This is a metaphor…

How does this make you feel?

Do you think this is wrong, or are you so “hipster” that you think this is deserved/kinda bad-ass/reflects your social views?

Is this vandalism and crime, or is this an artistic statement and a social commentary?

Is this a Banksy?

(sorta via colinquinn)

(Source: snototter)

This is an American Apparel model.  No, really.

This is what they are modeling on their website to try to sell you clothes.

Is it working?  Are you trying to cop this kids’ style?  Don’t you just wanna look like him?  Well do ya?

Alright Museum-goers, it’s been awhile since we’ve offered you an interactive game experience, and since the Museum has been so slow of late we figure engaging you in a cultural discussion question is the least we can do to keep you entertained / continually frequenting the Museum.

So here goes today’s game of sorts… 
It’s a classic game of choosing Which is Worse.

By worse, we mean in all literal and metaphorical and ironic senses of the word.

Today’s juxtaposition: The most recent American Apparel ads. 

Is this “Meet Diane” ad the f***ing worst? 

Or is this Minimalist “WTF I can see your cooch hair are you serious” Ad even f***ing worser?

Is Diane’s bio about being a chic hipster college student who climbs trees and rides a fixie culturally shitty enough that it makes it worse than pubic hairs?

Or does the vulgarity of seeing some girl’s literal vagina outweigh every cultural fallacy that “Meet Diane” illustrates?

Because it seems that many have forgotten…

But more importantly: Thank you to the American Apparel shopper who understands post-irony/social media/’doing things solely for the Internet’s sake’ enough to take the time and effort to silk screen on this warning label on to the inside of his/her pair of tights so that no one could ever actually read this warning besides him/herself unless they either A. stole his/her pair of tights, or B. he/she posted this on to the Internet for everyone to subsequently laugh about, blog about, tweet about, Tumbl about.

Have you done anything solely for the sake of internet viral-ocity / memehood lately? Maybe we’ll include it in the Museum.
Maybe we’ll give it a purpose, like we just gave this homemade warning label on the inside of one’s own tights.

Maybe we’ll give you a purpose… 

Love to see that Wall Street is applauding Urban Outfitters Inc. LLC for being such a hot commodity in the NASDAQ.

Looks like American Apparel could learn a thing or two, as indie bloggers everywhere such as msnbc have declared that AmApp is in some serious financial trouble.  Good thing I sold all my stock in Circle Scarves back in 2009.

I’m definitely sticking with URBN for a while… I mean, the end of 2k8 wasn’t so hot, but it was a bad time for the entire Hipster Stock Market.  Can’t blame the flannel and Animal Collective blasting over the intercom for that one.  

Hoping that my URBN stock continues to grow this summer like it did after Urban Outfitters started selling vinyls in 2007.

Man, check out that mid-May nosedive from American Apparel.  URBN is a way steadier choice right now, kids.  If you haven’t pulled out of APP yet, tell your dad that his hedge fund might be going “in the shitter” if you keep your stocks in the Deeep V department.

…

I think it’s time that Hipster Runoff becomes a tradable commodity.  Would you invest in HRO if you had the chance?

I would’ve bought up a lot of stock right after the Human After Yall post surfaced.  But the ‘CARLES is DEAD’ crap from back in 2k9 would’ve definitely sent investors scrambling.

Could big sales of the “I AM CARLES” clothing line propel HRO up the financial ladder?  Will Goldman Sachs be watching?  Or is Carles’ brand still too much of a “niche market”?

….

What’s your next big move in the hipster market?

Are you gonna buy up all the shares of Governors Island, NY in preparation for all the free indie shows happening there this summer?
 

Are you desperately selling off all your ‘Summer Raves’ shares after the media’s brutal attack on rave/ecstasy culture via the “EDC aftermath”?

Are you planning on investing in thousands of vuvuzelas in anticipation for chillwave’s embracement of the alt/ethnic instrument?

