Mike Jeffries, Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Bashes 'Fat Women' Customers: Wants 'Thin, Beautiful' Shoppers and Not 'Uncool' Fat Girls, Confirms Robin Lewis

The popular clothing retail store Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't offer to fit women any size above a large - and why's that? Because A&F CEO Mike Jeffries doesn't want "fat women" shopping in his stores. Jeffries and A&F have been blasted for their "limited sizing" options in the past, but Robin Lewis (author of The New Rules Of Retail) recently confirmed that Jeffries wants to specifically exclude overweight FEMALE customers. Guys can still be overweight and "athletic," so that's okay. Basically, Jeffries only wants his sexy models to greet "thin and beautiful" girls when they step into the cologne-infested store - not some "uncool fatties." What do readers think about that - too harsh, or totally business savvy?

Jeffries isn't the most handsome man - but apparently he has a huge say in what teens should "look" like when it comes to marketing and retail. He once said in a 2006 Salon interview:

"That's why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don't market to anyone other than that."

So what constitutes "good looking?" Apparently all that really matters is being thin and beautiful... at least according to Jeffries.

Just last year, it emerged that several A&F workers in Europe were forced to carry out military-style exercises while at work, in order to maintain the "thin and beautiful" characteristics they were initially hired for. According to a company email, male employees at the retailer's Milan flagship had to bust out at least ten push-ups on the spot - women were given ten squats. Jeffries believes that flaunting sex and six-packs helps to sell clothes and keep loyal customers coming back for more. And he may be right... given the popularity of A&F products.

Jeffries considers it great branding:

"In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids... 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."

And as for the other brands that do carry plus-size options? "Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."

And here's the kicker - Jeffries' strict marketing strategy is meant to mainly exclude overweight females, at least according to retail writer Robin Lewis.

"He doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people ... 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,'" Lewis confirms.

But maybe it's time to make a change... according to the Daily Mail, plus-size female shoppers (generally referring to U.S. 14 and above), currently make up 67% of America's purchasing population.

FYI: If fans take a look at A&F ads, they're mostly chiseled guys rocking sexy six-packs anyway.

Do readers agree with Jeffries' marketing strategy?