Can activists shame Abercrombie & Fitch into reforming?

Following nearly a month of attacks from anti-bullying activists, Reddit, and Ellen, Abercrombie & Fitch met with a group of critics this week to discuss some incredibly incendiary remarks from CEO Mike Jeffries.

It all started when Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail, told Business Insider that Jeffries doesn't carry XL and XXL in women's clothing because he "doesn't want larger people shopping in his store, he wants thin and beautiful people." Business Insider presented supporting quotes Jeffries made to Salon in 2006: "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." He went on:

The remarks may be years old, but when they resurfaced, it was a bombshell: College students organized boycotts, an activist started a Change.org campaign, Reddit ridiculed Jeffries on the "Abercrombie" subreddit, Ellen made "Fitch, pleeeaase" jokes.

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Finally, on May 15 — nearly two weeks after the initial Business Insider story — Jeffries took to his company's Facebook page to say that the quotes were taken out of context and that he is "completely opposed to any discrimination, bullying, derogatory characterizations or other anti-social behavior based on race, gender, body type or other individual characteristics."

But is the damage already done? The Washington Post's Jena McGregor suggests the apology was too little, too late.

This week, when representatives from Abercrombie met with activists, including the CEO of the National Eating Disorder Association, the critics urged the retailer to "redefine cool." (Jeffries himself did not attend the meeting.) Benjamin O'Keefe, the 18-year-old activist who started the Change.org petition, told Abercrombie, "Your company will falter and fail of you don't start making changes," said Forbes.

Ultimately though, it's shoppers who will decide if Abercrombie will survive the internet's takedown. Forbes suggests O'Keefe might have a point: "Save for the most recent quarter, sales have been declining at the retail chain as it loses market share to retailers like H&M and American Eagle." And for what it's worth, H&M and American Eagle both offer women's clothing in XL and XXL.