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American Apparel does not want to hire blacks with straight hair

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sorry for the typos
frankly, after I reread the article it was not as offensive...as some of the stuff I am reading on here.
quite disturbing. No one is perfect but our issues are more deep seated that I thought.
you guys can carry on. But be assured that some of the people going on and on about "hood rats" may have been perceived as a part of that same segment of society at least once in their lives. I grew up in a conservative yt neighborhood and I have seen it happen. You know, when your friends get too comfy around you and forget that you are black. Hood rat is a subjective notion! And trust, some use it to refer to any black female that they don't like. That manager was just racist...

I wonder how they would stop the trashy non-black customers from shopping there? Hmmm...
 
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I 100% agree with sleepflower's post.

Also, I feel like the race card is pulled way too often these days. It's overdone. Stop feeling so discriminated against. Seriously, a lot of it is in your head and how you choose to interpret sometimes clearly subjective situations/scenarios (i.e. like this one). Automatically ASSUMING it's because of this offensive reason or that offensive reason, or because they don't want this person of this race to shop there, or how this person from this race would be applied to same look standards, etc., etc. it's ridiculous. I'm just so tired of the whole race thing. Sometimes I just think people want to complain because maybe they weren't vindicated over something genuinely discriminatory when younger, and so now they vent via unrelated and subjective scenarios. I honestly don't think about it unless it's pointedly brought up. Because I feel like ranting and raving with assumptions is another way to basically consent to a inferiority (like Eleanor said yanno). Just my opinion, though. /shrug
 
I think it is a good point to watch when we decide something or someone is prejudiced or racist, especially those of us who live in glass houses regarding the subject. But a lot of the time I can also 'see' the other attitude. As Americans we do not have a great track record for progressive or positive race relations, and that point would be moot if we had more progress in that area. A lot of the time I feel like the only difference between the Civil Rights movement and now is that we can no longer literally write racism into rule, e.g. it's no longer legal to push minorities into an area or put up notices about who can and cannot enter establishments, and (hopefully) we would notice and speak up if new laws had racist connotations (I'm looking at you, Social Security Act). I understand the hair-trigger over making something about race, as unfortunate as it is.
 
The sheer amount of *shrugs* and oh well coming from so many black women on this board is kind of amusing to me.

So it's fine for White folks to discriminate against black women that prefer to wear their hair straight? I'm pretty sure if the situation was reversed it would be more of an uproar from naturals against this company. Wrong is wrong.
 
What if her hair were naturally straight? LOL. And none of the "trashy" kind. Um..... Well, I cracked up with this:

American Apparel's "Douche of the Decade"

dovgetty2.jpg
 
And on another note, this is all White man's reality. If people would find another set of values to live by, they wouldn't be attempting to "join" that.

And sorry, I agree with some American posters who truly comprehend this racism as practiced here. "Trashy" can refer to even Michelle Obama or Donna Brazile, depending upon the accuser. After all, they are richly color toned and have womanly hips. Hair extensions truly have nothing to do with thinking of a Black woman as trashy. Subjectivity on steroids. And then again, this whole issue of race has been nationally subjective. Well, IMHO, when someone doesn't like you anymore, it becomes easy to consider them a "hoodrat." Hence, the plethora of demonizing articles against Black women from all streams. And yes, the CEO of a corporation sets the tone for the trickle down. He is responsible.

But I am not naive, it's not just American society. Afterall, those white people came from Europe.
 
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lilree said:
In my entire life, only other black people have told me that this way or that way of wearing hair is no longer acceptable. And none of them were in positions of power.
Click to expand...

I'm not talking about professional positions. I can wear my hair natural as long as it's in a professional manner, I'm talking about positions, where appearance is important, where you are expected to represent a brand, particularly these Football dance teams, where the women are considered sexy and let's be honest kinky hair is not considered sexy.
 
Not surprised by some of the posts in this thread, at all. Only black folk would take issue with a store that prefers us to wear our hair the way it grows out of our own heads, LOL. Only black folks. smdh. Whitey, you've done a phenomenal job.
 
