Catholic League president William Donohue sounded off today on Abercrombie & Fitch’s (A&F) new Christmas catalog:
“Over the past few years, the Catholic League has blasted A&F for taking gratuitous shots at Catholicism in its catalogs. This year’s catalog is much improved, though it was wholly unnecessary to highlight a foul remark by some guy named Mark Millar. Millar is a comic book writer who’s glad he no longer has to abide by the restraints imposed on him by Marvel and DC comics. Now he’s free to create ‘an adolescent Jesus pontificating whether or not he should masturbate and that kind of thing.’ Sounds to us like this guy’s found a way to cash in on his infantilism.
“On p. 234 of the catalog there is a spoof about ‘The Regular Churchgoer’ that we found amusing. Listed as an ‘Identifying characteristic,’ is the following: ‘Rosary beads welded to hands; loudly exclaiming ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’ when people’s cell phones go off; license to kill issued by the Catholic League.’ This is a real slight—we don’t issue licenses.
“Then there is the opening statement in the catalog, penned as a ‘Dear Santa’ letter: ‘If you’d be so kind, please offer our apologies to the Catholic League….’ Apology rejected: we don’t accept intermediaries.
“And, of course, no comment on A&F’s Christmas volume would be complete without addressing the lack of dressing in its catalog. Models for clothiers typically wear clothes, but not the ones who work for A&F. Indeed, the photos more closely resemble an ad for a nudist colony. It is not clear how these kids will list their gig at A&F on their resume, much less explain to prospective employers their aversion to pants. But if it’s true that clothes make the man, then these guys are finished.”
