Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Emma Blackman-Mathis, a junior at Schenley High School and co-chair of Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers, listens to a reporter's question following a news conference Sunday where she and other participants of Girls as Grantmakers call for a "girlcott" of t-shirts sold by Abercrombie & Fitch. Click photo for larger image. What's your opinion? Do you think the Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirts being targeted by the young women of the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers program are offensive?

Perhaps the T-shirt could read: "Who needs demeaning apparel when you have the brains to turn a local protest into a national cause celebre?"

That's just a suggestion to a group of Allegheny County girls who have created a news media maelstrom with their campaign against Abercrombie & Fitch's "attitude T-shirts," which the girls say are demeaning to young women.

One of the offending shirts reads: "Who needs brains when you have these?"

Another states: "Blondes Are Adored, Brunettes Are Ignored."

The two dozen or so girls, participants in the Allegheny County Girls as Grantmakers program, are calling for a "girlcott" of Abercrombie & Fitch stores until the targeted shirts are no longer sold. Girls as Grantmakers is a two-year program in which girls discuss and explore ways to make a difference in the community by reviewing and funding grant proposals designed by peers.

Their protest landed the group's co-chairwoman, Emma Blackman-Mathis, on NBC's "Today" show with Katie Couric on Tuesday, on Fox's "Hannity & Colmes" Tuesday night and on CNN last night. CNN is coming to town this weekend to do a larger segment on the girls.

"We totally didn't expect it to be picked up a) this quickly and b) by the national media," said Ms. Blackman-Mathis, a 16-year-old junior at Schenley High School in Oakland.

The protest began Sunday with a news conference and rally at Chatham College. The girls in the grant-making program also began e-mailing their friends who in turn e-mailed more friends.

"What these girls are saying is we would be happy to shop at your store, but we want you to sell smarter clothing and clothing that doesn't demean your customer base," said Heather Arnet, executive director of the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, one of the Grantmakers program's funders and overseers.

As of yesterday, Ms. Arnet said, her office had received about 400 e-mails and numerous phone calls in support of the girls' campaign.

"We've gotten a lot of responses from girls across the country asking how they can get involved starting things in their schools and in their cities," Ms. Blackman-Mathis said.

In addition to encouraging young women not to buy the controversial shirts, the Grantmakers girls are asking those who agree with their stance to contact Abercrombie & Fitch "to let them know that girls don't think the T-shirts are cool anymore," Ms. Arnet said.

The retailer, which did not return calls seeking comment, released a two-sentence statement yesterday:

"Our clothing appeals to a wide variety of customers. These particular T-shirts have been very popular among adult women to whom they are marketed."

Ms. Arnet said she and the company have been exchanging phone messages. "I feel like there's some movement and we're looking forward to having a conversation with them," she said.

This is not the first time Abercrombie & Fitch has been taken to task for edgy product lines. Earlier this year, parents and anti-drug and alcohol advocates pressured the retailer into removing shirts they said glorified drinking. Some of the shirts read: "Sotally Tober" and "Rum Forest Rum."

Three years ago, the company outraged parents by selling thongs for girls as young as 10, some of which had the words "eye candy" printed inside a tiny heart and "wink wink" inside a small green box. That same year, the company sparked protests over T-shirts that featured racial caricatures of Asians.

Abercrombie & Fitch also caught flak for its 2001 summer catalog, which featured provocatively posed, nearly nude teenage-looking models. Negative publicity forced the retailer to pull the catalogs.

After seeing the "Today" show, Illinois state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger praised the "courageous actions" of the girls in Allegheny County and said he plans to introduce a resolution this week asking Abercrombie & Fitch to stop selling the T-shirts in his state.

"A lot of people don't see it as a civil rights infringement, they don't see it as an issue," said Ms. Blackman-Mathis. "But that's what we're trying to do -- bring it to the forefront of people's attention."