Haley Appoints Man Accused Of White Supremacist Ties
Dennis Van Roekel: Chicago's Students Deserve Acts of…
The litany of complaints about American Apparel's advertising and hiring policies are so long, someone could write a book about them.
The company is known for chic, trendy, affordable locally made clothes yes...but they're also known for being sexist, judgmental, and discriminatory based on the aesthetic attractions of its owner, Dov Charney (who, by his own standards of appearance, probably wouldn't be welcome to work in his own store).
If you want to work at American Apparel you've got to meet the criteria. You've got to have the right look. You've got to have a strong fashion sense. And if you're black, you need to have the right style of hair. Several ex-employees recently wrote into Gawker about their experiences, and one former manager said she was told this about what types of black women to hire during the American Apparel's open casting calls:
"none of the trashy kind that come in, we don't want that. we're not trying to sell our clothes to them. try to find some of these classy black girls, with nice hair, you know?"
i will remember that forever, especially the "nice hair" part. he was instructing another manager and i on who to look for during an upcoming open call, and i sat there dumbfounded, listening to him speak while the other manager made "uh huh, got it" sounds on her end of the phone. the other manager on the call with me later became a district manager, and at one point instructed me to tell two of my employees (both of whom happened to be black females) to stop straightening their hair. i refused to do this, but wondered if the mentality behind her request was related to what dov had said."
Wait, what?
A company discriminating in favor of black natural hair? Is "nice hair" the new "good hair"?? What does that even MEAN?
I'm not sure what to make of this news from American Apparel, so I'm just gonna keep doing what I do - which means not shopping at American Apparel. Which I couldn't do anyway, because they don't do plus size clothes, either. Ugh!
For lots more, check Gawker - they've been on this story ever since the company was founded, it seems!
What are your thoughts on this latest American Apparel scandal?
Comments: (26)
Add a comment
By: Benton aka BentColv01 on 6/12/2010 10:48AM
I say to all, boycott A P stores and go else where
b/c it shows what KKK u have in n owning the business.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Calvin on 6/12/2010 6:50PM
I've gone back to the conk. I shaved my head for years but now I'm growing out and doing the process. It looks retro and great.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: lainla on 6/12/2010 6:49PM
Very well stated Charlene. Also, there are many conditions that have caused black women loss of their hair that are tied to medical conditions; certain heart disease medications have caused alopecia. Other stress and diet issues create disorders that can contribute and of course, cancer. These issues should serve to remind us of just how personal these choices can become when it comes down to one’s own dressing of the head. While one sister decides to just go bald another can not fathom the thought of having no hair. It is very personal. A dear cousin lost all of her locks to chemo therapy and wore a wig, while searching for a wig style that matched her original beautiful hair. She always complained about losing her wonderful lot of hair and that there were too many straight hair wigs and not enough choices for the natural look. It was the look she wanted to achieve in place of what she lost. Eventually, she wore a couple of straight wigs too and she was just as beautiful in her straight hair wigs as I remembered her in long beautiful locks. Whatever choices she had to make were hers. She learned to use what she could to mask what the cancer treatment robbed her of in appearance. Sadly, after a couple of years, the cancer returned aggressively for a second time in the other breast. She was buried in her wig and no one held it against her. In the end, that was never important. Her husband, a wonderful black man from Morocco never left her side and after four years, has only recently started to date again. A good man will love you no matter what your hair is doing. We really need to embrace our differences and our choices so that we aren't reacting in a knee jerk assumption of others. Be considerate of what a sister may have gone through as a result of a medical issue and even if it isn’t medical issue be respectful of how she may chose to express her appearance. And remember, just as Charlene pointed out, it is a matter of choice and style whether you are forced to wear a wig or decide you like how it fits you. I can't imagine attacking my mother around the issue of wearing her hair straight; the woman who raised me and loved me and taught me valuable things about life; this beautiful black woman who told me "I Love You" every day of my life. Let’s learn to look beyond hair. Sometimes dreadlock sistah’s make the mistake of adopting a puritan ideology that is just as extreme as those they criticize for not being natural enough. Let’s look beyond the hairdos and don’ts. Let’s learn to look at what's on the inside. And in order to do that we must first turn to each other and not on each other.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Nordicman on 6/12/2010 7:16PM
Whats with black men wearing their hair in faggot looking braids and weaved in in dreadlocks? Black men just looking for any excuse to be with his slave masters woman. He is the one with the hair problem and should be more concerned about having their own businesses instead of black hair so they can stop the moaning and groaning about white men not hire them. No wonder they are at the bottom of the economic ladder if black women hair is their obsession. Any excuse to dump on their own women and be irresponsible and run from the black race. They can leave black women all they want but what their dumb ass don't get is that white men will not hire them on their jobs and it not a dam thing they can do about it. I hire black women only. So take that suckers.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: concerned american on 6/16/2010 9:19PM
Who the HELL shop at American Apparel anyway?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: meututu on 6/28/2010 9:47AM
Never brought clothing from there and never have and never will... Let the whities keep there store. Black People weak up.. stop spending your money there... I say boycott the place
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Rachel on 6/14/2010 10:53PM
I've never been a big fan of there clothing anyway... To keep ANY hairstyle fresh http://www.essenceofsilk.com has the best prices & selection of silk hair wraps & pillowcases.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: TJ on 6/15/2010 3:09PM
While I think they are being racist I understand their perspective. They have noticed that women who tend to be educated & middle class are trending toward natural styles. Lower income women are still with the heavily processed unusually dyed hair. These are of course huge generalizations, but that's what stereotypes are. It's interesting that the hair stereotype of black women have done a complete 180 in the last few years.
What I would like to know is if there is a lower income stereotype of white women they wouldn't want to work there, or is this discrimination reserved for just us.
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Linda Metayer on 6/15/2010 8:17PM
it's funny that I stumble on this topic, because just last month my co-worker was telling me about her teenage daughter getting a job at a clothing apparel, and she was told that she have to wear her hair natural, my co-worker did not sound upset or disturb when she made the comment, (she's from virgin island, but she has indian hair, her daughter hair texture's a little more coarse, I think she processed her hair, but she could do without it.) on the other hand I was very upset, and I said that company will soon get a lawsuit file against it. I so agree with Charlene Harris, what is natural?even a person with straight fine hair, need to do some sort of grooming to the hair, in order for it to look neat. I once dated a man who claim he was using natural product only, the day I decided to get intimate with him, I had to run out of the bed, because his underarm odor was unbearable. Again I asked what is natural?
Reply to this Comment | Report This
By: Lili B. on 6/22/2010 8:19PM
I agree with "Drou". I'm the same way. I like the fact that I have the opportunity to change the way I look whenever I feel like it. One day my hair can be long, the next day it can be short. One day it can be curly, the next it can be straight. I like that flexibility and I grew up that way. I also like being natural. Of course non of us can ever be 100% natural, or else we'd just be naked, really hairy, and we would smell awful. But I really think that people shouldn't judge each others choices. Women should do whatever it is they want to make themselves feel beautiful. If having wigs makes you feel beautiful, do it. Does it make you fake? Who are we to judge. If being natural makes you feel beautiful, do it. Does it make you less attractive? That's up to people's discretion but in my opinion no, it doesn't. What matters is what makes you feel beautiful, and in this era, all women need to stick together, not just black women, but all women in general. We should support one another not fight :)
Reply to this Comment | Report This