Are you stuck in a quandary (A QUANDARY) over how to earn back all the money you lost on MGMT in the post-Congratulations nightmarish economic state that we live in?

(inspiration for this museum entry comes from the grand work of teenagejesus)

American Apparel does Winnie the Pooh-chic for the summertime.  Great for when that rumbling tummy of yours is looking extra plump from OD-ing on honey.

Oh Pooh Bear, Oh Hipster Fashion.

(via starscreamband)

When I grow up/get younger, I wanna be a hipster.  But not just any hipster…

I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster.  I wanna wear Justin Bieber wayfarers with Justin Bieber fur around my neck.

I wanna be a Justin-Bieber-skinny hipster.  I wanna wear Justin Bieber blue and black plaid.  I wanna have Justin Bieber teeth.

I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster kid with a hat in multiple languages.  I wanna wear Justin Bieber shades that say “I’m 15 and I’m important dammit”.

I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster, I wanna wear American Apparel tees with Comme de Garcons shirts with plush oversized Panda heads as my swagger.  I wanna wear Justin Bieber glasses that look like I stole them from Calvin Harris.  God damn I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster kid.

I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster socialite.  I wanna be taking little sips of hot B-list celebrities’ mixed drinks, just enough that Mom and Dad wont get too mad.  I wanna place my hand on Pete Wentz’ back and thank him for leaving the music industry all to me.

I wanna be a Justin Bieber Hipster Kid.  I want hipster fan art.

I wanna save the world.  I wanna be THE hipster kid.  I wanna be a Justin Bieber hipster kid.

As part of the Museum’s new “CARLES (the hpstr runsoff dude)” exhibit, and to directly exploit the hard work of other’s pursuits for finding relevant stories on the internet, we are proud to bring you what we like to call  ”Copying hipsterrunoff word for word, because even though we could probably articulate shit better than Carles, we’d rather him do the dirty work and get the credit for it because he’s more ‘commercially viable’”

So enjoy the following discussion of how handicapped models are creating a new trend in fashion culture today (written by Carles):

Recently, the new trend of handicapped models started 2 take over retail brochures / fashion runways everywhere. Apparently, some brand in the UK hired a handicapped model, and it is intended to help ‘crossover’ into new markets.

The disabled model, Shannon Murray, seems like she might be the next big ‘it girl’.  Fashion/branding is just a contest to get the most people ‘talking’, so it is only a matter of time before the biggest designers in the world ‘book’ her to wheel down their runway.

“British department store Debenhams is set to become the first UK high street retailer to feature a disabled model in its campaign. Shannon Murrayshines in front of the camera in the latest fashions from Debenhams.

Photographed alongside with two other models of varying size, the three models showcase the department store’s latest gear.

Beside this progressive campaign, Debenhams was also one the first to have plus sized mannequins and because of this, it has proven to be more than fashion forward, but forward-thinking as well.”

Do u feel like u will buy clothes from designers who are chill with disabled ppl?

Will designers ‘book’ this model, or will she just be used in Target clothing line campaigns?
Is Shannon Murray the next big ‘it girl’?
Is Shannon Murray the new Cory Kennedy / Agyness Deyn / Cindy Crawford / Heidi Klum?
Will Am Appy hire a disabled sexie model?
Does beauty have no size / shape / color / defined limit physical abilities?

That Shit’s too Hilarious for words presents the following true story…

On Friday, March 5th, the American Apparel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was attacked by “hipster revolutionaries”, who lay siege to the clothing store with stones and smoke bombs.

Welcome to the world of Retail Terrorism.

Here’s a quote from an innocent bystander:

“The the American Apparrel in Williamsburg was vandalized last night in an act of hipster rebellion. Both front windows were broken and the vandals unloaded a bunch of crap from a nearby dumpster, threw it in the middle of the road, and set off fireworks and smoke bombs on it.”

