American Apparel Ads Raise Feminist Ire, We Still Like Boobs

We've written before about our love for American Apparel and their many sexy ads (including some featuring our favorite pornstars). But it seems there are some who aren't so keen on AA's ad spread.

For instance: our distant cousin Jezebel, who ran a piece yesterday taking American Apparel to task for—well, a couple things, we guess. Underpaying amateur models, "sneaking" pornstars into advertisements (because they're clearly not "real people," unlike other AA models)... though the brunt of the article's disdain seemed reserved for Susannah Breslin and Debauchette, two bloggers who have been chosen to showcase some of the company's more risque ads on their websites. Apparently, housing the ads (and writing glowing posts about them) is akin to selling one's soul.

For posterity, this is how we feel about the whole thing. Is American Apparel at times skeezy? Yes. Do they have questionable business practices? Sometimes. Do they produce clothes that are sweatshop-free, and pay their employees decent compensation (health insurance included)? Absolutely—which is far more than we can say for most companies we know.

On the balance, American Apparel seems no more or less shady than any other clothing company—but because they're interested in pushing boundaries, in experimenting with sexuality, in (gasp!) putting nipples into their ads, they're far more likely to draw attention (and raise a bit of ire in the process). Which is unfortunate, because it's that daringness, that edginess, that—gasp!—nudity that actually makes us like them more.

Oh, and about those two bloggers? We approached them for comment.

Susannah Breslin:

I like the AA ads because they're interesting. Most ads are shit. These provoke. AA isn't afraid to go beyond the pale. And if that means some female bloggers get their knickers in a twist over exposed breasts and pubic hair, that probably says more about their relationship to their sexuality than it does about American Apparel.

Debauchette:

My general feeling is that, aesthetically, I like the jarring, raw look because it takes fashion ads, which are already sexual, strips away the gloss and amplifies the sexuality. I also love that they use adult performers in their ads. It blurs the line between fashion and pornography, which I think is great. Vogue, to me, is just porn for consumers and fashion fetishists.

And us? Well, we just like boobs.

· American Apparel Now Sponsoring Bloggers & Porn Stars (jezebel.com)