Identity diversity is an essential aspect of public relations. Organizations must recognize and respect the religious and cultural differences among their employees and consumers. Abercrombie and Fitch’s religious discrimination controversy is a prime example of how focusing on a brand’s aesthetic image over inclusivity can lead to public backlash and legal action.
Identity Diversity: What it is and Why it matters
Identity diversity is when a group of people coming from a wide range of backgrounds work together within a group or organization. Identity diversity is an important trait for a company to have as it allows for different voices and opinions to be heard. This allows collaboration using many different ideas from different viewpoints to thrive and new concepts to flourish, helping brands to be more inclusive to the wide range of demographics within their audience.
Abercrombie & Fitch’s Religious Discrimination Case
In 2008, Samantha Eluaf, applied for a job at Abercrombie Kids in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eluaf is Muslim and wore a hijab during her interview. Because of this, she was denied the job as a hijab did not fit within the job’s “look policy” that banned head coverings. Eluaf filed a charge against the company due to religious discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Elauf and stated that companies could not refuse to hire individuals on the basis of their religious practices not aligning with the brand (“Supreme Court Rules in Favor of EEOC”, 2015).
How Controversy Can Damage a Brand
How a company treats and cares for its employees can severely impact how that company is seen by consumers. Abercrombie focused on maintaining a brand image over being inclusive (“EEOC v. ABERCROMBIE & FITCH STORES, INC.,” 2015). This can weaken trust with the public and other potential employees. A brand’s goal should be to reach a wide audience in order to succeed and negative instances such as this one could cause a certain demographic to avoid the brand.
The Importance of Inclusion
Understanding diverse audiences starts with hiring a diverse group of people who understand the culture and attitudes that different consumers have. This controversy shows that public relations should be about more than just maintaining and advertising an image or aesthetic. Instead, focus should also include appealing to a diverse group of consumers that feel they are included by seeing people of their same background be a part of a brand. Tru Pettigrew highlighted in the podcast On Top of PR the importance of recognizing that diversity and inclusion are not the same thing.
A company can promote diversity publicly, but if they fail to do so internally, it can cause them to lose trust with the public.
This case demonstrates how organizations cannot claim to value diversity if they implement employee policies that discriminate against those of different religious beliefs and practices that are essential in expressing their identities. Public relations professionals should be aware that how a brand keeps a good reputation begins with how it treats their employees.
Refrences
On Top of PR. (2021, June 15). Courageous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion with Tru Pettigrew | On Top of PR podcast [Online video]. axia public relations. https://www.axiapr.com/blog/podcastepisode-courageous-conversations-about-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-with-tru-pettigrew Helping Leaders Turn Clarity Into Performance, and Trust Into Results Building Bridges. Developing Leaders. Strengthening Culture. (n.d.). Suarez, J. A. (n.d.). WRAPPING YOUR HEAD AROUND ABERCROMBIE & FITCH’S LOOK POLICY: HOW THE RETAILER VIOLATED THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE. Retrieved 2026, from https://sites.camden.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/03/Wrapping-Your-Head-Suarez.pdf
EEOC v. ABERCROMBIE & FITCH STORES, INC. (2015, June 1). Cornell Law School.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/14-86
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of EEOC in Abercrombie Religious Discrimination Case. (2015, June 1). U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/supreme-court-rules-favoreeoc-abercrombie-religious-discrimination-case
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