You tube video
Friday, 30 March 2018
Sunday, 21 June 2015
Pop Sex in Advertisements
American Apparel: Timeline & Key Moments
How American Apparel used sex in its advertising, how that played into the company’s identity, and how it all unravelled.
Origins & Rise (Late 1990s – Early 2000s)
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Founding: Dov Charney founded American Apparel in the late 1990s after dropping out of Tufts. The Business of Fashion+2Encyclopedia.com+2
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Early Ad Strategy: From very early on, Charney used provocative ads. According to marketing-case-studies, he sometimes personally photographed models (often non-professionals, “real girls,” even employees) in raw, minimalist setups. Marketing Case Studies
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Soft-Porn Aesthetic: The imagery courted comparisons to soft-core pornography. But Charney framed it as honest, unairbrushed, and “real” — part of the brand’s rebellious, anti-establishment identity. The Business of Fashion+1
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Ethical / Labor Branding: At the same time, AA claimed “sweatshop-free” manufacturing in Los Angeles, positioning itself as progressive in labor ethics. The Business of Fashion
Peak & Controversies (2005–2012)
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Growth: The brand grew rapidly; by mid-2000s they expanded stores and visibility. Encyclopedia.com+1
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Use of Models: They used a mix: porn actors (e.g., Sasha Grey) and non-models, often very young-looking. Wikipedia+1
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Regulatory Pushback:
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In 2012, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned several AA ads for being “gratuitous,” voyeuristic, exploitative, and focusing more on nudity than clothing. The Guardian
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Another 2012 ASA ruling banned an image in Vice Magazine that “appeared to sexualise a model who looked underage.” The Guardian
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Public / Cultural Critique: Critics argued the ads objectified women, used amateur / voyeuristic styling, and pushed the boundary of age-appropriate sexuality. (E.g., Berkeley Women in Business analysis.) Berkeley Women in Business
Decline, Scandals & Fall (2013–2015)
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Charney’s Behavior: Over the years, Charney’s personal conduct drew fire: allegations of sexual harassment, claims he was “creepy,” and a toxic work environment. The Guardian+2The Guardian+2
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“Porn Chic Fatigue”: By 2014, some commentators believed the shock-sex strategy was wearing thin. The Washington Post
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Firing of Charney: In 2014, Charney was removed from his CEO / Chairman roles by the board, citing misconduct. The Guardian+1
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Financial Collapse: Around the same time, the company was struggling financially. Fashion-industry critics linked part of AA’s decline to its hypersexualized brand identity, suggesting that the “sex sells” model had limits. FashionUnited
Legacy & Reflection
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Documentary / Retrospective: In 2025, Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel (Netflix) came out, exploring Charney’s influence, the workplace culture, and the fallout. Wikipedia
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Cultural Impact: American Apparel’s “indie sleaze” aesthetic — minimal, raw, amateur but sexual — influenced fashion and advertising beyond just their own brand. The Business of Fashion
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Critique on Ethics: Many analyses (academic / activist) frame AA’s strategy not just as edgy marketing, but as ethically fraught — using real women, often young, in sexual contexts, and linking that to a brand philosophy of “authenticity” that masked deeper power issues. Berkeley Women in Business
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Business vs Aesthetic Tension: While the ads got a lot of attention and built brand identity, they arguably couldn’t sustain long-term growth without cost: reputational, moral, and regulatory. CliffsNotes+1
Key Themes & Analysis
American Apparel as a case study:
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Sex as Branding
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Charney didn’t just use sex — he made it part of what American Apparel was. The “porn chic” aesthetic was central. The Business of Fashion
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But sex was also a double-edged sword: it drew audience and controversy, and eventually may have contributed to brand fatigue.
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Authenticity vs Exploitation
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The brand claimed authenticity: models were not super-glamorized or styled, they were “real” people, often employees. Marketing Case Studies+1
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Critics argue this “authenticity” was a thin veneer: the images still sexualized women in ways that played into voyeurism and exploitation. Berkeley Women in Business
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There are feminist / ethical critiques around objectification, consent, and the power dynamics of Charney (founder/photographer) shooting people he worked with.
