Dov Charney Owes Me $1,327
Welcome to "wtf is ashley ray tweeting about now?" a newsletter where I try to explain and defend the nonsense that made up my twitter feed over the last week
Did you know there’s a major COVID-19 outbreak at Dov Charney’s Los Angeles Apparel Factory? 375 people have tested positive and four people have died. Even though the city ordered Charney to shut down and only re-open once employees had been tested and quarantined, he re-opened with new employees and got shut down again. He also used cardboard to separate employees, even though he was told this wasn’t efficient. He also tried to hide the outbreak. He also forced his employees to work through quarantine with 2-hour delivery so the company could profit off of their new product: face masks. Throughout the entire thing, Charney has lied and refused to take accountability for his mistakes. It’s disgusting.
It’s also not surprising. Do you remember who Dov Charney is? When I shared this article last week, I was surprised by how many people had forgotten about him or hadn’t heard of his many, many misdeeds. Most people didn’t even know that he had started another company, Los Angeles Apparel and that his original company, American Apparel, had been sold to Gildan after a number of lawsuits and bankruptcy. By the time he lost his company, it wasn’t even the first time Charney had faced sexual harassment lawsuits. “The Mother Of All Sexual Harassment Cases” may have been his final push out of American Apparel, but issues of sexual harassment at the company had long been documented.
That Charney was able to open Los Angeles Apparel after everything that happened at American Apparel was a shock to me. Somehow, even amid the #MeToo era, Charney just hid in his closet full of leggings, waiting for a younger generation to forget who he was and what he had done. Most people hadn’t noticed the dip in quality once Gildan took over American Apparel. No one asked why anyone would still want to be associated with the brand. Most people didn’t ask questions about Los Angeles Apparel. For some reason, this man was just allowed to keep running a company, despite everything people knew about him. We can’t be surprised a man who would sexually assault his employees would also put them at risk during a global pandemic.
I, however, have been dedicated to following every article and lawsuit about Charney because I worked at American Apparel in 2013. After graduating from college with multiple degrees that did not get me a job, I moved to Chicago. I ended up taking a full-time job at Protein Bar, a quick service health restaurant, and a part-time job at American Apparel. I did not work there during the heyday of sexual harassment and cocaine, but my experience was still awful. The company had two methods of hiring people at that point: attractive, skinny people were actual employees who worked the sales floor and regular people like me worked back of house and were considered “independent contractors.” Even though we did full-time employee tasks, we didn’t get any of the benefits or safety of being actual employees. Any week, they could simply leave us off the schedule and we’d never hear from them again.
We were sent to work at different stores around Chicago. I mostly worked at the State St., Wicker Park and Lincoln Park locations. Even though I worked back of house, I was still required to wear head-to-toe American Apparel. Full time employees got an allowance for this, but independent contractors only got a discount. One day, when I wore a tank top from the GAP, I was asked to buy a shirt if I wanted to stay for my shift. It was something some managers took seriously. Girls who had worked there longer told me horror stories of previous managers asking to see their bras and panties to make sure they were also American Apparel brand. By the time I went to work there, it wasn’t that bad. They mostly encouraged us to look sexy for customers. When schoolgirl skirts were the new product to push, we were all encouraged to buy and wear them. Did you know it is nearly impossible to restock low shelves in a schoolgirl skirt without some creep looking at your ass? It didn’t matter if you were uncomfortable, that was the point.
Only once during my time there did Dov Charney come to visit the downtown Chicago State St. location. It was a huge deal when Charney came to town. All the full-time employees would line up in front of him and he’d take stock of the tall, thin girls who worked on the sales floor for him. He would hand them their allowances personally when he was visiting. Us back-of-house folks were left in the back, sorting inventory during this. Charney would eventually stand at the door and thank us for our hard work. All the girls I worked with knew he was gross, but it didn’t seem to bother people. Most of the time, they never really had to deal with him personally. Most of our managers were nice people who wanted a paycheck, they weren’t sex pests looking to take advantage of people like Charney.
