Dive Brief:

• Some retailers are beginning to use more realistic mannequins in an attempt to give customers a better idea of what a clothing item might look like on them.
• Among the more realistic details: Wider hips and waists, tattoos, pubic hair, and even sagging breasts and back fat.
• According to a study by NPD Group Inc., 42% of consumers surveyed said seeing an item displayed on a mannequin influences their purchasing decisions, falling only behind friends and family members as an influencer.

Dive Insight:

Could we be seeing the beginning of a movement back toward the hyperrealistic mannequins of the 1960s, when retailers invested in hair and makeup models for mannequins based on celebrities like models Twiggy and Donyale Luna? Probably not, as it seems this new breed of more lifelike mannequin is going for a different "realism" entirely. 

Whether consumers connect with the reimagined mannequin is another questions entirely. The fact of the matter, however, is that consumers do come in all shapes and sizes, and research shows that the display pieces do influence buying decisions. So maybe these retailers are onto something.

But the realism does reach a point where it just kind of starts to creep us out.