14 DAY TRIAL // New Yorkers passing by the East Houston location of American Apparel had quite the shock or laugh, depending on the case, when they saw the exhibit of lingerie wearing mannequins showing off visible displays of hair in their more intimate area.
The shocking storefront showcased three brunette female mannequins wearing just transparent white bras and panties and showing off their most controversial feature, a natural merkin.
Even if Twitter users started an array of posts talking of the “pervy” nature of the display or about the retailer's intent to spark curiosity and attract attention on its new lingerie collection, the photos of the storefront went viral.
According to store managers, the display is meant to “bring rawness and newness to a holiday thought of as a romantic Hallmark holiday … by exploiting the lust of Valentine's Day,” notes the Observer. Their attempt to spark up curiosity and debates on what is actually perceived as being beautiful and attractive turned into a controversial conversation.
The brunette mannequins have sparked some mixed reactions, as expected, and shoppers have either called them a positive move for the feminist movements or just a graphic display of perversion that is actually disturbing for passersby. What is themed as natural by the company is seen as revolutionary by viewers.
But the storefront is just a part of American Apparel's raw beauty campaign as their website featured photos of models posing in lingerie with unwaxed bikini areas. Another recent, shocking move of the famous retailer was to commercialize a T-shirt with illustrations of a women's intimate parts during menstruation.
The controversial items of clothing and the “bush” display are all part of a taboo topics themed campaign that focuses on revealing the woman's natural beauty. The company takes pride in the fact that they don't encourage the change of a woman's body, but on the contrary, they want to call upon the feminine community to reveal their raw, natural attractiveness.