American Apparel Controversial Casting Call looks for “real models” and not “Instagram Hoes”
American Apparel is in hot water after a controversial casting hit the Internet last week. According to reports, American Apparel posted a casting call looking for “real models,” not “Instagram THOTs”.
From NYPost:
“[The] company is going through a rebranding image, so we will be shooting models moving forward,” LA casting agent Phira Luon wrote in the leaked March 18 e-mail, obtained by The Post.
“Real models. Not Instagram hoes or THOTs,” she added, using an acronym for “That ‘ho’ over there.”
Luon later apologized for the “Instagram hoes” comment, saying it “was just an inappropriate, off-color joke that was not intended to defame the client’s name or philosophy/views in any way.”
A spokesperson from American Apparel also released a statement through the Huffington Post.
“It’s just completely false that American Apparel is only using professional models, and we have had and continue to have public casting calls on our calendar.
We continue to look for diverse models of all sizes and backgrounds that look great in our clothes, and these open casting calls play a key role. Suggestions to the contrary are the result of an email written by a non-American Apparel employee that does not reflect our company’s beliefs in any way, and they have since apologized for writing it.”
Cosmopolitan U.K. also noted that the company has had a court case ruling made against them for including underage models in their sexualized ad campaigns. The brand also announced earlier this week that they will airbrush nipples and pubic hair from the images on their website.
American Apparel were previously known to use ‘real women’ in their advertisements and promos, accepting model submissions, with their own website stating:
‘We find our models all over the world, through online submissions, word of mouth, and in retail stores, where we’ve been known to do an impromptu test shoot or two. Our ads have always been indicative of a time and place in American Apparel’s identity, which has evolved into a 12,000 employee worldwide collaboration.’
American Apparel is known often times for their sexually charged ads and constant use of underage, amateur models. But, this latest casting call seems to have crossed the line.
Image Credit: Susan Montgomery / Shutterstock.com
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