Steve Madden uses models as mannequins in their Delhi store. Talk about objectification!

meet the #Maddenquins. Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Steve Madden India

Usually, when you walk past a high-end store, you don't exactly expect a big crowd of people to be standing outside, thrillingly gazing at the window display, instead of shopping, right?

Well, if you happened to visit Delhi's Select Citywalk mall on December 10 or 11, you must have come across this peculiar scene outside the Steve Madden store.

No, they were not giving out free pairs of shoes. And no, it wasn't about a 70 per cent discount on the shoes or an exciting announcement the brand had made. It was because the window display of the brand seemed rather dynamic.

One could see the moving mannequins standing inside the purple-coloured window box, which was partially blacked out to cover the upper bodies of these seemingly unique dummies.
No, those weren't some battery-operated, moving mannequins. Steve Madden used real human beings instead of mannequins.

Yes you read that right. They were models who were getting paid Rs 3,500 per day to pose in the brand's best designs for two full days.

And all this to give the buyers a feel of how their exquisite designs would look on human feet. One of the members from the marketing team described it as a "dynamic and unexpected experience" and was quoted as telling Catch News, "Mannequins are designed to reflect how a real person looks, the live mannequins were an extension of that thought."

Extension of that thought? Really? The only thought that came to the mind after seeing their display was that of the Amsterdam's infamous night clubs.

Actually there's one more thought that it evoked: May be it's time for Steve Madden to revamp their marketing team. Because you know what? Even though the models weren't being forced to stand all day like caged animals in a zoo, and they couldn't hear the nasty comments thanks to their sound-proof cage--the entire idea behind doing so makes us sick to our stomach.

Yes, brands resort to weirdest publicity gimmicks to grab attention, but it can't get worse than objectifying human beings to "create a lasting memory in the minds of the buyers".
And by the way, giving this horrendous gimmick a fancy hashtag of #maddenquins won't help.