American Apparel does not want to hire blacks with straight hair

[VidaStarr]

They have the right to dictate the look they want for their models and this is part of their look (hipster, undone, indie brand, etc.) and in their opinion natural hair fits the bill.

As for AA in general, the owner is a known pervert and AA has had run-ins with accusations of sexism, racism, women being harassed and so on so...um yeah. They aren't champions of anyone be they BW or women in general.

And before this turns into a kinky vs straight debate. The point of the modern black hair movement is/should be to put BW in a position of self love so that whatever decisions we make about our hair it's an actual choice. The point is for BW to have the same options to feel and be considered beautiful in our natural form as any other form just like the same options afforded WW.

Realist sh*t posted.

 

[loonggood]

beautiful,are American Apparel in unite state ? i can not know that , i am in china , anyone can tell me ? thank you in advance

 

[VidaStarr]

So out of curiosity I went browsing and I've drawn some interesting conclusions which makes me doubt or rather question the application of what's noted in the OP.
Not only are many of the melinated models sporting straight hair, but those with curly hair aren't kinkier than 2C. Even more interesting the models sporting straight hair have a look or hair texture/length which will lead most people to believe straight hair is either "authentic" (natural) or easily achieved. In other words, not models who may have done "black girl things" to straighten their hair. Preferred is the blowdryer and a round brush to the relaxer and/or a flat iron and some greez.
It seems they have no issue straightening their melinated model's hair nor do I observe any natural 3b-4cs true black hipster looking models. I think this may have less to do with a preference for textured black hair and a black hipster look and more to do with avoiding a certain look.

These are the main models of color on their site.

LOL is this CLASSY? hahahaha

And uh... those clothes range from hella plain to hella ugly.

 

[Anew]

lol @ the term "classy" though. i mean i shop at the store and they sell shorts, see-through dresses, booty shorts etc. i mean i like some of their stuff but wouldn't classify it as "classy"

Right. I'm like American Apparel and classy, okaaaaaay....

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

First of all, I think American Apparel's clothing is unimaginative, bland and cookie cutter. I've strolled into the store on a few occasions and promptly strolled right back out of sheer boredom.

I live in NY and when I'm in the city store hopping I'll sometimes end up in an AA (I have friends that buy from them) and they, just like any other store, have a vibe and theme to their store. All their associates wear the clothes, they're slender and have something very funky about their style. Many of the black girls are natural (type 4s and all) and do cool natural looks with their hair, clearly the management feels that this goes along best with their brand.

I think SparklingFlame made a great point about hooters, they have a certain theme and will hire people to work for them based on that theme and reputation.

In this instance, they happen to have a preference for the way our hair grows out of our heads naturally....I'm definitely not mad at that.

 

[imaccami]

I agree with your first paragraph and other aspects of my post will address why. However, I totally and completely disagree with the bolded. It's not hard to be sympathetic to those called nappy headed even if they are, in your words, the same who shrug their shoulders when Black women with straight hair are deemed trashy. Until we embrace the wide diversity of textures observed among Black women and relinquish Eurocentric standards of beauty, straight hair will always be privileged and natural hair - our default hair, for crying out loud - will always have negative associations/connotations. I have never heard someone with straight Black hair made fun of. Yet the "nappy-headed ***" phrase is tossed about with abandon anytime someone wants to insult a Black woman. In fact, even if a Black woman's hair is straight, someone will still call her such because that term connotes undesirability, uncouthness, etc. I unequivocally disagree with your last sentence.

Well, we disagree. I think that if that person wants sympathy or understanding when their hairstyle is insulted, they need to be equally sympathetic and understanding when black women with straight hair are insulted. It can't be, you feel bad for me when I'm wronged, but when you're wronged I feel a-ok.

No one can change the past, but we can all make an effort to move forward to a place where all black hairstyles are accepted. That can't happen if insults toward one hairstyle are fine but insults towards another are out of line. All that will do is perpetuate the divide. If we want to eliminate hurtful comments about black hair we have to stand up for all hairstyles so that they're all accepted.

1. Sleek hit the nail on the head: the issue here is not so much their preference and the association of "natural" hair as being more authentic (although, given that it's what grows out of our heads, it is in actuality the more authentic version of our hair than its chemical manipulations ). The issue is that a company is enacting policy that circumscribes Black women's freedom to wear their hair the way they want to. This isn't exactly a victory for natural hair.

I think SAB's post is interesting because it seems to show that this is less about natural hair being accepted over straight hair than it is a socioeconomic issue, i.e. these types of blacks are more acceptable than those types of blacks.

I wonder if there will be more outrage expressed in this thread now that this is becoming clear, considering that before several people basically shrugged their shoulders and said it wasn't a big deal when it was believed that the issue was discrimination against straight hair.

