Live Models

My fiancee and I decided to go to the mall on Saturday to walk around and get some delicious Chick Fil-A. We walked in and went in to the pet store (which, incidentally, is closing -- sad story) and then headed up to the food court for lunch. When we were finished we walked around the mall for a while. As we walked, we were shocked--appalled--at this new phenomenon of live models in store windows. Has anyone else seen this? I have heard about some stores in high-end shopping areas doing this, but I have to say that I hadn't seen it in action until this past weekend. My younger brother told me once that while he was shopping he was asked to be a window model at a Hollister store. He respectfully declined the offer. I didn't realize how alarming this was until I actually saw it first person.

The thing that was alarming wasn't even the fact that there were live models in the windows. It was the number of stores that were all of a sudden doing it. We counted at least 4 stores that featured live models in the store windows, including Bandolino and Express. It was not only creepy and disturbing, but a little sad. The first store we walked past that featured them, we were just commenting on how real the models looked when one of them moved. This evoked a "Holy shit" reaction from both of us. Then we passed another store with them. We looked across to the other side of the concourse and saw yet another storefront that featured the live models. We didn't really know what to think. I felt bad for the girls (they were all girls, btw) but at the same time, they didn't look unhappy. Of course, they were trying not to move, although some of them couldn't keep a straight face to save their lives.

The other question that I thought of was: how were these girls selected for the stores? When we walked into the mall initially, it looked like there was some kind of fashion show going on. Did these girls model for the stores, who then selected, kickball-style, which girls they wanted to model in their windows? And is this a permanent thing? I hope not, because it's downright creepy and I feel bad for anyone that has to subject themselves to standing in a window front displaying their body (whether fully clothed or not--thank God there weren't any Victoria Secret window models; now that would have been uncomfortable) for other people to try to sell a company's clothing. It just seems wrong doesn't it? Has anyone else experienced this and if so, what is your opinion on the matter?