Discriminating Hiring Practice

According to Tom Lennox, Abercrombie & Fitch's communications director, "Brand representatives are ambassadors to the brand. We want to hire brand representatives that will represent the Abercrombie & Fitch brand with natural classic American style, look great while exhibiting individuality, project the brand and themselves with energy and enthusiasm, and make the store a warm, inviting place that provides a social experience for the customer." Simply put, what Lennox is saying is that companies hire employees that they feel will promote it. What I don't seem to understand is if the product is good and worthy to be sold, then why do they need to hire based on what they feel will "represent the brand"? By hiring based on how they look rather than their job qualifications, the companies that hire in that manner are discriminating, even IF it is just good business practice. Seeing as my views are this way, I firmly disagree with Lennox's statement. Companies should not need to hire people based on appearances to promote the brand.

Hiring people based on appearances is not a new trend. Just look at people who were once cocktail waitresses or flight attendants. They certainly weren't bad looking during their term of employment. However, just because it has been around for a long time doesn't make it proper. It's still discrimination against more qualified employees, regardless of the reasoning behind it.

Companies such as Abercrombie & Fitch and L'Oreal even admit to hiring based on looks. Antonio Serrano, a former assistant manager, confirms this by saying, "If someone came in with a pretty face, we were told to approach them and ask them if they wanted a job." Once a sales manager for L'Oreal, Elysa Yanowitz adds that, "It was pretty well understood that they had to have magazine-look quality." Even if they hadn't admitted to this, one could simply glance at their sales force. I could almost guarantee that nearly all of them would look as though they belong in some sort of advertisement for the brand.

Hiring people based on appearance or how well they "represent the brand" is discrimination, regardless of the reasoning. People should never be hired based on what the employer thinks about them in terms of how well they represent. They should only be hired by merit. So I shall say it again. I strongly disagree with Lennox's statement. If the product is good, then hiring practices need not be based on how well the employees represent the product. The Declaration of Independence even states that "All men are created equal." Sadly, in the case of modern companies, that statement couldn't be farther from the truth.