distasteful. Well, I was on my way to work Monday when I originally heard Neal Boortz liken Abercrombie & Fitch ads to porn. In particular, a billboard displayed in Midtown Atlanta. Many callers had contacted the morning show to share there thoughts, including a mother who said the ads were distasteful and that her children can't shop at the store again.

Hmmm, I thought to myself, what's so bad about this billboard.

Well, according to some callers, the billboard, and many of the store's ads, is supposedly aimed to target a gay male audience, and not just teenage girls. Throughout the show's remainder, Boortz went on to describe the ad and I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. I had to see the billboard for myself.

So when I arrived to work, I asked some of my co-workers if they had seen the billboard. Why they hadn't seen it, we all got a glimpse of it compliments of Boortz's Web site. And all I have to say is if you are a parent, have your children cover their eyes when driving on Peachtree Street.

For those who haven't seen the ad, it shows a close up, focusing on the area between the lower stomach and upper thigh of a guy wearing tight jeans.

No face, no neck, nothing, just a close-up of that area. (Remember the Calvin Klein's suggestive ads from the mid-1990s, well this Abercrombie & Fitch ad gets right to the point)

But that's not the problem.

They guy looks, shall we say, noticeably aroused. Although I am not a teenager, I am under 30 and "alive", and I must say that ad was not a turn-on for me. The message, in my opinion, is too suggestive for one, and not appropriate to be showcased in public view like that. I know it isn't something I would want my children to see while driving down the street, or walking through the mall. (Sorry Abercrombie & Fitch)

While I am sure some high school teenage girls are swooning over it, they aren't the only ones. I agree with Boortz's callers who said the ad is also aimed at gay males. And to be sure, after hearing Boortz discuss the ad again Tuesday morning, I asked someone who would know: a gay male.

And his response: "The only reason why I go to Abercrombie & Fitch is to look at the posters."

Point made.

Aisha I. Jefferson covers police and courts for the Daily Herald. She can be reached at (770) 957-9161 or via e-mail at ajefferson@henryherald.com .