The offensive messages implied by this image are numerous. Apparently, according to A&F, the only thing that matters about girls is what's below the neck, and sex is an anonymous act, suitable for public display, that doesn't involve eye contact. Oh, and A&F also suggests that boys should hide who they are during intimate acts.

There are no genitals showing, so I presume this image skirts anti-pornography laws. But pornography is not really about body parts; it's about an attitude of degradation, lurid titillation, and dehumanization. By those criteria, A&F definitely crosses the line.

When my sister-in-law objected to the image, the store manager excused the ads by saying that A&F is aimed at their "more adult clientele." That's hard to fathom when the clothes are sized for stick-thin 10- to 13-year olds. My two older kids, ages 16 and 19, insist disdainfully that A&F is "so middle school."

A sales associate was more honest, admitting sheepishly, "I know. We get a lot of complaints."

That's the point. They're aiming for the shock value. As Martin Lindstrom, author of Buyology, explains, "controversy—even more than sex—sells." A&F is the same company that brought us a holiday catalog featuring an article about group sex and pictures of naked models, who look like teens, frolicking on horseback or playfully tugging off each other's underwear (2003). They also brought us girls' t-shirts with offensive slogans such as "Who needs brains when you have these?" (2005) and "Show the twins" above a picture of a young women holding her blouse open in front of two men (2009). In 2002, Abercrombie Kids even offered thong underwear with sexy slogans for 10-year-old girls.

Objectionable behavior by A&F is old and oft-repeated news. In fact, it seems to be a cornerstone of their marketing strategy. I suppose that by routinely horrifying parents, they hope to give their products an allure of the forbidden that will appeal to tweens and young teens.

In a 2006 Salon.com interview, Mike Jeffries, the CEO of A&F says that they want to create a "sexy and emotional experience" for customers in his stores. He comments, "I think that what we represent sexually is healthy." I disagree. A&F's ad isn't about sexuality, which is a healthy and enjoyable part of every human being, it's about sexualization, which means seeing people as depersonalized things for sexual use. It says to kids, "Being sexual is about buying expensive clothes, having an unusually thin/muscular body, and engaging in intimate acts in public." I see nothing healthy about that message.

Every time there's an A&F controversy, parental outrage is countered by comments from other people who insist that the parents are just being uptight and A&F's vulgar clothing and sordid ads are "no big deal." However, an in-depth report by the American Psychological Association on the sexualization of girls concludes that messages that portray girls and women as sexualized objects can have very negative consequences. Here are some low-lights from the report:

- "Research...links exposure to sexualized female ideals with lower self-esteem, negative mood, and depressive symptoms among adolescent girls and young women. These associations have been examined in at least five correlational studies and in multiple experiments, demonstrating causal connections." (p. 24)

- "...Strong empirical evidence indicates that exposure to ideals of sexual attractiveness in the media is associated with greater body dissatisfaction among girls and young women." (p. 22)

- "...From 2002 to 2003, the number of girls 18 years old and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326." (p. 23) 

- "... Adolescent girls with a more objectified view of their bodies had diminished sexual health, measured by decreased condom use and diminished sexual assertiveness." (p. 25)

- "...Exposure to pornography leads men...to indicate less satisfaction with their intimate partners' attractiveness...and to express greater desire for sex without emotional involvement." (p. 28) 

So what can parents do?

In the past, people have organized boycotts that have gotten particularly offensive products removed from the shelves at A&F. For example, in 2005, a group of girls worked with the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania to organize a "girlcott" protesting degrading A&F t-shirts. The company eventually pulled some of the shirts and issued an apology. 

However, like a hydra, the mythical multi-headed serpent who grows a new head every time one is cut off, A&F seems to have an unlimited capacity to come up with new ways to offend. We can't stop them, but here are some ways we can try to limit their damage to our children.

1) Teach children to think critically about media messages. My niece reacted to the graphic image in the A&F store by astutely observing, "Well, they're not selling jeans!" She's right. They're selling an "edgy," sexually precocious image.

In the Salon.com interview, Mike Jeffries explains, "Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely." In other words, he's capitalizing on middle schoolers' personal insecurity, anxiety about social status, and desire to be included.

Around age 8, children develop the ability to recognize ads. That's the time to begin teaching your children that a lot of advertisers try to trick people. Explain this common advertising formula: 1) Make people feel bad about themselves; 2) Offer a product that will supposedly instantly solve the problem. Go over some ads to help your child see this formula in action. For example, looking at a clothing ad might make a child think, "I'm not as beautiful or popular as that model appears to be, but if I buy those clothes, I will be!" See if your child can explain why that's not true. 

Because eating disorders are on the rise among both boys and girls, it's also important to talk with children about how photos in ads are altered to create skinny, poreless "perfection." Go through a magazine together and try to pick out real versus altered photos. The website for Beauty Redefined has some revealing before and after images. http://www.beautyredefined.net/photoshopping-altering-images-and-...

It's tempting to lecture, but your children will learn more if you can ask questions to help them think through the issues for themselves. For instance, you could ask, "What does this photo say the advertiser believes about kids?" "What is the advertiser trying to convince you of?" and most importantly, "What do you think of that?"