Last weekend, while at the Bellevue Square mall, I walked past Hollister, a store where my kids used to spend a lot of time and a lot of money.
I saw this: 
You know, I'm as socially liberal as they come, but this is just over the top!
Anatomically correct dolls? No problem!
Sex education in middle schools? Definitely.
And go ahead and put a bowl of condoms in the main office of high schools -- fine by me.
But this? Well, this is just offensive!
My first thought was that this was a prank, but it was just too stylized to be a prank. The woman's sweater wasn't just yanked off her body; it seemed to be carefully lifted over her head and placed seductively across her torso.
The mannequins' around-the-ankles jeans definitely weren't the result of a quick and careless fly-by prankster. Instead, I swear that they were carefully draped there by a trained fashion stylist.
And those leggings around the knees? Deliberate, beyond a doubt.
Which prompts me to ask, WHY?! Is this what marketing to t'weens and teens (Hollister's target demographics) has come to? How insulting! How inappropriate! How... desperate.
Hollister, it takes a lot to shock me. Abercrombie did it when they sold clothes to teens by plastering photos of naked teens on their walls. Victoria's Secret did it when they marketed their sexiest underwear with cute plush poodles that appealed to 8-year-old girls. And now you've done it with this -- well, below the belt -- display in front of your Bellevue Washington store.
If my kids still had any interest in your clothes, we'd boycott your store. But they don't, so I'm calling on other parents with t'ween and teen kids to boycott.
Am I being too picky here? Am I being a prude? Or is this as shockingly stupid and insulting to you as it is to me?
Did you go in and ask them if they did that on purpose? You never know, someone might of pulled a prank on them. I admit I've done it. It was just too tempting. I hate that store. They only sell to girls that are shaped like boys. If the store did it on purpose then they are truly tasteless.
ReplyDeleteI would call up the store and speak to the manager. I would also mobilize like-minded people to call up and voice their opinions. They would lose my business(not that they ever had it!) with mannequins like that. Tacky.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it looks like a prankster did it. Those mannequins are actually outside the main store, not in a window, or protected by glass, accessible by anyone. You really should verify before you accuse.
ReplyDeleteI all honesty , it does not upset me. I don't think I would have given it much thought when walking by, just a "what the hell, that looks so stupid" ...
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look sexy or seducing to me, so not shocking either. If it was on purpose, then I don't get their marketing. I don't think it's going to affect teens very much either. Would it truly shock them? Offensive to them? Give them the message to have more sex? I doubt it.
It looks a bit like stores in sales periods in Belgium: very often then there's half naked dolls in the windows because last items get sold...or tutally nude dolls to indicate the sales.
It's definitely a prank. I went to Northgate mall today and it has the exact same display but the clothes are on correctly. I even took a picture with my phone to show you how they were supposed to look! :)
ReplyDeleteI sure hope it's a prank.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that it was done on purpose. Surely they can't expect to show off clothes that are bunched up around the ankles?
ReplyDeleteAnd I am not sure I would call those dolls anatomically correct. :)
As a manager of Abercrombie & Fitch (the company which owns/operates Hollister Co), I can assure you that this is a prank--not a deliberate stylization of the merchandise.
ReplyDeleteI talked to the manager, Jeff, about this issue. The store managers are aware and are trying to prevent the issue. He is going to work with his associates to check the storefront more often.
Jason R Rosser
Manager of Customer Service
Thanks Jason. I'm glad this wasn't deliberate and appreciate the follow-up!
ReplyDeleteCarol
how about take a second look, are you really that gullable?... I appreciate the store, and i am glad it is there, you shouldnt have a problem with the store, nor the managers or the employees there, your peoblem is with the kids who have done this to the store, the kids you so adoringly try to cover their eyes. open yours hunnie. theres a big naked world out there.
ReplyDeleteThat is the way the forms (mannequins) are supposed to look. Someone just pulled a prank. How do I know? Because I helped dress the front mannequins at my Hollister for the Winter Season.
ReplyDeletei meant, "thats not how its supposed to look."
ReplyDeleteYou idiot this was a prank! Are you stupid?! What the hell makes you think they would deliberately put the pants around the ankles! I work there and the mannequins aren't supposed to look this, it was probably just some kids and the employees hadn't noticed yet. You should've just gone in and told someone and they would've fixed it. Moron!
ReplyDelete