Teh One Who Knocks
08-07-2014, 03:57 PM
By Sophie Jane Evans - The Daily Mail
American Apparel has been accused of resorting to 'underage porn' to advertise its 'Back to School' range of miniskirts.
The fashion retailer, renowned for its provocative campaigns, posted an image of a girl wearing one of the skirts on its UK Instagram page yesterday.
In the photo, the model is seen bending over a car in the green plaid skirt - with both her bare legs and part of her buttocks on display.
Social media users were quick to express their disgust over the photo, with many deeming it 'sexist' and claiming it objectified women.
http://i.imgur.com/nbaNbCS.png
One Twitter user wrote: 'American Apparel - their 'back to school' skirts fuelling Lolita fantasies and rampant sexism a plenty.'
Based on the classic novel of the same name by author Vladimir Nabokov, the term 'Lolita' refers to a young girl who is sexually precocious.
Meanwhile, user Sarah Redington said: 'American Apparel with these 'back to school' basics. At what high school do those clothes pass dress code? Not mine.'
On Instagram, one girl, using the handle 'wordjamming', wrote: 'Never thought @americanappareluk would need to resort to porn to sell. Underage porn nonetheless. Shameless.'
http://i.imgur.com/H6Gpgkq.png
And another, 'aislingkie', declared: 'Objectifying much @americanappareluk.'
American Apparel has recently released its 'Back to School' lookbook, featuring models posing in an array of school settings.
One advert shows a girl wearing a cropped blue sweater and a leather mini skirt in front of school lockers, while another features three models dressed in short skirts and long white socks.
And one girl is even donning a cropped top and a short pleated skirt similar to the one in the slated Instagram photo.
http://i.imgur.com/vtJ3Rb0.png
In the lookbook, the retailer tells students: 'Your first assignment is to dress accordingly.'
The school items, which also include high heels, nail varnish, backpacks, bodysuits and pantyhose, are available online to students both in the U.S. and UK.
The miniskirts are on sale for £56 (or $65 on the U.S. site) and come in a range of colours: grey, red, green and blue-and-white.
They are intended to be worn around the waist and finish just inches below the wearer's buttocks.
http://i.imgur.com/yJHninX.png
It is not the first time American Apparel has courted controversy with its advertising campaigns.
In March, the firm printed a new ad starring a topless former-Muslim model, who was born in Bangladesh but living in California, with the words 'Made in Bangladesh' printed across her chest.
And last year the clothing giant was branded 'sexist' and 'sleazy' over a series of 'degrading' adverts for a unisex shirt.
Its online campaign featured provocative images of half-naked women sporting the unbuttoned plaid top in a series of highly sexualised poses - often wearing no underpants or just a pair of g-strings.
Meanwhile, the male models involved in the campaign were fully-clothed and sombre.
Since this article was published, American Apparel has removed the photo of a model sporting a miniskirt from Instagram, but is yet to respond to a request for comment.
http://i.imgur.com/IzfHUEI.png
American Apparel has been accused of resorting to 'underage porn' to advertise its 'Back to School' range of miniskirts.
The fashion retailer, renowned for its provocative campaigns, posted an image of a girl wearing one of the skirts on its UK Instagram page yesterday.
In the photo, the model is seen bending over a car in the green plaid skirt - with both her bare legs and part of her buttocks on display.
Social media users were quick to express their disgust over the photo, with many deeming it 'sexist' and claiming it objectified women.
http://i.imgur.com/nbaNbCS.png
One Twitter user wrote: 'American Apparel - their 'back to school' skirts fuelling Lolita fantasies and rampant sexism a plenty.'
Based on the classic novel of the same name by author Vladimir Nabokov, the term 'Lolita' refers to a young girl who is sexually precocious.
Meanwhile, user Sarah Redington said: 'American Apparel with these 'back to school' basics. At what high school do those clothes pass dress code? Not mine.'
On Instagram, one girl, using the handle 'wordjamming', wrote: 'Never thought @americanappareluk would need to resort to porn to sell. Underage porn nonetheless. Shameless.'
http://i.imgur.com/H6Gpgkq.png
And another, 'aislingkie', declared: 'Objectifying much @americanappareluk.'
American Apparel has recently released its 'Back to School' lookbook, featuring models posing in an array of school settings.
One advert shows a girl wearing a cropped blue sweater and a leather mini skirt in front of school lockers, while another features three models dressed in short skirts and long white socks.
And one girl is even donning a cropped top and a short pleated skirt similar to the one in the slated Instagram photo.
http://i.imgur.com/vtJ3Rb0.png
In the lookbook, the retailer tells students: 'Your first assignment is to dress accordingly.'
The school items, which also include high heels, nail varnish, backpacks, bodysuits and pantyhose, are available online to students both in the U.S. and UK.
The miniskirts are on sale for £56 (or $65 on the U.S. site) and come in a range of colours: grey, red, green and blue-and-white.
They are intended to be worn around the waist and finish just inches below the wearer's buttocks.
http://i.imgur.com/yJHninX.png
It is not the first time American Apparel has courted controversy with its advertising campaigns.
In March, the firm printed a new ad starring a topless former-Muslim model, who was born in Bangladesh but living in California, with the words 'Made in Bangladesh' printed across her chest.
And last year the clothing giant was branded 'sexist' and 'sleazy' over a series of 'degrading' adverts for a unisex shirt.
Its online campaign featured provocative images of half-naked women sporting the unbuttoned plaid top in a series of highly sexualised poses - often wearing no underpants or just a pair of g-strings.
Meanwhile, the male models involved in the campaign were fully-clothed and sombre.
Since this article was published, American Apparel has removed the photo of a model sporting a miniskirt from Instagram, but is yet to respond to a request for comment.
http://i.imgur.com/IzfHUEI.png