Whenever I pull myself into a slinky item from American Apparel I am reminded of tap class aged five and my shiny blue unitard which I used to team with bunches lassoed in matching ribbon. In my local church hall I would stamp my little red Fred Astaires against the parquet floor until I shuffle-ball-changed myself into a trance. Back in those days, I made Honey Boo Boo and the rest of the cast from Toddlers and Tiaras look like amateurs – if only reality TV about dysfunctional tweenies had been on trend back then, I cudda earned me some serious cash! Ah, those were the days…but I digress, getting back to American Apparel.
Like peanut butter and jelly, controversy and American Apparel form quite the pair, and their most recent scandal? The promotion of their unisex collection in the most unequal of ways. No ad campaign could convey better the issues of gender inequality then this branding bad boy. Is someone noosing their Creative Director as I write? Just take a look at the product pictures for the Unisex Flannel Button-up; A slightly pasty, beard toting, just rolled out of bed kinda-guy that I think I sat next to on the tube this morning is sell, sell, selling this shirt, whilst the female shopper is being enticed with a come-hither pouting, my boobs are so perky Hell I won’t bother with a bra today, and sh#t I forgot to put my pants on this morning, oh well never mind model – I mean really!?
Oh American Apparel, too busy brushing lawsuits under the rug to spot this PR storm brewing on your own???
Oh and PS boys, smoking is cool.
I’ve been reading that smoking rates are creeping up again after years of decline, and this kind of ad doesn’t help. Ugh. I would hope people wouldn’t be persuaded to smoke by seeing these dudes smoking, but if AA can persuade people to pay $62 for a plaid shirt that looks like something I could go and borrow from my dad’s closet, then maybe anything is possible.
But more to your point, the difference in the models is one of those images I keep wishing I would stop seeing in ads (and really in the media in general), but maybe I would be better off to save my wishes for winning the lottery or something more likely to happen. You would think AA could at least allow the female models to wear a bra and a pair of jeans, but I guess that’s too much to ask. Sigh.