~Sparklingflame~ said:
http://www.afrobella.com/2010/06/11/american-apparel-has-policies-about-black-hair/

The litany of complaints about American Apparel’s advertising and hiring policies are so long, we could write a book about them. The company is known for chic, trendy, affordable locally made clothes yes…but they’re also known for being sexist, judgmental, and discriminatory based on the aesthetic attractions of its owner, Dov Charney (who – let’s be honest. By his own standards of appearance, would he be welcome to work in his own store?)
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HECK NO!!! This man has created an environment where even he would not be welcomed to work! Pretty sad how a few human beings like this dictate to the massees what is beautiful and we follow along.
 
dollface0023 said:
The sheer amount of *shrugs* and oh well coming from so many black women on this board is kind of amusing to me.

So it's fine for White folks to discriminate against black women that prefer to wear their hair straight? I'm pretty sure if the situation was reversed it would be more of an uproar from naturals against this company. Wrong is wrong.
Click to expand...

I don't understand what there is to be mad about. :look: People are constantly discriminated whether you know it or not. And no matter how mad you get that won't ever change. If it's not your hair texture or your skin color, then it's your weight. Why worry about that kind of stuff? Who cares? I'm not tryin to get a job at AA so I'm not too concerned... :drunk:
 
imaccami said:
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.
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ITA with this entire post!
 
Being discriminated against for wearing the hair that naturally grows out of your scalp VS. discrimination for wearing chemically altered hair is just going to evoke a totally different set of feelings for some. Some just wont be as upset about the latter because they don't find it as an insult to God-given hair texture.
 
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I've been to most of the AAs in Manhattan and West Brooklyn and I've seen black girls with both straight and natural hair of all textures. So really, I don't know about this.
 
imaccami said:
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.
Click to expand...

I'm natural, don't straighten my hair often, never even heard about AA before today and...


I totally agree with you. Discrimination is wrong. Period.
 
LadyPaniolo said:
I don't personally care. There is way too much stuff being done to black folks, stuff that REALLY matters, like redlining in the housing industry. So AA wants black ladies w/natural hair in the store... ok. Next year it'll be they want cornrows or weaves or braids or whatever. We have to always be a certain way to be acceptable for them :rolleyes: but frankly it just doesn't really matter in the long run. There are bigger challenges facing Black America than one store with crappy clothes that wants chicks with afros.
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Lady P,you sure know how to wrap thjings up! I love this post! :grin:
 
Meh. Their I'm-a-sexy/slutty-Lolita-just-on-the-cusp-of-womanhood-porn vibe gives me the creeps anyway. It makes me feel more disgusted than wanting a black woman with an afro for a model. I find most of their clothing uninspiring, too.
 
gabulldawg said:
I don't understand what there is to be mad about. :look: People are constantly discriminated whether you know it or not. And no matter how mad you get that won't ever change. If it's not your hair texture or your skin color, then it's your weight. Why worry about that kind of stuff? Who cares? I'm not tryin to get a job at AA so I'm not too concerned... :drunk:
Click to expand...

I feel you. There is no sense in getting upset. AA clothes are plain and useless in my opinion.
 
I don't care. I won't ever care. I don't need to care. I don't buy from them anyway due to other shady dealings there.

However, if Trader Joe's start doing shizz like this, I won't buy my white cheddar popcorn from them again.
 
What I have noticed is that a lot of advertisements / commercials that feature African American women have women with natural (kinky / curly ) hair , I rarely see a commercial that has a black woman with straight hair. When I'm at work and I wear curly hair I get more complements (from white people ) versus when I wear it straight.
 
gabulldawg said:
I don't understand what there is to be mad about. :look: People are constantly discriminated whether you know it or not. And no matter how mad you get that won't ever change. If it's not your hair texture or your skin color, then it's your weight. Why worry about that kind of stuff? Who cares? I'm not tryin to get a job at AA so I'm not too concerned... :drunk:
Click to expand...

Wait. What? :perplexed:ohwell:

Are you saying discrimination doesn't matter? Well, let's tell Congress to go ahead and throw out the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and so on.

I couldn't care less who works at American Apparel, but it would be wrong for me to act like it doesn't matter. "It won't ever change." That's just not true. There is still discrimination, but plenty has changed. "Who cares?" I care. Discrimination (in education) is what made me go to law school...thank goodness some of us care.

ETA: I've read through this whole thread and I just had to comment on that post.
 
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