It’s no secret that American Apparel has infiltrated our city. Halifax’s destination for Vice Magazine and solid colour tank tops has got our youth in its neon death grip.
To quote the Spice Girls’ 1996 hit “Wannabe”: “I really, really, really want a … zigzag-print thong-bodysuit.”
Alright, those aren’t the real lyrics. But, for a disturbing number of young women, they might as well be.
The Halifax AA has only been open for three years, and in that short amount of time, its “unique” brand of brightly coloured, boldly printed, fade in two washes clothing has managed to weasel its way into the closet of everyone I know, and give their other garments the heave.
While I am all for people expressing themselves through fashion, I have a problem when everyone is expressing the same thing.
Unfortunately, too many people who shop at American Apparel shop there exclusively. They stop making their own fashion choices, and start dressing the way Dov Charney wants them to.
Suddenly, everyone who doesn’t want to look like an archetypal frat boy, or dome girl starts looking the same. Instead of wearing titty-tops and polos with popped collars, everyone’s wearing a magenta hoodie and gold lamé leggings.
This is the worst thing to happen to us since Dal sweatpants and Ugg boots, people!
Perhaps I sound too judgmental here; perhaps I am just bitter because my C-cup chest won’t allow me within 100 feet of American Apparel and its ‘bras aren’t sexy’ policy. Perhaps. But, probably not.
I know that a lot of the people who are reading this have, will or do shop at American Apparel. Please don’t let me and my cynicism stop you. I just want to dissuade you from dressing head to toe in neon, if I can.
To help in this endeavor, I have created a list of reasons why you might want to reconsider American Apparel as your number one fashion destination.
1. Dov Charney.
Dov Charney is President and CEO of American Apparel Inc. He is involved in all of the creative processes of AA including hiring the sales “models” and photographing American Apparel’s controversial ads. In order to get hired at American Apparel, you have to let someone take your photo and send it to Charney in Los Angeles where he will ogle it for a while. If you’re lucky, he’ll pick you out – real special like – to come and do a photo-shoot with him. Photos that may or may not become an ad, but in which you will definitely look like a half starved rape victim. Charney is currently involved in a number of sexual harassment suits with women who used to work at American Apparel. Gross!
2. The ads.
Some call these ads exciting think pieces. They’re real. They’re dirty. They’re not airbrushed or tampered with. Others call them sexist tripe. The women are submissive, humiliated objects. I’m inclined to agree with the latter camp. Most American Apparel ads are like this, and most of the photos were taken by, you guessed it: Charney. Whose hairy chicken legs did you think those were? He photographs the models under bright lights, in little to no clothing, with facial expressions that say, “I’m sleepy. What’d you put in my drink?” Doesn’t that make you want to buy a pair of non-prescription glasses?
3. American Apparel is over-priced.
A basic T-shirt at American Apparel is $20. At No Sweat Clothing (a store that boasts a sweat shop free manufacturing process, and actually gives a shit about the sweat shop issue), basic tees cost $5.16. So, what are you paying for?
“Dov has never shown any interest … in the sweatshop issue whatsoever,” says No Sweat CEO Adam Neiman. “It’s all about sex – sexy tees, sexy tees, sexy tees – that’s it.”
That’s still it, and the tees are sexy, but so what?
4. Halifax has cooler clothes.
My final reason for you to at least consider shopping somewhere else for your statement making garb is that we live in a city crawling with independently owned thrift shops: Dressed in Time, Lost and Found, Elsie’s, The Clothes Horse, 50 Hats, Put Me On. The list is lengthy, my friends. There’s also the Salvation Army, whose proceeds go to charity, not into Charney’s pocket.
To compel you further, the Sally Anne has a 50 per cent off sale every Wednesday. We’re talking $1.99 dresses here people. Dresses that you won’t see on anyone else. Think about it.
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