More on the Garment Workers

The full-page picture of garment workers that Felipe Dupouy finds so beautiful makes me question his good sense (“The Sewing Rooms,” Men’s Fashion Issue, April 9). Where he sees beauty, I see a disgusting and unsafe workplace--so ugly that I would hate to work there. I’m a photographer too and understand light and shadows. But this is an incredibly poor example to choose. It only qualifies as an expose of an employer exploiting the poor.

Lisa Eriksen

Redondo Beach

*

As a former worker in an automobile accessories factory, I know from personal experience that while Dupouy is waxing eloquent about the sound, light and views in the garment factories he photographed, the machine operators who work in those rooms for hours on end have little time, energy or inclination to enjoy the ambience.

Robert C. Pavlik

San Luis Obispo

*

My mother supported me as a seamstress in a factory. Thank you for bringing back such poignant memories. When I was younger than 10, I would ride the streetcar downtown to meet my mom at her factory. She sometimes referred to her places of employment as sweatshops. She never had one day of paid vacation in her life, yet during those years she was able to pay rent promptly and we ate well and lived in a good neighborhood on the Eastside.

My mother went to school until about the sixth grade and then worked to help support her parents and siblings during the Depression. She was always an avid reader and thoroughly supported my dreams of being the first in our family to attend college. The industrial sewing machine she used was huge, and she truly loved sewing and creating gorgeous things, including my wedding dress, bridesmaids’ dresses, tailored suits for my sons and much more.

Lucille Bejarano

Householder

Hacienda Heights