American Apparel’s advertising has generally been notable, but never for its restrained good taste. They’re best known for the exact opposite of that, actually. This week, the company is getting some very badly-wanted attention with a window display featuring mannequins in thin white panties with lush brunette lady gardens.

Regular Consumerist Flickr Pool contributor Scoboco captured some photos of the display at the brand’s store on East Houston Street in Manhattan.

Even outside of our Flickr pool, people in New York and in fashion have been talking about the window and the crowds it’s drawing. Gothamist went as far as compiling a handy history of pubic wigs, an accessory that most people had probably never given any thought to until the moment that they first saw this window.

The three ladies in the window stand in their underthings with a pale pink background and some pink clothes blowing around in the background. They have very ’80s plastic glasses and updos, and they wear thin and pretty underwear. Also, there is what appears to be a giant piece of brown faux fur crammed in their underpants.

Scoboco even got us this mannequins’-eye view out the window. That view is pretty much what you think it would be: people gawking at the window.

What was the company thinking, other than their usual need for horrified attention? The window is a Valentine’s Day celebration of the Caucasian, slender “natural female form.” No, really, that’s what they said. A company representative sent this statement to Elle magazine:

American Apparel is a company that celebrates natural beauty, and the Lower East Side Valentine’s Day window continues that celebration. We created it to invite passerbys to explore the idea of what is ‘sexy’ and consider their comfort with the natural female form. This is the same idea behind our advertisements which avoid many of the photoshopped and airbrushed standards of the fashion industry. So far we have received positive feedback from those that have commented and we’re looking forward to hearing more points of view.

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