Reasons American Apparel Sucks (NSFW)

by Kelly

…and should be boycotted!

There is a wealth of information out there about the now-infamous American Apparel. After collecting articles and advertisements for the past year or so, I’ve decided to create a quick overview of reasons to boycott American Apparel – complete with links to some very eye-opening articles.

Besides the fact that I find the clothing at American Apparel to be ridiculously overpriced (and fueling the consumer habits I discuss in “Hipsters and the Consumer Culture of Cool”), there are other reasons AA is a toxic company:

1. EXPLOITATIVE & SEXIST AD CAMPAIGNS

Hey, sex sells, I get it. But where do we draw the line? American Apparel ads are practically soft-core (borderline child) pornography. These ads depict “real” women who are not all necessarily size 0 (more like size 2 or 4, what a radical difference). That makes the pornographic nature of the ads that much more offensive to me. I identify much more strongly with the women in AA ads than I do photo-shopped supermodels gracing the cover of Vogue. It sends a more direct message to young women everywhere – this model looks like you, she’s wearing our clothes and pushing her ass in your face, this is what modern, cool young women do. Don’t believe me? Sometimes pictures speak louder than words:

462px-Fourposes

american-apparel-5

Pantytime

american_apparel_ad1

461px-Meetmelissa

071106_americanapparelad_wide-horizontal

american-apparel-3

Laurenphoenix

2. EXOTIFICATION OF MULTIRACIAL WOMEN

As if sexism weren’t enough, there are a series of AA ads that list the ethnicity of the (female) models – supposedly to celebrate diversity. I think most would agree, however, that it unnecessarily points out the “exotic” ethnicity of the model. Read this article for more information.

Also check out part of a Racialicious series entitled Race and Pop Culture Trends: Hipster Racism

3. DOV CHARNEY, CEO

Sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, unprofessional behavior. Oh, and he requires all his employees to be approved personally by him — in regards to their attractiveness.

Plus, take a look at this guy. Doesn’t he look like a pedophile from the ‘70s? Ugh. Keep that in mind the next time you shop at AA.

477px-Charneyexposed

There are too many related articles to count so I’ve organized them into categories:

SEXIST ADVERTISEMENTS:


American Apparel ad banned

I hate sweatshops. Now, which one of you wants to suck my dick?
Leftist Balkanization
This is sooo not at all pornographic, you puritanical busybodies.

DOV CHARNEY:

Is Dov-y Too Lovey? A Look at American Apparel’s CEO.
Who’s Your Daddy? Dov Charney serves up paternalism with a creepy smile at American Apparel HQ

Dov Charney is an MRA. Pardon me if I don’t faint with surprise.
& Dov Charney thinks you’re stupid.

Living On The Edge At American Apparel

Dov Charney: The hustler and his American dream
“Must be intimate with Office.”
American Apparel: Made With Dov.

LEGAL ISSUES:

Employee Suing American Apparel Once Defended Them
Dov Charney’s Court Case Is Totally Complicated
We Predict More Lawsuits in Dov Charney’s Future
Sexy marketing or sexual harassment?

THE FULL PICTURE:

Understanding American Apparel

Cheers,
Dollface

P.S. For a good laugh, read The Onion’s ground-breaking expose: 14 American Apparel Models Freed In Daring Midnight Raid