3. Perhaps the reason that the straight hair is considered "trashy" is because of the condition that the women working there are leaving it in. We need only take a walk down the street and see how some Black women wear relaxed hair to know that a level of ignorance persists regarding how to properly take care of, and style, relaxed hair.

I don't really see what that has to do with this thread. Are you agreeing that straight hair is trashy or that it does have a trashy connotation? I mean, if we're going to go by what we see walking down the street, we're not going to see a lot of well cared for natural hair either. So what? Does that make it ok for American Apparel to decide that they don't want trashy types, meaning black women with natural hair working at their store? If it's wrong to refer to naturals that way, it's equally wrong to refer to black women with straight hair that way.

 

[CoutureMe06]

I live in nyc and they are ALWAYS have open calls at like every single store that exists. People don't stay. It must not be a great place to work.

 

[belldandy]

the models are pretty
BUT is their look really indie, hipster?
the only thing that they have in common is that they're thin.
and classy does not describe AA I have to agree

 

[belldandy]

how do they know, that someone's hair is natural of not
if they hire a girl with a fro, will she get written up if she decides to straighten?
the argument has so many holes in it, lol

 

[illuminatiamerica]

i wish we had our own major clothing stores

 

[DrC]

Ookay...this isnt surprising.

I think people fail to understand that the Fashion Industry/Advertising is always searching for a particular look.
When I use to have small fashion shows/photo shoots, the minimum height for a model to even step foot on the runway in one of my pieces was at LEAST 5'8. ( For Runway) in sizes 2-4-6. Their hair and make-up must meet my requirements or I would NOT put them on the floor period. If there is a distinctive appearance I search to assemble for my show, piece, etc. I by no means back down to explain what I want. If I want my models ALL bald headed they either wear a bald cap or shave. And I've also used the " I dont want Trashy type--" term before but my MEANING of Trashy is: I don't want the: " I got-a-slim waist-and-a-big booty-so I'm-a-model-and can be in the next 50-cent-video" type.

 

[NaturalPath]

Hold up! Shouldnt we be happy they prefer girls with natural hair because for a long time natural hair has been unacceptable to mainstream.

Im happy *shrugs* but I dont shop there

so carry on.

 

[brg240]

I'm not surprised, AA is trendy and tries to be socially conscious. Also, despite paying their seamstresses well and working for immigration rights I find the company mad grimy. Ugh the owner is so disgusting.

It's one thing to not want your workers and models to look a certain way but you don't even want to sell to black girls with straight hair.

If ya'll haven't check out the website be forewarned nsfw.

 

[Southernbella.]

This thread is so interesting.

I think if it were natural hair being discriminated against there would be a lot more anger. Seems hypocritical to be angry when one hair style is discriminated against and ambivalent when it occurs to another. Seems like the phrase divide and conquer applies here. How about we stand up for both natural and straight until we reach a place where both are equally accepted and black women don't have to deal with so much meaning being attached to their hairstyle.

Otherwise, it's pretty hard to be sympathetic when people are called nappy headed when those same people shrug their shoulders when black girls with straight hair are called trashy.

Natural hair isn't a hairstyle, so I disagree with this analogy.

 

[lilree]

IMO, discriminating against relaxed hair is silly. But generally, people hire who they want based on their personal feelings all the time. I've been hired several times by men I know found me attractive.

BTW, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders have had a member with an afro (at least one) -- back in the 70s.

 

[ceebee3]

I didn't get that straight hair = trashy. They clearly don't have a problem with straight hair from looking at their models.

When I hear trashy, I automatically think of the multicolored weaves and tacky plastic looking hair.

I wouldn't hire anyone who looked like that to work for me either.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

^^^ I dont feel like quoting but ....not to mention, if someone insults a natural....by calling her a nappy headed ho....you best believe that insult is reserved for a woman with a relaxer too because her hair grows out of her head just as nappy. Soon as that 5 weeks post ng comes along, that insult applies to her too....and....I'm relaxed myself but I'm still not gonna get in an uproar about this man's personal decision to hire a certain look for his company. It's the fashion industry.....


Oh yeah and when I saw trashy, I didn't assume they meant ALL black women with straight hair are trashy. I instantly pictured the rats I see in Detroit with tacky glued in tracks where I can see both the tracks and the glue....is that trashy? yup Would I have them as my target consumers? Nope

 

[SleekandBouncy]

the models are pretty
BUT is their look really indie, hipster?
the only thing that they have in common is that they're thin.
and classy does not describe AA I have to agree

None of the models I saw have the stereotypical black hipster look (many of the black models had straightened hair too ) so I don't think it's about hipsterdome, I think it's just that they prefer models who if/when straightened will look "authentically straight" and not too "regular black girl straight", models who have a certain "grade" of natural hair and/or perhaps a certain look overall
If there's any doubt I suggest folks browse their site.

