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American Apparel: Still Not Looking To Hire Ugly People
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 10, 2010
Modified Jun 10, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jun 10, 2010
Modified Jun 10, 2010
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It is hardly surprising that American Apparel bases new hires on physical appearance, so today's Gawker exposé will probably get a smaller gasp than one's first glance at the company's Nylon Spandex Stretch Floral Lace Unitard would (seriously that thing will never cease to amaze us).
To catch up: last summer an anonymous employee claimed the company was beauty profiling, and that Dov Charney was demanding staff photos from each branch and firing off the uglies. Now these internal documents outlining their lookist policies have escaped Charney's empire, and will certainly serve as another whack at the protesters' hornet's nest. Allegedly one store manager was even instructed on what kind of black girls she should hire, being told: "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?"
All of the sordid documents can be found here, but to sum up: no uglies and no Uggs! The company told us they have no comment, but last summer Charney said, "At American Apparel, we strive to hire salespeople who have an enthusiasm for fashion and retail and who themselves have good fashion sense. But this does not necessarily mean they have to be physically attractive."
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american apparel
documents
dov charney
hiring
lookism
looks
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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