Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has offered to pay Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, a character in hit reality show “Jersey Shore”, to stop wearing its clothes, fearing its image is being tarnished.
The offer also includes other members of the MTV show’s brash, foul-mouthed, spray-tanned Italian-American cast, and A&F is “urgently waiting a response,” the US fashion retailer said in a statement.
The weightlifting, tight-abbed Sorrentino could have walked straight out of one of A&F’s racy ads, which often feature well-toned young models, but the company wants nothing to do with him. “We are deeply concerned that Mr Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image,” an A&F spokesman said in the statement, titled “A Win-Win Situation”.
“We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino and the producers of MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ to have the character wear an alternate brand. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast and are urgently waiting for a response.”
“Jersey Shore” first aired in 2009 and follows the adventures of eight young Italian-Americans on the Atlantic coast of the US state of New Jersey as they party all night, fight and drink themselves silly.
Sorrentino, a 29-year-old former model, often lifts his shirt to show off his six-pack in the show, flashing his underwear’s A&F logo.
The fourth season of “Jersey Shore” is currently being filmed in Florence, Italy with the first episode earlier this month pulling in a record 8.8 million viewers.
The show recently spawned a spin-off in Britain set in and around the north-eastern city of Newcastle and entitled “Geordie Shore” after the nickname given to the people of the region.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 2011.
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That's great news!!! Very sensible decision on A&F's part imho. That's coming from someone who is part of the 8.8 million viewers.