Eventually, you knew that someone at American Apparel would say something about the "California" ad which depicts a rugged real-life farmer named Raúl and his new USC student Robin. The ad caused some problems with many online Latinos, even leading one to create a new Undocumented Apparel line in response to the ad.
In a story from BayCitizen.org that discussed the ad, a spokesperson wrote the following in an email:
"Honestly, we're not sure what the problem is," said an American Apparel spokesperson in an e-mail. "Raul is a family friend and the photos turned out great, so we developed them into an ad and put it on our website. The whole controversy seems a bit contrived." Source: The Bay Citizen
So all you who think differently, this is all forced anyway and you don't get it because Raúl is a family friend. Ah yes, the old "I have Latino friends" line. We heard that one before. Sorry, our bad. We must have been reading or seeing something else, because your own ad copy seems really natural and authentic. The "Cali Girl" and the "Cowboy." "This is the unlikely pair we're all about."
Even if the controversy is "a bit contrived," it does appear that American Apparel really doesn't care what people think. It is an ad. Get over it. Ok, we will with a little #NoMames to you.
