Emma Silvers has had “a conflicted, guilt-ridden love affair” with American Apparel since the first time she encountered its “baffling dresses that claimed to be 14 styles in one” and its “endearing insistence that gold lamé was an appropriate material for a swimsuit.” The company's “sweatshop-free” stance and progressive politics made her love feel justified—but she’s come to realize “everything about American Apparel is sexist, seedy, and seriously offensive”—and she’s done shopping there, she writes for Salon.
"The clothing store of do-gooders” bragged about its fair labor practices even while its CEO was sued for sexual harassment at least five times. Add the recent controversy over “nauseating hiring practices and employee ‘grooming’ standards” and you have to wonder how it’s managed to remain “clothing retailer-of-choice among people who pride themselves on supporting responsible businesses.” It’s time to stop supporting this company “dominated by misogynistic, overgrown-indie-frat boy attitudes.”
(More American Apparel stories.)