Skims Body Inc

The seamless, poreless, sanitized effigy of a capitalist titan was a startling piece of marketing for Skims.Last week, for a very brief moment, something unusual appeared in the middle of Times Square. It wasn’t a marquee announcing the latest TV celebrity joining a Broadway show, or a billboard featuring a lingerie-clad model. And it wasn’t one of those cartoon mascots — the costumed Disney princesses, cowboys and space creatures — who pose for photos with tourists.And yet, it combined aspects of all the above. For two days starting on March 4, a 60-foot rubber, inflatable version of Kim Kardashian — America’s leading celebrity-sexpot-corporate icon — occupied this famous plot of land. Nearly nude save for a tiny blue bikini, Balloon Kim was there to advertise the new swimsuit collection launched by Ms. Kardashian’s fashion line, Skims.Balloon Kim held court from an elevated platform emblazoned with the Skims label. She lay on her right side, knees slightly bent, in a pose that emphasized the figure’s torso and maximized the exposed surface area of her body. Just one part of this figure resisted our gaze: Her face, which was obscured by her raised arms, crossed at eye level, as if shielding her from a tropical glare.Of course, the March sun in Manhattan barely glares at all. But the same cannot be said of the hordes of passers-by, who stared and took photos of this massive, pool-float version of the glamorous billionaire. At any given moment, dozens of people perched around the perimeter of the platform, cellphone cameras aloft.The face of Balloon Kim was obscured.Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesYou might think such a scene — lines of strangers ogling an exposed female body lying in the middle of the street — would feel unsettling or prurient, like the opening of an episode of “Law and Order.” Instead, the atmosphere felt mildly jovial, as people exchanged amused glances, shrugged, and snapped photos. Nothing untoward was happening here, because Balloon Kim seemed protected from any personal transgression. Naturally, being 60 feet long helped. This creature was more invincible giantess than damsel in distress — with the onlookers resembling Lilliputians discovering Gulliver.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More