When Charney would come to town, he’d pick one girl to be his “date” for the weekend. Usually, this was the woman who was the manager at the location I worked at the most. At the time, she seemed so much older than me. I was 22. She was 29. She acted so evolved, as though she had Charney all figured out and couldn’t be afraid of him. “What’s the big deal?” I remember her saying, “I spend a weekend with him. He gives me cash and all he wants is to be held while he does coke. He asks me to call him things like sir and master and boss.” She seemed fine with the arrangement, but it was still an example of Charney using his power to create a dynamic where she had to be fine with the arrangement. It’s not like she couldn’t be fired and replaced. Now that I’m 29, it’s easier for me to see that as the driving force behind her actions, rather than some air of maturity. Charney had this way of making her feel like she was in control, even though he was actually the one in power. It’s similar to the way he claims employees at Los Angeles Apparel are empowered by living wages, employee ownership and benefits. But, in the end, he’s still the one who ultimately has power over their health and safety.
By 2013, American Apparel was shutting down stores and losing money across the country. I went from working between three stores to just one and my hours were reduced. Eventually, they did what I feared would happen to all of the independent contractor employees: they took us off the schedule and we never heard from the company again. I never even received my last paycheck for $1,327. I had no direct corporate emails I could contact. The managers I’d worked for had been fired or quit. There was nothing I could do. Two years later, I got a letter telling me American Apparel filed for bankruptcy and I would never get any of the money owed to me as an independent contractor. In retaliation, I hit up the remaining American Apparel stores in Chicago and stole as much as I could. By 2017, the stores were all shut down and the company was sold to Gildan.
Do we really expect a guy like this to run a business with care and concern during a pandemic? There are few businesses that act with decency under capitalism, but those that flourish under its harshest conditions have only continued to do so during COVID-19. Charney’s factory is closed for now, but not before it hit record sales for its new masks (even I bought some during the initial rush of fear and sold out supplies). I don’t know how we let men like Charney continue to profit off of anyone. This goes beyond sexual assault or unpaid wages. Four people have now died because of his business practices. If I have any power to cancel anyone, let it be fucking Dov Charney.
What else have I been tweeting about?
Ok, I started watching the Zac Efron Netflix Show and it’s brilliant. It is honestly the best of what white men have to offer our society. It should be taught in schools as a guide for what white men can accomplish if they just mind their business, work on fixing the environment and hangout with their best dude pal. I know I stopped dating white men in 2018 (especially white men with delts), but this show is now my boyfriend. Or Zac and his best buddy Darin are now my two dads. I just know I like watching Zac Efron be surprised by hot springs while he’s stoned out of his mind. You probably didn’t watch Love Life, but it was a horribly mediocre show that relied on Anna Kendrick having enough charm to carry it. That didn’t work for Love Life, but Zac Efron absolutely has the charm to carry this show even if it doesn’t cover anything particularly new.
I watched the first four episodes of I’ll Be Gone In The Dark and loved it. It’s incredibly well done. If you love true crime, it’s a must watch. Even though you already know where it’s going, it tells the story in a really new and engaging way.
I’m still writing weekly recaps of I May Destroy You! But…well, I also got to interview Michaela Coel for Elle. There aren’t any spoilers for the show, but we talked about trigger warnings, social media popularity, Insecure and so much more. I’m so happy I got to speak with her about some of my favorite aspects of the show. Also, I’m still doing visual appreciation threads for each episode.
But also I’m still writing recaps for 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way over at Vulture.
I was on the Private Parts Unknown podcast last week! We talked about Shaun King, quarantine dating and more.
I watched the movie Palm Springs on Hulu and thought it was hilarious. Even though I am firmly a TV person, sometimes movies are good too.
I can’t stop watching sMothered and it’s disgusting and I want to stop.
Marie Claire said this newsletter was one of the best 14 you should subscribe to this year. Thanks!!
Please just get personal with us
This is the part of the newsletter where I’ll answer your relationship advice questions and talk about random shit in my life.
I went to Palm Springs this past weekend to get away and write (also shrooms). I’ve been taking on a lot of new assignments/opportunities and it’s exciting, but overwhelming. When Michaela Coel says “I don’t know how you manage to write and be on Twitter the way you are,” she knows what she’s talking about. I’m taking a semi-social media break. I’ll still be sharing articles and interviews I write, but I’ve deleted all the apps from my phone. Mostly though, I’ll be sharing updates in this newsletter. I have some exciting new projects coming up and I can’t wait to get this shit done. Y’all are gonna love it. I’m happy to be at a stage in my career and life where I can work on my timeline and I plan on taking advantage of it.