Abercrombie & Fitch takes flak over employee appearance policy

Is barring teen employees from dyeing their hair anything but a ‘natural’ color asking too much? Some commenters think so.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

When it’s not busy naming hospital buildings after itself, Abercrombie & Fitch tends to sell things like jeans, button-down shirts, graphic T’s and the occasional pair of cargo pants. The company’s legions of workers, who are mostly teens, must adhere to a stringent “Look Policy” that the company has recently proffered. The policy gives hardworking store managers an easy-to-follow guidepost when hiring new A&F minions. Recently, BuzzFeed got a hold of the Look Policy, and it’s opened the door to some criticism for the company. Here are a few highlights—no pun intended—from the hair section:

All hairstyles for men and women should appear neat, clean, natural, kempt and classic. No associate is permitted to wear any extreme hair styles or hair color. Hair styles and hair color should reflect your natural beauty.

From the appearance section:

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.