Honestly this isn't even relevant to most BW because obviously they aren't talking about natural in a way inclusive of most BW. Their models are either straightened or no curlier than 2c. Most BW are in the 4a-b or 3b-c range.

 

[SleekandBouncy]

Hold up! Shouldnt we be happy they prefer girls with natural hair because for a long time natural hair has been unacceptable to mainstream.

Im happy *shrugs* but I dont shop there

so carry on.

Browse their site. Their version of natural ain't what most BW have growing out of their heads It's not about us.

And honestly I'm doubtful of the OP (or at least how they view natural) because there were a fair number of BW on their site with straight hair. The only difference is that their hair didn't look relaxed (even if it is). The BW with natural hair were natural with loose curls mostly.

 

[dynamic1]

“Another former AA manager says that she received the following instructions as to what kind of black girls she should try to hire during the company’s open calls:
“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?”

i will remember that forever, especially the “nice hair” part. he was instructing another manager and i on who to look for during an upcoming open call, and i sat there dumbfounded, listening to him speak while the other manager made “uh huh, got it” sounds on her end of the phone. the other manager on the call with me later became a district manager, and at one point instructed me to tell two of my employees (both of whom happened to be black females) to stop straightening their hair. i refused to do this, but wondered if the mentality behind her request was related to what dov had said.”
Wait, what?
A company discriminating in favor of black natural hair? Is “nice hair” the new “good hair”?? What does that even MEAN?
I’m not sure what to make of this news from American Apparel, so I’m just gonna keep doing what I do – which means not shopping at American Apparel. Which I couldn’t do anyway, because they don’t do plus size clothes, either. Ugh!
What are your thoughts on this latest American Apparel scandal?

What did the first bold comment have to do with the next. The managers and author were speculating the two were connected. Is it discrimination if the employees didn't get fired for failing to comply with a straight hair request? Also, where does it say trashy=straight hair? Or "nice hair" = natural hair? Trashy could refer to blue hair weave with hard curls and brown gel. Or a butt length, blonde, lace front that looks like a helmet. We do not know what he meant, if we did the author or manager would have directly stated it. It could refer to any number of things. Someone is stirring the pot by connecting these two situations. Why are we speculating on the manager's speculation...... Also, the manager left out the requirements or requests for what the non-black girls should look like.

I might grab my torch and my pitch fork if he said trashy = straight or no straight hair allowed, but that did not happen. There isn't a battle to fight.

 

[Kneechay]

This:



The sentiment is just as good as, albeit more legal than, prohibition. The problem is that I don't want to force them to take my trashy black dollars if they don't want them. As a consumer, I can appreciate being informed.

i didn't read that (in OP's post) as "we dont want them buying our clothes.", I read that as "That's not the image/style we're trying to portray in our marketing with our models." I'm in marketing/strategy so I read that differently.

I have no real problem with companies trying to utilize a certain look to sell their brand, so long as they don't discriminate in sales of the products. Furthermore, seeing the AA stores in Texas, and even models on their site, I am taking OP's post with a grain of salt, as it is an account of ONE store also.

I don't think it's the same if they preferred a look that would force Blacks to CHANGE their look through heat/chemicals to get it straighten. They are in preference of a look that pretty much most/all Blacks can achieve, natural hair. If they required folks to straighten their hair I'd deem THAT discriminatory.

Discriminatory being the key word, being stifled against something that you CAN'T really change from how you were born.

Being natural is not a 'style' it can be part of one, it's a lifestyle, but not a fad or solely a style. Being relaxed though, and having straight hair, THAT's a style; you choose to change up something to be different than how it grows.

Dude, I put it this way, this is NOT really hurting us, there are TONS more that is hurting us. If someone with straight hair just REALLY has to work at AA, then go natural, quit being straight.

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Browse their site. Their version of natural ain't what most BW have growing out of their heads It's not about us.

And honestly I'm doubtful of the OP (or at least how they view natural) because there were a fair number of BW on their site with straight hair. The only difference is that their hair didn't look relaxed (even if it is). The BW with natural hair were natural with loose curls mostly.

From my understanding, it's not just the models on the website. It includes the workers on the store and Ive seen plenty of 3cs,4as as I've walked past the store on campus or at the malls.

 

[imaccami]

Except for the fact that natural hair isn't a hairstyle.

That doesn't really change the meaning of my post.

