By E. Cain
Trendy clothing company American Apparel has actually a whole lot opting for it. To begin with, it offers a fantastic concept – easy yet stylish clothing, for sale in a wide variety of tints. Secondly, the brand practices corporate personal responsibility, it produces sweatshop free garments produced in downtown Los Angeles. Besides, workers are compensated above minimum-wage, offered full benefits, subsidized English classes are given for immigrant staff members (on organization time) plus year-round employment. This worker-friendly model is unusual and differentiates US Apparel from rivals.
With that being said, i'm compelled to publish towards sexist marketing from American Apparel because I find it undoubtedly ironic that a business built on the maxims of non-exploitation and personal obligation with regards to workers legal rights, may be between the frontrunners in pushing the limits of social acceptability with regards to depictions of females in consumer advertising.
American Apparel ads are easily recognizable based on their particular overtly intimate nature. They regularly feature ladies in provocative poses – lying-in bed, feet distribute, on all fours, from behind, flexing over – trust me, they’ve done it-all.
These racy advertisements render the business susceptible to fees of exploitation and objectification of females. They epitomize the male gaze as they are taken from the perspective of a heterosexual guy taking a look at a female who's (apparently) intimately available for him. Also, the women depicted into the advertisements are selling themselves – human body and sex – maybe not clothes (hell, in most cases they are hardly wearing any clothes).
And so I ask you to answer, what distinguishes consumer advertising from pornography? Exactly why are certain pictures – usually called specific, raunchy and sexually charged – directed toward dark corners of shops and the backs of the mag racks when American Apparel advertising – usually described using the same language – is blown up and plastered on billboards, buses and publications?
Exactly what are the limitations and when do we determine that a business has entered all of them?
They are essential concerns and US Apparel –worker friendly guidelines, intimately specific advertising and all – provides a very interesting example.
jillian
miel