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Regulation and Public Morality
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ASA bans show that there was a limit to what was acceptable in mainstream (or at least regulated) advertising. The Guardian+1
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The “voyeuristic” label from regulators underscores how the amateur, candid style can be read as exploitative when combined with sexuality.
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Leadership and Personal Brand
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Charney’s personal identity was deeply tied to the brand’s identity: his beliefs, his photographic style, his behavior. The Guardian
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When he was ousted, part of the question was: can the brand keep its sex-forward identity without the man who shaped it?
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Cultural Influence & Legacy
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American Apparel left a lasting mark: its aesthetic influenced “indie sleaze” fashion, and its story is now part of broader conversations about sexual ethics in business. Wikipedia+1
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The brand’s rise and fall also serve as a cautionary tale: sex can drive attention, but maintaining brand value requires balance, ethics, and adaptability.
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Appendix
Plus Shaming
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3090389/She-doesn-t-lace-panties-doesn-t-know-wipe-butt-good-Furious-mother-13-year-old-girl-pretended-19-online-posed-photos-lingerie-shames-viral-Facebook-video.html
Did they really use this?
Where is the ad in the history books?
Movies of note The Doom that Came to Sarnath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_America_%28film%29 …
Awesome Film God Bless America
Tara Lynne Barr is awesome
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Note Taking
| | | |
| ® | leads to, produces, causes, makes | Practice ®improvement. |
| ¬ | comes from, is the result of | Success ¬ determination. |
| | increased, increasing, goes up, rises | Taxes 200% last year. |
| ¯ | decreased, decreasing, lowering | Salaries ¯this year. |
& | and | coffee & cream |
| @ | at | I'll be home @ 4:00p.m. |
| / | per | 17 miles/gallon |
| p | page | Read p 89. |
| pp | pages | Study pp 37-40. |
| ¶ | paragraph | Rewrite ¶ number four. |
| § | section | Read § 7 again. |
| ? | question | Answer ? 5. |
|
| | | |
| w/ | with (something) | A war was fought w/ NATO aid. |
| w/o | without | They fought w/o fear. |
| w/i | within | There are problems w/i the company. |
| i.e. | that is | A Siamese, i.e. a cat, is a fun pet. |
| e.g. | for example | Professionals, e.g. doctors and lawyers, met here. |
| etc. | et cetera, so forth | Cats, dogs, etc., make good pets. |
| b/c | because | We pay taxes b/c it's the law. |
| b/4 | before | Chicken b/4 egg? |
| re: | regarding, about | I need to see you re: the sales figures. |
| esp. | especially | Tobacco, esp. cigarettes, causes cancer. |
| min. | minimum | The min. is $400. |
| max. | maximum | The max. number of people in an elevator is 10. |
| gov't. | government | The gov't. helped the people. |
| ASAP | as soon as possible | Finish your exam ASAP. |
| wrt | write | wrt #3 (write number 3) |
| rt | right | rt side |
| yr / yrs | year, years | She's 5 yrs old. |
| c. | circa, about, around, from the year | This picture is c. 1900 |
| vs | versus, as opposed to | Purple vs green |
| ch | chapter | Read ch 8. |
| Q A | question answer | Q: What is that? A: I don't know! |
| ex | example | Look at ex 4. |
| wd wds | word words | 1 vocabulary wd. 25 vocabulary wds. |
| ref | reference | ref required. |
| diff | difference | What is the diff? |
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Paul Nolting Repost
The 10 Steps to Better Test Taking
Once you begin a test, follow the 10 steps to better test taking below:Step 1 - Use a memory data dump. Upon receiving your test, turn it over and write down the information that you put on your mental cheat sheet. Your mental cheat sheet has now turned into a mental list and writing down this information is not cheating. Do not put your name on it, do not skim it, just turn it over and write down those facts, figures and formulas from your mental cheat sheet or other information you might not remember during the test. This is called your first memory data dump. The data dump provides memory cues for test questions.
