American Apparel goes all the way (and hires a Porn Star).

Is AA Sexist…or is it all in Good-Stylish-Made-in-USA-Fair-Labor=Fun?

American Apparel *does* lots of good (see list in post). But its representation of women is 30-plus years out of date. Yah, that would place us in the stylee, funky, anything-goes ’70s.

I just posted a blog on Vice Magazine, and how they’re the opposite of everything we here at elephant stand for, and how I love them. And how they’re better journalists than 90% of anyone left standing in America.

And right there on Vice’s site is an American Apparel ad of a porn star.

Surprised? Doubt it.

Update: Apparently it’s not the first time they’ve featured a porn actress.

Now, we here at elephant are huge fans of what American Apparel does: one of few apparel companies that’s still Made in the USA, fair labor, vertical integration, affordable, relatively green, thoroughly cool, elegant, progressive, out-of-the-box thinkers. They don’t do sweatshops. They’re outspoken advocates of gay rights.

And, with the unending encouragement of our yogarific readers, we’ve come to regret that American Apparel represents (and treats) women in a consistently sexualized manner. Given their widespread rep, the unending controversy, this latest AA ad seems like a hipsterific, ironic f-u gesture to self-respecting feminists everywhere.

So while I’ll continue to support AA with my sock and undie purchases, and print elephant tees on their well-cut organic, fair labor blanks…well, this one makes it that much more iffy.

…And ka-ching, controversy doesn’t hurt this brand, AA thrives on controversy, and all the free ad value it gets out of every angry blogger and reader.

Photo via Feministing.