My daily routine often involves a stroll down "the Drag" - a street known for its lack of austin flavor and (I assume) named for the DMT'd out denizens that elect to reside in its crevices. Though the city of Austin is known for its plethora of small businesses and localism ideology, the drag is hardy a microcosm of these trends. The UT tower projects almost a direct shadow onto American Apparel, a franchise known more for its sexualized advertisements than for its sound business model.

Most of the advertisements show young-looking girls deliberately dressed and positioned to evoke an "after-sex" look, with messy hair, no make-up and incomplete outfits. Some show girls with their hands down their pants, or covering their "private parts" or even just exposing themselves completely. As Dr. Straubhaar pointed out in lecture, sex is often an incredibly effective advertising tool and American Apparel has taken that allure to a pornographic degree and successfully trademarked a business out of it.

The snap-shotty and informal style of the pictures mimics our "default picture" fixation and the culture that has evolved around it. The appeal of the simple and naturally staged portraits is reflective of the sexy yet spontaneous way that we (especially females) seek to portral ourselves in our virtual social lives. In a way, American Apparel has democratized sexual imagery by functioning as bridge between the exclusive high-end brands that pull off promiscuity by coating with excess and the world of pornography.

Though business is probably driven by more by sorority girls and "neon partys" then by the hipsters and something ironic, the American Apparel on the drag and the pictures and ads that frame the store remind as all everyday that it's OK, and even cool to be just a little slutty in our own disheveled lives.