I said "hairstyle" instead of "hair that is styled in a way that it appears to be natural" because it's quicker. But, we all know that it can be hard to tell the difference between a flat ironed natural and someone with flat ironed relaxed hair and it's also sometimes difficult to know for certain if a woman is relaxed with hair that's air dried loose or if she's natural.

If a natural has her hair flat ironed, or in braids, or twists, or a TWA her hair is in a hairstyle. My point was you can't be upset when afros or puffs or other hairstyles commonly worn by naturals are discriminated against but fine with straight hair being discriminated against.

 

[knt1229]

When I read the OP I didn't interpret it the way you all did.

First off, I didn't see anywhere where it states a preference for "natural" hair. He said "nice hair". And not to hire "trashy" black girls which sounds like a dislike of a certain personal style not a reference to relaxed hair. My initial reaction was what is "nice hair"? My second reaction was that maybe he doesn't want busted weaves, jacked up extensions, all different type of colored weave, and just jacked up hair in general.

I do agree that it is discrimination against black women. Sure they may want to hire folk who have a certain type of style but if that's the case then why instruct managers on specifically what type of black girls to hire.

I don't think that anyone should start assuming that natural black hair is preferred because the only thing I read is a preference for "nice hair" and for all anybody knows his definition of "nice hair" might be hair like Chili from TLC but Macy Gray would be unacceptable.

 

[dynamic1]

People are taking this and running into left field with it. Where does it state trashy=straight hair?

"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?”

 

[naijamerican]

I don't really see what that has to do with this thread. Are you agreeing that straight hair is trashy or that it does have a trashy connotation? I mean, if we're going to go by what we see walking down the street, we're not going to see a lot of well cared for natural hair either. So what? Does that make it ok for American Apparel to decide that they don't want trashy types, meaning black women with natural hair working at their store? If it's wrong to refer to naturals that way, it's equally wrong to refer to black women with straight hair that way.

I'm not really sure how you got that from what I said. erplexed I'm saying that perhaps the reason for the policy is because the women in the store with straight hair had chewed up ends, etc. the way that a lot of women who don't know how to take care of their hair have hair that looks, well, not that great. By referencing other people, I mean only to suggest that we see evidence of this in our every day lives. In other words, perhaps the reason for the policy is because of the condition that their straight hair was in. In no way, shape or form am I saying that straight hair is trashy or that it has implicit negative connotations.

The bottom line is that even if their desires for Black hair are aligned with my own preferences, their motives are less than pure. They're not doing it because they embrace Black women in all their natural beauty; they're doing it because they're looking out for their bottom line and because of the assumptions underlying natural hair. It smacks of a paternalistic model of imposing their standards of beauty on others. And we already know that they're well versed in that, given the accounts of current and former disgruntled employees.

 

[belldandy]

hiring practices and laws (ethics for that matter) are dictated by fashion? And they should be?

that's news to me.
how can you guys tell if someone has straightened their hair?

 

[belldandy]

btw, yall really believe that they think natural hair is more beautiful?
they would not have hired weavealicious Naomi Campbell? Or someone who looks like her if she had straightened hair?

you guys really buying that?
I think there are other reasons for such a rule.

 

[Southernbella.]

That doesn't really change the meaning of my post.

I said "hairstyle" instead of "hair that is styled in a way that it appears to be natural" because it's quicker. But, we all know that it can be hard to tell the difference between a flat ironed natural and someone with flat ironed relaxed hair and it's also sometimes difficult to know for certain if a woman is relaxed with hair that's air dried loose or if she's natural.

If a natural has her hair flat ironed, or in braids, or twists, or a TWA her hair is in a hairstyle. My point was you can't be upset when afros or puffs or other hairstyles commonly worn by naturals are discriminated against but fine with straight hair being discriminated against.

Well let's just say hair that can be styled in a way that appears natural. I still don't think the analogy fits because straight hair is a superficial beauty choice a woman makes, whether it's through a relaxer or press. Straight hair is not inherent in black women. To me, it would be similar to a company saying, "For our caucasian models, we only want natural hair colors...no bleach blondes."

To the bolded, I don't see this as discrimination, because again, it's a superficial choice. It's not discrimination to not want to hire a person who chose to get several visible tattoos or pink hair or 5 nose rings. Nor is it discrimination to not hire someone because they chose to wear their kinky hair straight. I might not even argue if a company preferred no braids, or twists, or locs. But they can't not hire me because my hair is kinky, because that is the state of being for my hair, just like my brown skin or my height or size. IMHO

 

[LaFemmeNaturelle]

Would ya'll have voted for Obama if he had ceiling length hair in plaits that looked like Coolio? Just askin......

And would it be wrong if he lost simply because he had ceiling length hair in plaits?

BTW did she ever come back to that thread? lol