Marquel, TPVs NYTimes Full frontal and Everywhere Else Nudity correspondent was leaving the Turkish Baths on 10th street in a very satisfied mood, when he read Realizing the American Apparel Chief Isnt Wearing Any Clothes. Dov Charneys dismissal raises all sorts of thorny corporate-governance questions for investors and boards about iconic and notorious leaders, especially in creative fields.
When you go by an American Apparel store you know what will happen. First, if there are children with you, you’ll hear, “lookit that!” If there are seniors they will suddenly point in the other direction and say, “look at that plumbing supply store, have we ever shopped there?”
You, on the other hand, will have your eyes glued to Dov Charney’s window display of fantastically beautiful and sexual models of all three genders (Marquel assumes). That’s why it’s there.
Over the years Dov Charney has been accused off all sorts of sexual misconduct with employees. It is hard to judge these mere accusations because he spends a lot of his time at the office dancing in the nude while his employees film him while urging him on to better moves. Maybe they are abusing him?
None of this was unknown to anybody including the company board and anyone who ever read a newspaper or even an internet aggregator (where we’re proud to say you sometimes find ThePotholeView too). But four years ago the company started to lose money (Marquel figures that’s because all breasts become less pert over time and the seniors seem to be winning the plumbing supply store battles.).
That’s when the board became interested in Dov’s nudity. They’ve tried to fire him. It’ll be quite a fight. But Marquel doesn’t understand what they’re going to fight about. They all knew his nudity, his flirtations, his mammoth billboards (there was one on the north side of Houston near Lafayette that was guaranteed to get you frisky when on a date).
Doesn’t that count as some sort of waiver, or as they sometimes call it in law, laches? It’s good when it’s profitable but not when it’s unprofitable? Can there be such a law?
One of these employees actually complained that at her first meeting, Dov was dressed in a towel wrapped around his waist. That was infamously known as formalwear at American Apparel. Or perhaps it was a dress down Friday. But still….
I went to one of these complainants and asked her about working conditions.
We sat down, she offered me a martini or anything. I had some anything with bubbles.
So,” I began, “I understand that you were traumatized at American Apparel. What I’m interested is why?”
” It was like a zoo there. Everybody ogling the girls. We felt like we were on display. That’s illegal.”
“Oh did I,” she said, “it was disgusting. On billboards. You could see their hootchas right through the clothes.”
“Yes, and the men.”
“No, of course not,”, she answered, giggling. “You could see their whatchas right through their pants….”
“Oh, yes,” she said.
“Well,” she said, and paused. “You could easily imagine them.”
She pondered. “Maybe not. But it, or they, were clearly visible. And I’ll tell you they ended up showing the hair on women and men models.”
“Yes and what you couldn’t see, you could easily imagine.”
“I can’t imagine in retrospect, but I guess I was curious. This sounds to me like a blame-the-female interview.” She asserted.
“What do you mean? Discovery?” She asked
“That sounds sexist to me,” she said.
“I had the right,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Yeah,” she said, suddenly sounding like a young teenager, not a woman in her prime.
“Yeah,” she said, with resignation.
“How about just a sideways glance?” She asked.
very controversial topic, Marquel, but that’s your middle name, isn’t it? Bravo. Excellent!
the graphics are excellent. They help the reader immensely. Though, to put the girls on the spot . That’s never been done. It’s their right to discover what appalling at their own little speed. Oh. and the standard for appalling and disgusting is also something that depends on so many circumstances….You’re by far the most interesting writer out there…Love you,
Excellent. Perfect pitch. Perfect subject.
Typo: American Attire should be American Apparel.
fixed it.
I am disturbed by your observations and I know they are all fabricated. But I have to agree that if you go to a place called inferno you may not know that it means hell and you should be excused if you enter it. The risk should not be yours. But if you open the door of a place called inferno and you see red devils and people burning on top of huge bonfires, and you still enter it, then it is at your risk. Even if you don’t know what inferno means.
Despite my desires to keep it cool, I have to say you are an excellent writer and you know how to choose your topics. BTW I skip the Times now but not TPV. Thank you, Marquel.
loved this:
(Marquel figures that’s because all breasts become less pert over time and the seniors seem to be winning the plumbing supply store battles.).
Nice one.
Liked: Or perhaps it was a dress down Friday.
Note to your webmaster – is there any way to freeze the images on the home page? You have such interesting and informative graphics … like now…those hands… But, when one is studying them to see how they compliment and inform the article, or just your life… they’re cruelly jerked away. Oops…Sideways.
Agreed. The jerking away bothered me this time a lot…I lost my concentration.