Why I won't buy American Apparel.

I totally can't take this guy seriously.

"This guy" being Dov Charney, the CEO of American Apparel -- which I swear has to be the skankiest clothing store out there, with the equally skanky "hi! we're a bunch of amateur soft-core porn models" advertising. And let's not forget he does many of the photo shoots for said advertising himself. He specifically eschews touching the pictures up with Photoshop and whatnot, which I would applaud, except that the pics end up with something of a heavy-on-the-flash "Myspace whore" look to them. Nasty.

Oh and let's not forget to mention how open with his sexuality he is, including having relations with the younger girls he works with... of course, insisting that it's all consensual, and about sexual freedom, and he encourages a casual work place and so on.

The young people (mostly women) he both hires and creates his clothing line for is the "Young Metropolitan Adult", which he describes as "not preoccupied by monogamy... They're mobile; they can travel; they're willing to take chances; they're open-minded and ready for change." Basically, that's what he believes (or perhaps wishes) the next generation of adults will be... daring, unapologetically sexual, inspired by a seemingly endless well of energy and creativity, all while taking responsibility for nothing they can get away with.

And of course, they're all slender, or a touch above that -- so they might have some roundedness to them, for the "I am an average woman!" impression, but still slender enough that the tight fit of American Apparel clothing doesn't make them look like they're squeezing out of a sausage casing. (Oh, and by the way, he discards women with short hair by default, thinking it "unnatural".) Plenty of young women send their pics to him EVERY DAY hoping he'll pick them up as a model. I can't imagine that being ANYONE'S ambition. *shudder*

The article I linked up top compares Dov Charney with Hugh Hefner, except Charney looks like he got his models straight off the streets. The HOOKER streets, that is. I'm not trying to say that the models are actually hookers. (Unless they're actually DOING the guy, AND working for him... then maybe I'll say they are.) But the advertising definitely makes it *look* like they're rather cheap hos, to put it crude. :P I mean, that's pretty much what posing half-or-more nude, sprawled on what is probably Charney's own couch or bed, wearing cheap, factory made, solid color knits LOOKS like. Especially when it looks like the shots were snapped by an average guy with the aesthetics sense of a frat boy.

But THIS is his "real woman" -- or maybe it's just his ideal creative/sexual partner. As far as I can tell, for Charney, creativity and sexuality are difficult if not impossible to separate. I bet that if he could get away with it, he'd hold orgies right in his office, in between doing the usual business rounds, official paperwork (or whatever passes at it in his office) and poking around on the 'net for new ideas and models. In fact, he'd probably have the orgies WHILE he works, if he could, and require all employees to work in tight clothing and/or underwear (all American Apparel designed, of course). Seriously, THAT'S the kind of impression I have of him.

I think myself a decent judge of fashion. Of course, I probably judge it more by my OWN standards than anyone else's, which could make me look like a fool to people who think keeping up with trends matters. But I don't care. I still think I know what can be both stylish and flattering, and NOTHING that American Apparel sells fits the bill for me. Even if I DID like some of their socks and tights -- purely as accessories with other clothes -- I still wouldn't buy them from AA. The very thought of giving Dov Charney ANYTHING, including my money, grosses me out. :P I'd say he really needs to cut down the sleaze factor, except that I seriously doubt he *can*. It's pretty much integral to his being.

I think what bothers me the most about a guy like Charney, though, is the fact his charisma draws so many young women to him that might be too impressionable, too desperate for work or acceptance, for their own good. There's plenty of cases out there where a great deal of charisma can be used to sinister ends. And I'm not talking about something as extreme as Hitler or Charles Manson. It can be on a smaller scale, with consequences that can be painful psychologically, more than physically.

Sometimes charismatic leaders with progressive ideas can hurt young, misguided people even without necessarily setting out to do it. People who may not even realize they're either being taken advantage of or led astray, because they've not experienced enough of life to determine their own true convictions and boundaries. They may even believe that what they are doing is both right and good for them, and defend their "guru" until that harrowing moment they realize they've given him too much. In the meantime, they're a part of something that's a great deal of fun, makes them feel good, gives them a sense of belonging... so if they have to give a little dignity to continue feeling like a part of it, why NOT?

I wouldn't say that every person he employs is like that -- only a small amount at best. But those young, impressionable types *do* exist, and they're the ones most likely to end up in an uncomfortable situation with someone as openly perverse and progressive as Charney. They may leave and try to sue after the fact, but can't garner enough sympathy or proof that he truly DID harass them, because they hesitated too long about complaining. After all, if one goes by Charney's philosophy, sexual harassment is a thing of the underconfident, overly self-conscious past. If you feel uncomfortable with his highly charged, sexualized work environment and his curious lack of ethics when it comes to fraternizing with employees, then YOU'RE the prude. YOU'RE at fault for trying to fit in where you're obviously not hip enough to belong.

I guess I just can't help but find that attitude offensive. I'd say "let him do whatever he wants," but he's advocating his vision of modern youth to the world, tying it all up in a raunchy but appealing package, and they're actually eating it up. In my opinion, there's plenty of better things young people can do with their time than spread their legs and arch their backs for Charney's camera lens -- or wish they were doing it.

Let's teach them dignity, not sleaze. Okay?