Shocking - Shame on American Apparel!!

[Roni_uk]

American Apparel, purveyor of shiny pants and bodysuits, has once again courted controversy with their latest ad campaign.

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The full page ad that appears in UK and US editions of Vice magazine features Maks, a stunning Bangladeshi-American woman who has worked for the company since 2010, with the words “Made in Bangladesh” splashed across her naked chest.

What with the toplessness, the allusions to ethical concerns about Bangladeshi garment industry and (as is explained in her profile) Mak’s decision to abandon her Islamic faith, American Apparel is out to shock. I’m torn – is the sexual and cultural exploitation occurring in this ad excusable if it’s for a good cause? Does it bring to light the plight of the Bangladeshi garment worker, or does it exploit them to sell high-waisted jeans and over-priced tees?

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source: http://www.dailylife.com.au/all-abou...323-35bjv.html

[Zunaid]

This has come and made the rounds already.

This has nothing to do with any good cause. This is solely to benefit American Apparel's bottom line. This is not the first time they have used questionable marketing.

This is an apt response to all that:

http://theaerogram.com/im-made-bangladesh/

Excerpt:

Shunoh, I think it’s great that you felt fully comfortable to express yourself. I want to be clear, there’s no “slut-shaming” to this. I’m all about radical forms of feminine art. I think brown is beautiful, and when you are raised in this vapid city of Los Angeles where White standards of beauty are pushed down our throats, it takes a certain kind of strength to fight all that and declare, “I’m brown, I’m an immigrant, and I’m beautiful too.” Brown skin is underrated in this society and baring breasts when making a political statement has the potential to be that much more profound.

But it’s a fine line between self-expressive and being exotified and commodified. You think you chose to be creative — but in What American Apparel is selling is sex…where the brown woman is objectified.actuality you were plucked by your employer to sell an object. I believe the object you are selling is high-waisted pants, but it’s unclear from the photo. They are rolled down so suggestively. What American Apparel is selling is sex, and in this case, by having “Made in Bangladesh” across your bare breasts, you are selling fetishized sex. One where the brown woman is objectified.

[Roni_uk]

^^ good open letter.. thanks for sharing

[Nafi]

She has a lovely pair...of Eyes

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Blackberry)

[iDumb]

Originally Posted by Nafi
She has a lovely pair...of Eyes

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Blackberry)

I agree. God Bless Bangladesh. I think Bangladesh is producing wonderful things....

Go Maks.

:f lag:

[iDumb]

As long as it's not my daughter or my sister, I don't give a F.

It's clever, need to change image of "made in bd" apparel from "dead poor women under rubbles" to "sexy young woman". This is a fashion industry.. that open letter about objectifying brown women is stupid...

I want to be objectified, please someone...

[shaad]

Originally Posted by Zunaid
This has come and made the rounds already.

This has nothing to do with any good cause. This is solely to benefit American Apparel's bottom line. This is not the first time they have used questionable marketing.

This is an apt response to all that:

http://theaerogram.com/im-made-bangladesh/

While I generally like Taz's posts, I thought there was a slightly superior/snide touch to this response, especially in imputing/ascribing specific motives to the model, whom she does not know. I also enjoyed Dina Siddiqi's analysis of the affair.