Strip Tees: A Memoir of Millennial Los Angeles
Ratings1
Average rating2
15
Ratings1
Average rating2
Strip Tees is a fever dream of a memoir—Hunter S. Thompson meets Gloria Steinem—about a recent college graduate and what happens when her feminist ideals meet the real world. At the turn of the new millennium, LA is the place to be. “Hipster” is a new word on the scene. Lauren Conrad is living her Cinderella story in the “Hills” on millions of television sets across the country. Paris Hilton tells us “That’s hot” from behind the biggest sunglasses imaginable, while beautiful teenagers fight and fall in love on The O.C. Into this most glittering of supposed utopias, Kate Flannery arrives with a Seven Sisters diploma in hand and a new job at an upstart clothing company called American Apparel. Kate throws herself into the work, determined to climb the corporate fashion ladder. Having a job at American Apparel also means being a part of the advertising campaigns themselves, stripping down in the name of feminism. She slowly begins to lose herself in a landscape of rowdy sex-positivity, racy photo shoots, and a cultlike devotion to the unorthodox CEO and founder of the brand. The line between sexual liberation and exploitation quickly grows hazy, leading Kate to question the company’s ethics and wrestle with her own. Strip Tees captures a moment in our recent past that’s already sepia toned in nostalgia, and also paints a timeless portrait of a young woman who must choose between what business demands and self-respect requires.
Reviews with the most likes.
Kate continued to work for the company a few years after the big break through. Kate tried to get jobs after the attempted rape, the sexual photos of the 18 year old recruit, the constant exploitation, and the everything else that was red flags.
Kate stayed because they couldn't find other jobs paying more. Then they got fired a few years later. Then they found a good safe corporate job. “The woman from Bryn Mawr had fully arisen”.
She throws out a lot about feminism, capitalism, misogyny etc. it's hard to judge this because we've all been wrapped in delusions about the world and systems we exist in. However, we don't all write a book to try to white wash our complicit acts within it. Sure, we can and should talk about our struggles with these oppressive systems, but there should either be an explicit narrative of it or there should be introspection. This memoir does a superficial level of each and feels more like a TMZ-esque segment.
Kate ends by saying she's going to Hollywood CBS to find her next big break/dream/escape from the oppressive nature of the clothing industry. I'm not sure if that's a joke or not.
