(I won’t even bother with UO, because they’re so far beyond hope.)

I found this fake advertisement (above) on a website that spoofs the NY Times (and it’s really worth a look): it’s a posi spoof with mock articles about how the world could be in 9 months if the surge in community volunteerism prompted by the Obama campaign continued being active and vocal about the needs of the people in this country. Of course this particular spoof ad really caught my eye because I’m such a critic of this company anyway. This ad highlights another key issue about AA: they aren’t unionized. They might brag about being made in America, but this is not synonymous with being made fairly by a company that respects and adequately supplies for their workers’ needs. Nowadays, being unionized does not guarantee this either. This Place with the Stuff is better than your average garment manufacturer. According to NPR, “Earning twice the California minimum wage, employees get subsidized lunches, subsidized health insurance, free on-site English classes and free bus tokens—even company bicycles to get to and from work.” And that doesn’t sound super bad.

Media or, uh, the media do bizarre things to our perceptions or ourselves, other people, and the world around us. There is something very provocative about AA advertisments; they have an essence of voyeurism, barely legal pornography, and an after taste of sexual exploitation. The young women in the AA advertisements embody what my sister calls Rape-Chic. Harsh. But, I think she’s describing the way all those women look totally vulnerable and somewhat defeated. They certainly don’t look unionized. I wonder what those ads would look like if they were unionized. Maybe they’d look no different. What if they were collectivized?!? Would an equitable relationship between the dude with the camera and the half-naked woman on the other side affect the resulting image?

An entirely different image that AA has been promoting of late is that of the illegal immigration. However, their take on the issue is predictably pro-immigrant and vaguely radical. The “Legalize LA” campaign may or may not be suggesting that immigration is a human right that should not be restricted, but they’re certainly saying something. And they’re probably convincing a few of their so-hip patrons to pay attention to that whole immigration thing. Unfortunately, the photo spread advertisements come across a lot stronger than the immigration “action plan.” Mixing politics with marketing is, at best, messy. At worst? It’s something like: Legalize LA ’cause those immigrant girls look so sexy in the solid jersey hot short, style # 8301.