A viral video of a woman standing next to mannequins at a clothing store in a Dubai mall has triggered social media debate, with critics accusing the store of "modern world slavery". The clip, shared on Instagram by the model herself, shows her posing next to the mannequins at the store of apparel brand Manto Bride at Dubai Festival City Mall. The woman, who goes by Angelina on Instagram, stood on a platform at the front of the store, wearing one of their dresses and stiletto heels. She continuously changed poses, hoping to draw the attention of passing shoppers.
The video shared by the model swiftly gained momentum on Instagram, amassing over 13,000 views and hundreds of likes. However, it was Lovein Dubai's repost that propelled the video into the limelight, racking up an impressive 559,000 views and nearly 10,000 likes.
"POV (point of view): Marketing in Dubai," a text insert on the clip read.
The video has sparked a discussion on social media. While some people found the marketing strategy to be a very clever idea, others thought it was "very downgrading and tasteless".
"This is inhuman. I'm sure her feet hurt like crazy and when we have regular dummies why do we even need this?" wrote one user. "They'll get the easiest and prestigious jobs done from AI and the most controversial and challenging ones from humans. Shouldn't it be the other way around?" commented another.
"Everyday we find new ways to embarrass ourselves," posted a third user. "Why was she dressed like that? If she was placed there, at least dress her appropriately. Families and children are around this is not a nightclub," expressed one user.
However, despite criticism, some social media users paised the model for her efforts. "Everyone saying this is slavery inhuman uncomfortable bla bla just like everyone else we all have our own discomfort at work we all get some pain whether it's on foot back hands whatever she's getting paid just like we get plus think about the security guards in the malls they standing all the time too! Don't baby everyone we all are struggling and thats what makes us strong," one user wrote.
"She can do whatever she wants! Why judge?" commented another.