American Apparel Branches Out

• I think that one of the things that makes American Apparel's ads uncomfortable for ppl is their edgy rawness. I mean, the fact that they aren't airbrush to inhuman perfection means that the sex vibes are more "real" and hits closer to home. Since our puritanical US culture has major issues with sex anthing outside the norm becomes bad or wrong and we give it labels. Ppl have sex - in and out of cute undies!

• Well, well, well Caroline. The models on American Apparel Ads don't look like children, whereas models for other fashion businesses are in fact under 18. I think you can read whatever you want to into the ads but your critique just seems disengenuous. For instance, I can't take you seriously when you say things like "men like to fuck young girls, often the younger the better..." American Apparel's branding folks are predominantly female. The co-head of the art department has a young daughter. You really think they're exploiting innate male pedophelia when most of their products are for women? Could you please point me to these ads with extremely youthful looking female models? I for one have no idea what you're talking about. Al I see are ads modelled by real people. There's no airbrushing, you can see razor stubble and sweat stains, short legs, some paunch here and there. That real people can be sexy is I think what these ads are trying to say - that you don't have to conform to some impossible to acheive standard in order to be sensuous. I personally don't consume kiddie porn but the comparison is facile. Just because kiddie porn also doesn't use makeup or airbrushing does not mean that all photos that are amateurish are riffing on a kiddie porn vibe.

• Calling American Apparel ads the 'antithesis of pedophelia' seems ridiculous to me. In order to sell its product, this t-shirt company uses photos of extremely youthful-looking female models arranged in poses that are clearly designed to shock, thanks to their Larry Clark-esque, and yes, pedophilic connotations. I think it would be more accurate to say that AA ads explore/exploit our reaction to images presenting 'teenagers' as sex objects...but at the end of the day, men like to fuck young girls, often the younger the better - and this is something the AA branding folks are very aware of... and to entirely disassociate the company's marketing campaign from the issues of pedaphilia/kiddie porn and society's obsession with youth seems...well...dumb.

• Wait. I adore those underwear. Does that make me a pedophile? In all seriousness though, pedophelia is no joking matter. Pedophelia is not about sex. Its about power. That's why heterosexual pedophiles will have sex with boys - it's not because they are gay - it's because they feel empowered when completely domineering another person. American Apparel's sex positive ads featuring real, un-airbrushed people are the antithesis of pedophelia. I know you meant this as a joke, but for some people, it's not so funny.

• Hey, I work at American Apparel, and I've got the scoop on these crotches. This is not Dov Charney. Alexandra who took those pictures told me that they are some gay friends from Williamsburg. There you have it.

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