A lovely new American Apparel billboard on the intersection of a busy neighborhood in the Lower East Side.
Just in from The East Village
"I wrote to American apparel regarding this billboard at first had promising communications with them. The Director of Communications writes:
“Seeing the size of the billboard and its location within the community, we will look into this further so we may in future take into consideration displaying different imagery that would not be so boldly provocative on such a large scale, but still be in keeping with the aesthetic of our brand. Thank you for taking the time to inform us of the impact that this billboard has had on the immediate community.
It clearly acknowledges she can see why it is a problem. But later on the phone she tells me it's artistic and passes me on to Content Advisor Alexandra Spunt, letting me know that is who makes these decisions.
I even stood out by the sign and asked residents if they thought it was a bit much, the majority were upset about it (and have been since it went up). They are tired of it and have made it clear that this one crosses the line for a billboard in their neighborhood. 2 hours later I had 45 signatures; people were even thanking me for letting AA know how upset they were to have it up there. I forwarded letter and signatures to Alex Spunt. She emails:
“I appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns about this…That said I don’t really understand how this billboard is more offensive to you than many others I’ve seen in the area….I find the image completely appropriate for the Lower East Side. I think while this image is definitely sexy, it’s also artful and tasteful.
Then something about how her friend took it, it's a self portrait, her friend is "funny and cool", and "the east village gave birth to the fishnets and tank top look and tights will be a huge seller this fall." (I swear, this is what is in the email.)
"I’m sorry that you don’t agree and have found similar opinions. …I will pass on the comments to others in the department and we’ll talk about it."
I tried to explain to Alexandra Spunt that unlike art, people in this neighborhood cannot avoid this thing, and that we really find it oppressive, lewd, and/or just straight demeaning. Thats its 50 feet wide (at least!) and unlike their stores or their ads in magazines and newspapers, we cannot avoid it. And guess what. they don't give a shit".
adrian@americanapparel.net
inquiries@americanapparel.net"
Well, there you have it folks. They rake in the big bucks, and now they they get to have their way in your neighborhood whether you like it or not. After all... something about fishnets?. How OLD are these people?
5 comments:
great blog
i just recently did a post on american apparel myself.
can i link to this blog entry and maybe use your pics? thanks
Yes, feel free! i emailed you. hope you got it. : )
Then why doesnt the community get together and purchase the billboard for themselves? Organize or something.
Aaron, that's a good idea. In the end people ended up defacing the sign with paint and graffiti, so that worked out nicely, but yeah, i agree, people should organize and do something. i did my best, but in the end it ended up alright. AA is officially "the man".
Anyone who was upset by that gross AA billboard ad should check out the TOTALLY topless (and sometimes butt-naked) woman parading in their video facing Bereket from the Houston St. AA store windows over "The Bench". I walked in there just tonight and told the "manager at the moment" (Becky) that it is an offensive and ILLEGAL ad (anything with female nipple in a public window is illegal) and that it needs to be removed, and she said she'd "bring it up with [her] manager when she returns". I told her that it needed to be taken off NOW and she re-iterated her lame statement. My husband also told her that it sends a disgusting message to women of all ages, and that he was also offended by it. When we left, we saw Becky and the store "DJ" laughing it up!
I wanted to call the cops, but they'll just pay the fine and put it up again the next day, at best. Also, the cops have more urgent stuff to deal with on a Friday night, right? I want to exert pressure on AA--my husband suggested writing a letter, but they do not seem to respond to that. What can I do?
My husband is third-generation-LES and it's really gross what's been happening to our home here these past ten years. It appears to have become a debauched playground for tourists, even south of Grand now. The AA ads seem to complement the whole scene perfectly, actually. Sometimes I feel like we should pull up his roots here and go back to mine in Austin...but then we'd have to drive everywhere, right?
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