[PHOTOS] They Put Pubic Hair On Their Mannequins. Are You Okay With That?
American Apparel made a pubic scene at one of their stores and it's gotten everyone talking.
By Judith Yeoh — 18 Jan 2014, 05:46 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Three Mannequins Sporting 'Untamed Public Hair' Were Spotted In The American Apparel Window Display In New York
As of this morning, the storefront at the retailer's East Houston location in New York features three mannequins clad in transparent white underwear, exposing their unkempt bikini lines and stopping window shoppers dead in their tracks.
dailymail.co.ukAccording To The US Retailer, It Was Done To Invite People To "Explore The Idea Of 'Sexy' And Consider Their Comfort With The Natural Female Form."
American Apparel Specifically Chose This Set Up For That Store In New York For Their Pre-Valentine's Day Promo
They're aimed at drumming up sales around Valentine's Day, and it would appear it's already working: Curious pedestrians have been crowding around the store taking photos, and American Apparel has received a barrage of media inquiries.
American Apparel's Ryan Holiday tells us, "The display was created for that store specifically." He also passed along this statement: "American Apparel is a company that celebrates natural beauty, and the Lower East Side Valentine's Day window continues that celebration.
gothamist.comThe Public Pubic Stunt Seemed To Be Working At The Store And On The Internet
People took notice. Naturally, American Apparel also took notice, since they're been shooting their own sales assistants au naturel for ages and they're the store through which Petra sold The Ardorous' vagina tee, which the internet was similarly frothing over. The hairy muff mannequins have so far attracted comments from websites like NYMag "We're not exactly sure how you display pubic hair tastefully, but this probably isn't it," and "What is the point of this?"
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The Huffington Post spoke to an associate at the store, who said that the mannequins went up at 3am on Thursday morning and were meant to convey the "rawness and realness of sexuality." They're aimed at drumming up sales around Valentine's Day, and it would appear it's already working: Curious pedestrians have been crowding around the store taking photos, and American Apparel has received a barrage of media inquiries.
Petra Collins, The 20-Year-Old Toronto Based Visual Artist Who Created The Look Said That It Was Intentional To Open Taboo Topics For Discussion: Pubic Hair, Masturbation And Menstruation.
Petra Collins is a visual artist and serves clients such as American Apparel and Urban Outfitters.
Image via shopghost.comAt 19, Petra Collins is casting director for iconic photographer Richard Kern, staff photographer for Rookie and curates her own online collective for female creatives, The Ardorous.
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This image is stating that women are not a subordinate creature to just be entered,' she explained.
'We are our own beings in control of our own sexuality. I find it interesting that images addressing sexuality and reproduction are hidden and often looked at as disgusting.'
"I think teen sexuality is a taboo topic, specifically female sexuality, which I find is put down rather then celebrated like male sexuality. It is a topic that tends to be ignored or looked down on. I think people aren't comfortable with feminine sexuality. I find people are uncomfortable when a woman is expressing her sexuality instead of repressing it. In our society, nude or sexually suggestive images of women are automatically seen as negative and objectifying and is often seen through a male perspective rather than from a female's. We need to make room for the female view of sex and accept it. Until then, people are going to be uncomfortable with photos like mine."
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American Apparel Is Infamous For Its Provocative Designs
The controversial 'Teenagers Do It Better' tee sold by American Apparel in 2011. The scandalous tee is part of collaboration between American Apparel and Electric Youth Magateen, a magazine that celebrates "the magnificent vitality, energy and power of young male adulthood."
Image via nydailynews.com
Britain’s advertising watchdog is cracking down on American Apparel again for appearing to sexualize young girls in its fashion ads. The admonished ad, which shows a pantsless model in a sweater and knee-high socks curled up on an office chair, was banned in the UK.
Image via NY Daily NewsAmerican Apparel has a history of using pubic hair in its imagery, potentially for shock value (a trademark American Apparel strategy). Just last fall, the store sold a graphic T-shirt containing an image of a menstruating vagina with hair-down-there, which caused an online stir. Before that, American Apparel released a 2011 ad featuring a model in sheer underwear with -- you guessed it -- visible pubic hair.
The company has also come under fire several times in the past for featuring half-naked models who appear to be under-aged on its website
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