Do you like T-shirts? V-neck T-shirts? And pornographic imagery? Me too!
So starts a nice little animated parody video of Dov Charney, president and CEO of Los Angeles-based American Apparel, a company famous for both its meteoric success as well as its questionable advertising formula—one which regularly includes young women seductively (un)dressed and/or posed in American Apparel clothing. While the advertising campaign has made the company a target of lawsuits and social groups, it is perhaps now up against most dangerous, albeit entertaining foe—the Internet video satirist.
The video’s director Josh Faure-Brac, (a.k.a. Super-Josh) creator of Current.com’s Super News show definitely found an effective way to shine some unflattering light onto Charney and his “weird creepy sex fantasies.” In the more than five-minute satire, Faure-Brac shows a cartoon version of Charney give a tour to a walking, talking T-shirt named Shirtie.
When asked why he chose Charney as cartoon fodder, Faure-Brac responded, “I make cartoons about politics, pop culture and whatever catches my eye and American Apparel seemed like it was so ripe for parody.” He continued, ”When I started researching I found a bunch of videos of Dov and I knew I had to put him in the cartoon. He’s so larger than life and such an unashamed perv.”
Highlights of the Super News video include American model Sergio, who fictional Dov took from bus stop to T-shirt ad and half-clothed Natasha modeling a T-shirt as it lays on the ground behind her. But, in Faure-Brac’s opinion, he doesn’t think Charney would take offense. “I can’t imagine him being offended by anything so I’m betting that he loves the video. I hope he does,” said Faure-Brac. Adding, “Dov, if you’re reading this, please invite me to one of your hot-tub parties.” It’s definitely a film that makes the viewer uncomfortable on first showing and then more so when one realizes that truth is a little closer to fiction. With that said, Faure-Brac points out people approach larger-than-life figures from many different perspectives. When presented with the age old question: Is Dov Charney evil, Faure-Brac demonstrated satire doesn’t always flow from a malicious well.
“Is he evil?” answered Faure-Brac. “I think I see extremes of good and bad with him just like all infamous people. I don’t know how you all perceive him in the industry but from my perspective he’s an amazing showman with great business instincts who just happens to be a big perv. So maybe he’s somewhere between P.T. Barnum, Donald Trump and Caligula.”
In the end, as Shirtie would say, “Yeah, let’s hear it for Dov Charney, savior of the T-shirt!” A statement that in some ways might just be true. Good press and bad press alike, there is no denying a segment (or two) of American society wants Charney’s clothes and aren’t offended by Dov’s message.
About Current TV
Current TV is an international television network (that carries Faure-Brac’s hit animated cartoon show, Super News). Everything on the network is in short form (think CNN meets early MTV) so you can also check it out online at current.com.
For more information on Current TV or to Watch SuperNews, visit www.current.com/supernews
