American Apparel
I've been reading up more on American Apparel, and the founder/CEO Dov Charney is the one behind the advertisements. Here's what gave me the creeps about this guy:
"What makes American Apparel's female models so appealing is that most of them are not models. They are girls whom Charney meets at bars, restaurants, trade shows--pretty much anywhere." ("T(Shirts) and A" GQ)
This could be reasonable, almost nice, until...
"Charney takes many of the photos himself, often using company employees as models as well as people he finds on the street." ("Living on the Edge at American Apparel" Businessweek)
I'm sorry, but what? The CEO is the one taking pictures of women (who can be employees or people he randomly meets) in provocative positions? Women who are sometimes only teenagers?
Now don't get me wrong, the fact that they don't airbrush is cool. And also I like that they pay their factory workers well while giving them benefits. But shouldn't we be able to eliminate sweatshop conditions AND empower women?
- feggnog's blog
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re:American Apparel
I agree - I feel conflicted regarding the ethics of buying American Apparel because I fully support their labor policies and regard them as a superior model for ethical corporate clothing production in the United States. However, their policies toward women are troubling. As a company, American Apparel has thrown their full, formal support behind the GLBT equality movement. It seems contradictory to me that they are allowing this kind of objectification of women to permeate their company policy towards employees and models.