Rant

I'm about to rant.

Years ago I heard of someone who boycotted Calvin Klein products because of their provocative ads. Not being knowledgeable of the fashion industry (and quite frankly not caring), I was curious and started looking for these ads in magazines. And I agreed. I admired the stance of this person and took up their "cause". To my knowledge (I say that in case they manufacture items that do not directly bear their name), I have never bought anything made by Calvin Klein.

I admit I am blissfully ignorant about the fashion industry - by choice. It's my personal opinion that the pursuit of fashion is every bit as worldly as....let's say.....watching television. That's not to say that I've never worn any "name brand" items, but I have only done so because they've been on sale and not because I just had to have name brand (which is what I mean about pursuit of fashion). I am not ashamed to buy anything from Superstore, Wal-Mart, Zellers or thrift stores.

I am also quite aware that I've likely worn name brands manufactured by such like Calvin Klein purely in ignorance (like I said, just because I could care less). However, if something similarly perverse would ever have been brought to my attention, I would have happily boycotted the product.

I will not be a slave to fashion.

The reason for my ire is because of the controversy in local news about the outlet American Apparel. The controversy that makes Calvin Klein look angelic in comparison. It started out when a producer at the local radio station blogged about the store, having picked up on a story about a BC woman and her experience. Apparently the woman took her 13-year-old daughter to American Apparel and was disturbed to find that they sold a gay porno magazine that was accessible to anyone. She flipped through the magazine herself and witnessed several very disturbing sexual scenes between two men. The story worked it's way to our fair city even further today, being reported in the news.

Apparently the original producer who blogged on this story yesterday visited the location in our city. She confirmed that there were indeed copies of this magazine, uncellophaned, easily readable to the public. This is in a clothing outlet store that sells clothing to babies, kids, mothers, fathers and TEENAGERS.

Perhaps you can understand my rant.

I have not been in the store to confirm her story. I now NEVER INTEND TO. However, in searching online, some very, very sick, disturbing ads are easily accessible to the public. This is not even yet touching on the gay porno magazine they sell at their store. I also read about CEO, Dov Charney, who is a sickening pervert, and readily admits to using porno ads because "sex sells".

I am writing about this to make people aware, especially those with children. I do not believe many of the people who read my blog would choose to support a store such as this, and would certainly not want their children exposed to such perversion.

I am writing this in the hopes that if any youth or young people are patrons of this store, that they seriously reconsider their support. Stinking, rotten, filthy garbage such as this cannot succeed if people were to actually stop buying from them.

Please, folks. Do not try to throw comparisons at me like: What about the internet and it's garbage? While there are certainly legitimate concerns with the internet, it is not the SAME issue as I am speaking of. Lets keep apples apples, and oranges oranges. Please. I'll even blog about the filth of the internet at a future date, if you want.

There. I've had my rant.