NY publication The Village Voice has more:

Looks like someone out there still reads Adbusters! Williamsburg’s outpost of skeevy hipster skivvies store American Apparel (or as the bros call it: AmAppy) found itself under assault last night by an entire crew of guys who apparently weren’t booked for any globalization protests this week.

Yeah, apparently, a bunch of guys threw smoke bombs (smoke bombs?) at the American Apparel on North 6th Street in Williamsburg, and then smashed some windows with a bat, and starting fires and throwing rocks. Local blog Free Williamsburg quotes someone who knows someone who tends to a different merchant within the vicinity of the assault:

Let the revolution begin.

Let the uprising begin.

Viva la Resistance, Viva la Anarchy!

Down with Commercially Successful Hipstewear, Down with Dov Charney, Down with the Circle Scarf!

Throw away your deeep v-necks, forget about that see-through mesh 50/25/25 AmApp jacket that is so light it decomposes minute by minute as you wear it…

As the world gets “scarier” and violence becomes more “street-cred”ible, fashion is starting to reflect such attitudes.  Introducing THE BULLETPROOF VEST, for FASHION’S SAKE.

The NY Times has more:

JACK BAUER is in play again, and so is his hard-guy attire — sweaty T-shirt, leather jacket and that government agent’s staple: a bulletproof vest.

The tactical gear that lends special agent Bauer his menacing mien on “24” is the hidden armor of counterterrorist operatives, heads of state and paranoid plutocrats. It has also been appropriated by Hollywood dignitaries and hip-hop moguls, enhancing the rogue personas of artists like 50 Cent.

So it may have been only a matter of time before aspiring hipsters embraced the style — the sartorial equivalent of a safe room — as a badge of cool.

A stepped-up demand for vests, blazers and hoodies tough enough to deflect a .22-caliber blast but sleek enough for a night of clubbing suggests that body armor is not just for the security-conscious. Fake or real, it exerts a pull on those inclined to flaunt it as a flinty fashion statement.

“The trend to protective gear is pretty strong right now,” said Richard Geist, the founder of Uncle Sam’s Army Navy Outfitters in downtown Manhattan. “It’s big with rappers, alternative types and even some women.”

Uncle Sam’s sells protective gear to the military. But most of its clients are civilians who snap up authentic bulletproof vests for as much as $1,000 or trade down to look-alike versions stripped of their armored lining ($24). Real or fake, “the look is tough,” Mr. Geist said, “and customers love it.”

Tough enough to push a fascination with military styles — from the fall men’s wear unveiled in Milan this week to the windows of the Gap — to new levels of ferocity. “Anything macho has extra appeal right now,” said Jeremy Gutsche, the editor of Trend Hunter magazine, an online publication. “Adding a little shock or aggression to fashion makes things that much more interesting.”

That extra fierceness appears to be the inevitable, if unsettling, expression of a defensive mind-set intensified of late by concerns about terrorism, escalating crime rates and economic instability.

“When people are feeling less secure, there is more demand for armor,” said Nick Taylor, who is the manager of BulletProofME.com, a Web site selling tactical gear to police officers, security guards and journalists in war zones. Sales of antiballistic jackets, vests and even backpacks have risen by some 20 percent this year, Mr. Taylor said. Recently he has found himself fielding requests from real estate agents involved in foreclosure eviction proceedings, repo men, convenience store clerks and “regular folks from all walks of life who’ve kind of had a brush with crime.”

» Read more of the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/fashion/21BULLET.html?hp

—-

I don’t know whether to be scared or just amused/confused.  Could this be American Apparel’s new big break??  Would love to see some of those AmApp models looking super anorexic wearing only bulletproof vests.  Hopefully soon I can just run into Urban Outfitters and grab myself a sexy overpriced one that will probably make me look fat.

I wonder how this will fare with the ever-important tween/teen demographic… could be the next big thing in the middle schools.  If only they came in cool colors, maybe that’s coming soon.