In the course of studying cultural phenomenon, there are times when seeing who is behind it all is like discovering nine puzzle pieces you thought you’d lost but just slipped under a couch cushion. American Apparel’s Dov Charney is like that. One look at his unfortunate shirtless portrait (there are much worse pictures of him out there, rest assured) and American Apparel’s cheesy 70s-inspired pseudo-pornographic advertising campaign seems not so much designed a tactic meant to draw in customers through shock and titillation, but a natural extension of Charney’s personal philosophy of unabashed sleaze.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise Dov Charney is being sued for sexual harassment – his fourth such suit – by a former employee. Charney admits to wearing nothing but underwear that didn’t do a very good job of covering his genitalia at the workplace, but hey, American Apparel’s in the fashion industry. If you can’t stand the unrequested wang, get out of the sweatshop. At least, that’s the skeevy CEO’s legal argument, but it’s harder to explain away things like this:
Charney’s eccentric behavior in and out of the workplace has become legendary. Most notably, he masturbated in front of a magazine reporter interviewing him in 2004.The case about to go to trial was brought by former sales employee Mary Nelson, who contends that Charney, 38, created “a hostile work environment” by using sexually explicit language and behaving in sexually inappropriate ways. During several meetings with her — including one at his home — he was dressed only in his underwear, the suit alleges. On another occasion, according to the suit, he appeared in a skimpier garment…
Nelson, 36, who worked for American Apparel for a little more than a year, claims Charney also referred to women as “whores” and “sluts” and invited her to masturbate in front of him. Nelson’s suit alleges she was fired the day she consulted a lawyer.
It’s good to know that no matter how much your boss is an insufferable fool, he or she comes out looking like a saint when pitted against a special case like Mr. Dov Charney.
