If you thought using topless male models as store greeters was awkward, wait till you read what happens on the Abercrombie & Fitch corporate jet. In fact, the title of this article should really be "Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO Sounds Creepy." A recent lawsuit has revealed Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries' alleged compulsive list of creepy rules for all flight attendants who work on the company corporate jet. And by "flight attendants" we mean young, buff, male models who could just as easily be working as topless Abercrombie store greeters…
Mike Jeffries has been Abercrombie's CEO since 1992. He has overseen the company's rise from an obscure, recently bankrupt clothing label, to an international phenomenon with over $4.2 billion in annual revenues. Along the way, Jeffries has become one of the highest paid CEOs in the world earning more than $30 million a year betwen 2004 and 2007. In 2008 he took home $72 million, in 2009 $36.3 million, in 2010 $38.5 million and in 2011 $48.1 million. In case you were wondering, that adds up to $315 million in salary and other compensation in just under a decade.
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In addition to his extreme salary, Jeffries has unlimited access to Abercrombie's Gulfstream G550 private jet. Jeffries, who had a wife and child when he first was hired to run A&F, uses the jet to travel the world with his boyfriend and their entourage of party people. And according to a lawsuit that was recently filed by a pilot who claims he was fired for being too old, Jeffries has a 40-page set of strict rules that all crew members must follow. Most of the rules are directed at the male flight attendants who are hired through a modeling agency. Some of the creepy highlights:
- 1. The flight attendants must wear Abercrombie jeans, flip-flops, boxer briefs, and polo shirts.
- 2. Flight attendants must respond to all passenger requests with the phrase "No problem", as opposed to "Sure" or "Just a minute".
- 3. Cabin boys must frequently "spritz" themselves and the plane with Abercrombie cologne.
- 4. Coats can only be worn on the plane when the temperature is 50 degrees or lower and all polo shirt collars must be flipped.
- 5. When serving meals attendants must wear black gloves for silverware and white gloves for plates of food.
- 6. The Phil Collins song "Take Me Home" must be played on the plane's sound system whenever taking off for return trips.
- 7. Cabin boys should constantly ensure that there are no fingerprints anywhere.
- 8. All coats need to be zipped to the fourth button from the bottom. The lowest button should be left undone.
- 9. All hats must have a two inch thick brim and should sit in the middle of the forehead.
- 10. "Houseboys" who break a rule may be punished with shirtless push ups.
OK, all creepiness aside, as soon as Celebrity Net Worth can afford a private jet, I may use the same rules for our future female flight attendants. So maybe we shouldn't knock the guy for making his dreams come true!
