



US clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch has been accused of sizest attitudes - with claims that it doesn't want plus size people wearing its clothes.



The fashion brand doesn't stock sizes above a large for women, and has previously said its clothes are for 'cool kids' only. Leading us to question whether we are still living in the 90s rom-com era when all an unpopular teenager had to do was lose weight and those heavy-rimmed specs to be welcomed into the cool crowd.





According to business expert Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail, the attitude is led very much by appearance-obsessive CEO Mike Jeffries.



"He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people," Lewis told Business Insider. "He doesn't want his core customers to see people who aren't as hot as them wearing his clothing. People who wear his clothing should feel like they're one of the 'cool kids.'"





[Related: The secrets of how models stay thin - from cotton balls to cocaine]







Jeffries' narrow perception of the labels 'cool' and 'beautiful' are also the basis of his marketing strategy, which could be a risky move given that 67 per cent of the clothing-buying market in the US are in the plus size category.



In an interview with Salon last year Jeffries explained his attitude: “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids … Candidly, we go after the cool kids.







He continued: "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."





Many of us use our clothes and chosen brands as a representation of our personality but we can't help thinking Jeffries is shooting himself in the foot with his distorted view of what beauty is. After all who wants to associate with a brand with such an ugly world view?





Does A&F's attitude towards body image put you off buying its clothes? Tell us in the POLL below.











