The American Dream

They stand for loose buttons, loose hair and loose…yeah, well… looseness. American Apparel isn’t exactly a company known for their ability to keep the pants on the models, and flipping through their catalogue is basically like reading an excellent hipster version of ZOO magazine.

And yep, we love this company of hot pants mixed with hoodies. American Apparel does manage to produce clothes for (almost) everyone, and the simplicity in their collections is tremendously desirable. But to be honest, don’t we almost love the actual clothes as much as the world seems to love discussing the nakedness of the model “wearing” them? If we say that we do, how could we not? In fact this page is testament to it, because it also provided the editor of this website and excuse to trawl the web and find some juicy American Apparel ads.

AA hasn’t been in a shit load of sexual harassment SCANDALS for nothing, and they do have an interesting CEO notorious for being an a-hole to women (see: jump into the sack). In the last few months there has been a bit of a BACKLASH about the fact that AA sold unisex clothing in rather different ways for men and women. The woman wore no pants (and tiny knickers) and looked hell sexy while the guy looked like... Well a guy wearing a shirt. This got the feminists roaring worse then Scar in the Lion King, and it set of a discussion of wether it is right or wrong to sexualize women. Which it of course is, at the same time as it is more visually arresting to look at a half naked girl than one with clothes. This is something AA knows, and they have quite cleverly managed to create an aura of hotness around them, and hotness, obviously, sells.

This ethos isn't limited so not only in the adds and campaigns either, The company even has a POLICY on how their employers should look and they do not yield when it comes to the girls “letting their natural beauty shine through”. Especially when that beauty is skinny as fuck or has curves in the right places.

What Amarican Apparel is doing might not be politically correct or up to feminist standards but it's still lovely to look at, and here you have a whole lotta images to enjoy while thinking about moral standards. But enjoy them without guilt of course. You can discuss it from a feminist point of view after. Or if you happen to be born with a penis you can always go and do the laundry without pants ala unisex-American Apparel-style. Dare we say you’d get a lot of attention from both sexes (and the police) - thus making your point.

Or some point. I got lost staring at American Apparel ads again, sorry.

By Nathalia Lindvall