Questions to Consider:
* What product is this ad selling?
* Why would American Apparel use a semi-nude model to sell clothes?
* Who is this ad’s intended audience?
What We Think:
“Oh, hi! You caught me completely by surprise as I lay here topless, staring vacantly into the camera. But while we’re here, allow me to sell you this lacy undergarment.” Ah, American Apparel. You never fail us with your misogynistic, exploitative, pornographic, just-plain-nasty campaigns. Whether it’s a reclining model captured in a grainy, pseudo-spontaneous state of undress, or a one-woman representation of “classy black girls, with the nice hair,” American Apparel always impresses us with how low it will go. We’re especially astounded by the company’s open assaults on our senses. Their images aren’t just confined to magazines, but pop up all over public billboards, ready to be consumed by passers-by of all ages, genders, and levels of impressionability. But American Apparel does have something great going for it: its business may be going down the toilet any day now. (by Michelle Konstantinovsky)
Take Action! Contact:
Dov Charney, CEO
American Apparel Inc.
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 488-0226
Feedback form on American Apparel’s web site: americanapparel.net/AboutUs/Contact.html