Figure 1 – Mannequins: Contrasting pairs #2. IPhone photograph.  (c) DE Wolf 2016.

We have spoken before about this trend in retail for mannequins to lose all facial features and even to become headless. So I wanted to post, as the second in a series of contrasting pairs, photographs of two mannequins, one faceless one with appealing visage and even painted-in catch-light. Interestingly, these were taken at the same store. One window had the fully anthropomorphic mannequins and the other the faceless ones. I am even wondering if I Photoshopped out the arm to shoulder joint whether she could be mistaken for human. So what is the point? At one junture in their history mannequins were meant to be human like in their appearance. Now the opposite is true. And maybe a part of this is the political correctness of not assuming racial, ethnic, or national type. Still it gives you a little emotional jab to see them dismembered, stripped of clothing, and then rudely dressed – with no concern for possible humanity. Perhaps this is a metaphor for how we treat each other.