American Apparel Features Mannequins With Pubic Hair And Nipples In Display Window

American Apparel is at it again! This time it has stirred up controversy by displaying its mannequins with pubic hair and nipples.

Their branch in East Houston, New York, has three mannequins in the display window, wearing transparent white underwear and exposing their unwaxed bikini lines.

Some Twitter users got a little excited, and have tweeted that the display is ” kinda pervy.” American Apparel has defended its position, saying the intention was to start a conversation about society’s concept of feminine beauty.

District Visual Manager Dee Myles explained to the Observer that 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.”

She added that she thinks that it’s important to ” have instances spark up curiosity and conversation about what we deem beautiful and sexy.”

The mannequins also expose their nipples in see-through bras. One of the workers told the Gothamist that he had never seen the mannequins before that morning, or at least ” not in this configuration.”

Shoppers and onlookers expressed mixed reactions to the window display. Some agreed that it was a positive move for feminism, but others believed it was too graphic.

American Apparel has not confined its new approach to nudity to the retail stores. A quick glance at the website reveals several models exposing their unwaxed bikini lines in the lingerie section. (Click Here for link to Lingerie website)

The company seems to revel in provocative marketing; most recently it got into trouble over a T-shirt featuring a drawing of a menstruating vagina.

Petra Collins, the Toronto-based artist who designed the garment, told MailOnline that it was intended to open three taboo topics for discussion: ” pubic hair, masturbation, and menstruation.”

She added. ” This image is stating that women are not subordinate creatures to just be entered. 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.”

Previously, American Apparel was severely criticized for featuring half-naked models on its website, who appeared to be under-aged.

What is it about the naked – or semi-naked – female form that gives rise to such violent reactions? And why is is pubic hair, in particular, so controversial?

If you know the answers, you can share your thoughts by using the comments feed below.