Example: It might take you a while to remember how to do a coin- word problem. However, if you had immediately turn your test over and written down different ways of solving coin-word problems it would be easier to solve the coin-word problem.
Step 2 - Preview the test. Put your name on the test and start previewing. Previewing the test requires you to look through the entire test to find different types of problems and their point values. Put a mark by the questions that you can do without thinking. These are the questions that you will solve first.
Step 3 - Do a second memory data dump. The secondary data dump is for writing down material that was jarred from your memory while previewing the test. Write this information on the back of the test.
Step 4 - Develop a test progress schedule. When you begin setting up a test schedule, determine the point value for each question. You might have some test questions that are worth more points than others.
In some tests, word problems are worth five points and other questions might be worth two or three points. You must decide the best way to get the most points in the least amount of time. This might mean working the questions worth two to three points first and leaving the more difficult word problems for last.
Decide how many problems should be completed half- way though the test. You should have more than half the problems completed by that time.
Step 5 - Answer the easiest problems first Solve, in order, the problems you marked while previewing the test. Then, review the answers to see if they make sense. Start working through the test as fast as you can while being accurate. Answers should be reasonable.
Example: The answer to a . problem of ' to find the area of a rectangle e cannot be negative, and the try
answer to a land-rate-distance problem cannot be 1,000 miles per hour.
Clearly write down each step to get partial credit, even if you end up missing the problem. In most math tests, the easier problems are near the beginning of the first page; you need to answer them efficiently and quickly. This will give you both more time for the harder problems and time to review.
Step 6 - Skip difficult problems. If you find a problem that you do not know how to work, read it twice and automatically skip it. Reading it twice will help you understand the problem and put it into your working memory. While you are solving other problems, your mind is still working on that problem. Difficult problems could be the type of problem you have never seen before or a problem in which you get stuck on the second or third step. In either case, skip the problem and go on to the next one.
Step 7 - Review the skipped problems. When working the skipped problems, think how you have solved other, similar problems as a cue to solving the skipped ones. Also, try to remember how the instructor solved that type of problem on the board.
While reviewing skipped problems, or at any other time, you may have the "Ah, ha!" response. The "Ah, ha!" response is your remembering how to do a skipped problem. Do not wait to finish your current problem. Go to the problem on which you had the "Ah ha" and finish that problem. If you wait to finish your current problem, your "Ah, ha!" response could turn into an "Oh, no!" response.
Step 8 - Guess at the remaining problems Do as much work as you can on each problem, even if it is just writing down the first step. If you cannot write down the first step, rewrite the problem. Sometimes rewriting the problem can jar your memory enough to do the first step or the entire problem. If you leave the problem blank, you will get a zero. Do not waste too much time on guessing or trying to work the problems you cannot do.
Step 9 - Review the test. Look for careless errors or other errors you may have made. Students usually lose two to five test points on errors that could have been caught in review. Do not talk yourself out of an answer just because it may not look right. This often happens when an answer does not come out even. It is possible for the answer to be a fraction or decimal.
Remember: Answers in math do not have "dress codes." Research reveals that the odds of changing a right answer to a wrong answer are greater than the odds of changing a wrong answer to a right one.
Step 10 - Use all the allowed test time. Review each problem by substituting the answer back into the equation or doing the opposite function required to answer the question. If you cannot check the problem by the two ways mentioned, rework the problem on a separate sheet of paper and compare the answers. Do not leave the test room unless you have reviewed each problem two times or until the bell rings.
Remember: There is no prize for handing your test in first, and students who turn their papers in last do make "A's."
Stapling your scratch paper to the math test when handing it in has several advantages:
- If you miscopied the answer from the scratch paper, you will probably get credit for the answers.
- If you get the answer incorrect due to a careless error, your work on the scratch paper could give you a few points.
- If you do get the problem wrong, it will be easier to locate errors when the instructor reviews the test. This will prevent from making the same mistakes on the next math test.
