Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS has launched a marketing event that is being ridiculed online.
According to Reuters, SKIMS installed a 60-foot (approximately 18-meter) inflatable figure dressed in a blue triangle bikini in the middle of Times Square, New York, on Wednesday.
The installation was designed to celebrate the launch of the brand’s new swimwear line. It replicates the pose Kardashian struck in a recent photoshoot.
The inflatable figure is lying down with both arms raised above its head. Below it, a 1.2-meter-high blue platform featuring the brand’s logo was also set up.
As soon as the installation was revealed, netizens responded with mockery. One commented, “Even the balloon looks like it doesn’t want to be here,” while another criticized, “This is a public space where children are present. It’s inappropriate.”
Other adverse reactions included, “It portrays an unrealistic image of women’s bodies,” “The worst marketing—tacky and completely out of touch,” and “Who approved this? It’s an invasion of public space.”
Kardashian shared photos of the balloon on her social media, writing, “OMG… I cannot believe there is a 60-foot float of me in SKIMS Swim in the middle of Times Square!” The official SKIMS account also said, “SKIMS swimwear has taken over Times Square.”
Earlier, Kardashian had attracted attention by sharing photos of her new swimwear collection on social media.
In the images, she poses on a beach wearing a white low-cut bralette, light blue string bikini bottoms, and a leopard-print swimsuit.
Kardashian also attended the Vanity Fair Oscar after-party last Sunday, wearing a Balenciaga wedding dress. Netizens harshly criticized her look, comparing it to “crumpled tissue paper” and “an old napkin.”