American Apparel

I found " Innovation and Exploitation- A Critique of American Apparel" a very interesting article because it exposes one of the most popular clothing companies in the country and shows the dark side that the avergae person does not know about. Before this article, I saw American Apparel as a hot store that are flocked to daily by teens everyday I go to the mall. With their appealing advertisements it was like a trap for clothes seeking teenagers and young adults. But Anna Kealey did a great job on showing the downside to this giant. It was very intriguing on how I used to see these american Apparel advertisements and not notice the similiarities that they all shared. As Anna pointed out, women were always sexually presented as if they were a dinner coarse on a canvas for the viewer. As I continued to read the article I learned that one man, CEO Don Charney, did most of the photography so this just added a new dimension. Not only did the same man did most of the sexually depicted pictures and advertisements, but it shows what was going on his mind. Then there were cases of sexual assault and that just poured more salt onto the wound. This shows, in a way, how art revolves and how there are many ways in which people utilize art. This also shows how emotions can be birthed from different art styles. Great essay.