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In the Name of Dov

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VERTICALLY INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING, HORIZONTALLY INTEGRATED MODELS The American Apparel factory in L.A. (Photo: Getty Images)

Up next on the agenda was a tour of the factory, which occupies the floors below Dov's office. Cheering on his workers as they huddle diligently over yards and yards of AA's trademark colorful cotton blends, we ran up and down the factory floors while Dov described his business philosophy. It was all incredibly sexy—the vibrant colors, the hum of the machines. And like that, within an hour of meeting Dov, I am on my back and my shirt is on the floor while he, in the politest way possible, is telling me I have perfect boobs.

Maybe Dov's the man women always wanted in their lives, the one who shoves French takeout in front of them, tells them they're beautiful in spandex, and gives them vibrators just becauseTo date, Dov has faced three sexual harassment lawsuits. Two of the suits were settled out of court in 2005, one is still pending, and all three were brought on by former employees. As a model, I am technically an employee. Never, however, has Dov ever made me uncomfortable. If I don't want to pose a certain way, then I simply don't. Never has there been any coercion and definitely no need for legal intervention; it's as simple as, "No, Dov." Then we move on. If you choose to get involved with the company, you must know that American Apparel comes standard with an image dripping with all things sexual and sensual. It's raw, it's sometimes controversial. We all know what's going on. We're all adults here.

About a year ago, I gave an interview to my friend's website, bigstonehead.net. This comment was left soon after: "I have met the man and hated him from that day on. I think a lot of these girls fall in love with Dov Charney because of all the money that he throws at them and the fact they gain some type of celebrity status with other employees at American Apparel. I also know that he [Dov] has paid people to blog good things about himself, and that his whole persona he has been developed over the years. He is another guy that loves to throw in the fact that his company is risqué and he is also Jewish. Wow!! Ugh."

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BIG IN L.A. The author, her billboard

For the record, I don't get paid money every time my face or body shows up somewhere. Nor has any other American Apparel employee ever said anything to me. In fact, I've never even met another model. Dov (which means "bear" in Hebrew, by the way) is incredibly protective of his models.

You could think of Dov as a champion for positive body image. He likes his models happy and squishy, unlike the emaciated aliens of the runways. I gained a few pounds after our first photo shoot, and family and friends would comment on my "fuller, softer facial features," much to my dismay. In a world where cheekbones are artificially enhanced, this sucked. But when I saw Dov for the first time since gaining a few curves, he told me I looked better than ever, sincerely. Any man who wants me to eat more is just hands down fucking great.

So why do people love to hate Dov then? Maybe it's because he's exactly who men aspire to be: an incredible entrepreneur, constantly surrounded by beautiful people, successful, powerful. And for women, maybe he's the man they've always wanted in their lives, the one who shoves French takeout in front of them, tells them they're beautiful in spandex, and gives them vibrators just because. For the record, this rumor about Dov is true and I've never been more thankful. Anyone who thinks getting a guaranteed orgasm as a gift is gross is lying. Straight up lying.

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