Reference:
Paul D. Nolting, Ph.D., Winning at Math, 1997 1989 by Academic Success Press, IncMath
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Improving Study Skills  Improving Math Study Skills Do Your Homework Read Math Textbooks Take Notes Solve Word Problems Better Test-Taking Studying for Exams Test-Taking Errors Reduce Test Anxiety Objective Tests Essay Test | How to Reduce Test AnxietyTo reduce math test anxiety, you need to understand both the relaxation response and how negative self-talk undermines your abilities.Relaxation TechniquesThe relaxation response is any technique or procedure that helps you to become relaxed and will take the place of an anxiety response. Someone simply telling you to relax or even telling yourself to relax, however, without proper training, does little to reduce your test anxiety. There are both short-term and long-term relaxation response techniques which help control emotional (somatic) math test anxiety. These techniques will also help reduce worry (cognitive) anxiety. Effective short-term techniques include The Tensing and Differential Relaxation Method and The Palming Method.Short Term Relaxation TechniquesThe Tensing and Differential Relaxation MethodThe Tensing and Differential Relaxation Method helps you relax by tensing and relaxing your muscles all at once. Follow these procedures while you are sitting at your desk before taking a test:
The Palming MethodThe palming method is a visualization procedure used to reduce test anxiety. While you are at your desk before or during a test, follow these procedures:
Side One of the audio cassette, How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986), further explains test anxiety and discusses these and other short-term relaxation response techniques. Short-term relaxation techniques can be learned quickly but are not as successful as the long-term relaxation technique. Short term techniques are intended to be used while learning the long-term technique. Long Term Relaxation TechniquesThe Cue-Controlled Relaxation Response Technique is the best long-term relaxation technique. It is presented on Side Two of the audio cassette, How To Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986). Cue-controlled relaxation means you can induce your own relaxation based on repeating certain cue words to yourself. In essence, you are taught to relax and then silently repeat cue words, such as "I am relaxed."After enough practice, you can relax during math tests. The Cue-Controlled Relaxation Technique has worked with thousands of students. For a better understanding of test anxiety and how to reduce it, listen to How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Nolting, 1986). Negative Self-TalkNegative self-talk is a form of worry (cognitive) anxiety. This type of worrying can interfere with your test preparation and can keep you from concentrating on the test. Worrying can motivate you to study, but too much worrying may prevent you from studying at all.Negative self-talk is defined as the negative statements you tell yourself before and during tests. Negative self-talk causes students to lose confidence and to give up on tests. Further, it can give you an inappropriate excuse for failing math and cause you to give up on learning math. Students need to change their negative self-talk to positive self- talk without making unrealistic statements. Positive self-statements can improve your studying and test preparation. During tests, positive self-talk can build confidence and decrease your test anxiety. These positive statements; as well as others, can help reduce your test anxiety and improve your grades. Some more examples of positive self statements are on the cassette tape How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986). Before the test, make up some positive statements to tell yourself. The 12 Myths About Test Anxiety
Reference:Paul D. Nolting, Ph.D., Winning at Math, 1997 1989 by Academic Success Press, Inc |
Saturday, 29 October 2011
American Apparel 2011
- American Apparel has just started a new line of children's clothing, which many found...creepy, considering the company's hyper-sexualized ads (look around, there's probably one on this page if you need an example) and the sex scandal involving AA's CEO Dov Charney, who apparently has a habit of sleeping with his employees and models, sexually harassing them, and his penchant for masturbating in front of women. Try not to think of that when you see AA ads with nine-year-old girls.
- In the 1990s, Australian clothing store Katie's ran an ad saying that bosses shouldn't expect female employees to turn up for work on the day they were having their sale. It got pulled after they received complaints.
- It's been noted
several times
- Even plus-size (if you will) models are 'Shopped to all hell, which always looks unnatural, but moreso here
SEe
http://www.33mag.com/en/2014/06/19/creepy-montreal-born-founder-dov-charney-gets-shit-canned-american-apparel-13-sexiest-aa-ads
- Even plus-size (if you will) models are 'Shopped to all hell, which always looks unnatural, but moreso here
Thursday, 7 June 2001
Tuesday, 4 April 1995
Saturday, 25 October 1980
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