We’re loathe to readdress Barack Obama‘s Abercrombie moment, but here’s a quote from the NY Times that supports our theory: the campaign placed the t-shirt trio behind Obama to woo white, middle-class or working-class voters:
They were asked by the Obama campaign to join the crowd behind the candidate.
…
Virtually all campaigns strategically select the audiences who appear behind their candidate so as to send a message to television viewers. The talk on television that night from the Pennsylvania primary was about Mr. Obama’s difficulties in attracting white, working-class voters, although Mr. Obama’s audiences often feature white people.
No word from Obama’s campaign on whether the attire had an impact on placement.
Meanwhile, the men – who refuse to be interviewed, surprisingly – told the Times that they always wear Abercrombie and thought nothing of the fact that they were basically all wearing the same thing. Sad….
tofer david
So did the douches in A&F help or hinder?
They were a distraction if anything.
Z.
They do this on purpose!
http://www.ilovezeren.com
Mauricio
I am a gay “white” latino voting for Obama. Ok, ok.
mike
I don’t think the Obama campaign placed them. If they did… it was a terrible idea. Abercrombie isn’t associated with “working class whites”… it’s associated with high class snobby whites.
While I’m wearing A and F right now, you have to be honest that it is a stereotype and that’s how it’s viewed by many people…. especially the “working class.”
I feel like it will backfire and be used as amo or a background image in the next negative ad.
leomoore
Why does this matter? Everyone of us has, at one time or another, enjoyed looking at the A&F male models. At one time, one could go to gay clubs in almost any city and see A&F everywhere. A lot of us don’t really pay any attention to such details when we are just hanging out with friends. Straight guys are just as unlikely to notice. How many of you would actually kick either of them out of your bed?
Meeg
I dont know about that theory. Does Obama really have trouble wooing (douchey) young white male voters?? If they were some middle aged white people (or even young white women) that would seem like better strategic placement. I’m not even going to get into the three stooges who wear Abercrombie all the time…
seitan-on-a-stick
White people with LAURA BUSH CRAZEE EYES!!!