AUGUST 31, 2022
ByMANDY ZUO
’I don’t understand fashion’, said one person after the giant blow-up doll started trending on mainland social media.
South China Morning Post
A giant inflatable blow-up doll placed in front of a pop-up fashion store by Italian label Diesel in China has generated controversy due to its unsettling appearance.
The seven-metre long doll has been described as “the ugly object”, “hideous” and “scary” by Shanghai residents after it appeared outside the store on the city’s trendy Huaihai Road over the weekend.More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.
The doll has a bizarre face that looks partially melted, no eyebrows and eyes that appear to be rolling into the back of its misshapen head. It is wearing a pair of what appears to be the Italian brand’s jeans and a denim top.
’I don’t understand fashion’, said one person after the giant blow-up doll started trending on mainland social media.
South China Morning Post
A giant inflatable blow-up doll placed in front of a pop-up fashion store by Italian label Diesel in China has generated controversy due to its unsettling appearance.
The seven-metre long doll has been described as “the ugly object”, “hideous” and “scary” by Shanghai residents after it appeared outside the store on the city’s trendy Huaihai Road over the weekend.More from AsiaOneRead the condensed version of this story, and other top stories with NewsLite.
The doll has a bizarre face that looks partially melted, no eyebrows and eyes that appear to be rolling into the back of its misshapen head. It is wearing a pair of what appears to be the Italian brand’s jeans and a denim top.
The inflated doll when viewed seen from behind on the street in Shanghai.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
The inflatable doll is to promote the brand’s 2022 autumn and winter collection and has been erected on public space outside the store. This has also caused controversy, with some questioning the appropriateness of placing a giant commercial fashion show set in a public space.
The doll was among several gigantic blow-up models that appeared at Diesel’s autumn and winter show in Tokyo in June.
On Weibo, the hashtag to promote the event “Incoming Giant Phantom Tour” has received 100 million views in the past week.
On Xiaohongshu, China’s version of Instagram, the huge doll has been most commonly referred to as “the ugly object” and triggered heated discussion about its long, melted-looking face, eyes that are looking up strangely and the absence of any eyebrows.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
The inflatable doll is to promote the brand’s 2022 autumn and winter collection and has been erected on public space outside the store. This has also caused controversy, with some questioning the appropriateness of placing a giant commercial fashion show set in a public space.
The doll was among several gigantic blow-up models that appeared at Diesel’s autumn and winter show in Tokyo in June.
On Weibo, the hashtag to promote the event “Incoming Giant Phantom Tour” has received 100 million views in the past week.
On Xiaohongshu, China’s version of Instagram, the huge doll has been most commonly referred to as “the ugly object” and triggered heated discussion about its long, melted-looking face, eyes that are looking up strangely and the absence of any eyebrows.
While many were horrified by the doll’s appearance, others were more concerned at a commercial company using public space to erect promotional material to sell clothes.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
“It was really scary. I don’t understand fashion,” one person commented.
However, some said they were attracted by the strange doll, posing in front of it for photos and sharing them online.
“I was totally charmed by this huge doll… It is very impactful visually,” said another.
The sculpture and the pop-up store will move to another area of the city in the first week of September, the company’s official Weibo account revealed.
There has been growing aesthetic debate about public artworks in recent years in Chinese society amid rising preference for traditional beauty characteristics in keeping with Chinese cultural identity.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
“It was really scary. I don’t understand fashion,” one person commented.
However, some said they were attracted by the strange doll, posing in front of it for photos and sharing them online.
“I was totally charmed by this huge doll… It is very impactful visually,” said another.
The sculpture and the pop-up store will move to another area of the city in the first week of September, the company’s official Weibo account revealed.
There has been growing aesthetic debate about public artworks in recent years in Chinese society amid rising preference for traditional beauty characteristics in keeping with Chinese cultural identity.
The blow-up doll was one of several used by the company earlier this year as part of a runway show in Tokyo.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
Earlier this month, 27 people were punished for publishing a maths textbook for primary school students that went viral because of its “tragically ugly” illustrations of children after a months-long investigation from the authorities.
The book, published almost 10 years ago and in use ever since, was heatedly discussed in May after a teacher shared on social media photos of the illustrations, including distorted faces, “strange” facial expressions, a boy who seemed half-bald and another grabbing a girl’s skirt.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
PHOTO: Toutiao.com
Earlier this month, 27 people were punished for publishing a maths textbook for primary school students that went viral because of its “tragically ugly” illustrations of children after a months-long investigation from the authorities.
The book, published almost 10 years ago and in use ever since, was heatedly discussed in May after a teacher shared on social media photos of the illustrations, including distorted faces, “strange” facial expressions, a boy who seemed half-bald and another grabbing a girl’s skirt.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
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