Kim Kardashian’s latest Skims spectacle, a massive 60-foot blow-up doll of the 44-year-old co-founder lounging in Times Square, aimed to hype the brand’s new swimwear collection, but the internet’s dunking on it instead. Unveiled Tuesday, per Vibe, the balloon strutted a sky-blue Skims bikini, echoing Kim’s Bahamas shoot, and stayed up until March 5 under the eye of parade guru Amy Kule, just before the March 6 swimwear launch. While Kim’s Instagram reel from the beach shoot scored love (minus the odd “Free Tory” shouts), her Times Square stunt flopped hard; one critic even sneered, “It looks embarrassed to be there.”
Undeterred, Kim flaunted her inflatable twin in an expired Story, gushing, “OMG…I can’t believe there’s a 60-foot float of me in SKIMS Swim in the middle of Times Square,” but X users weren’t buying it, with one jabbing, “#NYC is so broke they let #KimKardashian buy a 60-foot installation,” and a local griping, “It was disturbing and unnecessary, especially with kids around.”
Controversy’s no stranger to SKIMS, though—Kim’s been dodging flak since day one, like when the brand’s original name, Kimono Intimates, sparked outrage for disrespecting Japanese culture, forcing a rebrand. Fast forward to March 2025, and Newsweek reports the menswear promo caught heat for spotlighting male athletes during Women’s History Month, with critics lamenting the missed chance to feature female basketball stars—though some fans clapped back, defending it as a smart plug for the new men’s line. From the Times Square fiasco to past PR stumbles, Kim’s bold moves keep stirring the pot. So, is this 60-foot float a marketing slam dunk or another SKIMS swing-and-miss? You tell us—drop your take below!
Undeterred, Kim flaunted her inflatable twin in an expired Story, gushing, “OMG…I can’t believe there’s a 60-foot float of me in SKIMS Swim in the middle of Times Square,” but X users weren’t buying it, with one jabbing, “#NYC is so broke they let #KimKardashian buy a 60-foot installation,” and a local griping, “It was disturbing and unnecessary, especially with kids around.”
Controversy’s no stranger to SKIMS, though—Kim’s been dodging flak since day one, like when the brand’s original name, Kimono Intimates, sparked outrage for disrespecting Japanese culture, forcing a rebrand. Fast forward to March 2025, and Newsweek reports the menswear promo caught heat for spotlighting male athletes during Women’s History Month, with critics lamenting the missed chance to feature female basketball stars—though some fans clapped back, defending it as a smart plug for the new men’s line. From the Times Square fiasco to past PR stumbles, Kim’s bold moves keep stirring the pot. So, is this 60-foot float a marketing slam dunk or another SKIMS swing-and-miss? You tell us—drop your take below!
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00:00Kim Kardashian's making a splash with Skims in Times Square, unveiling a jaw-dropping blow-up doll of the 44-year-old co-founder in a unique marketing effort to promote the shapewear brand's latest swimwear collection.
00:12But the internet's not impressed. Let's dive in.
00:16According to Vibe, the 60-foot balloon, complete with Kardashian's curves and likeness, was unveiled on Tuesday, lying on its side with its face covered and its curves draped in a sky-blue Skims bikini.
00:28Replicating an outfit from Kim's recent bikini photoshoot.
00:31While the mom-of-four's Instagram reel, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the beach shoot, was mostly met with love and support once you get past the free Tory comments, the larger-than-life doll in Times Square is not being received as well, with one critic stating,
00:46But Kim didn't let the haters stop her from proudly sharing her lookalike in a now-expired Instagram story which read,
01:00And the internet continued to criticize the reality star's marketing move, as one ex-user jokingly wrote,
01:05NYC is so broke they let Kim Kardashian buy a 60-foot installation at Times Square.
01:10Vibe reports the curvaceous balloon, overseen by Amy Coole, veteran producer of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and 4th of July fireworks, will stay up in Times Square until Wednesday, March 5th, coming down a day before the official launch of the new Skims swim collection, available March 6th.
01:27Hopefully giving New York residents some peace, as this ex-user stated,
01:43Like Kardashian herself, Skims has been hit with controversy from the beginning of its time, as reports state Kim received backlash for the brand's original name, Kimono Intimates,
01:53due to what critics saw as disrespectful to Japanese culture, prompting the reality star to rebrand as Skims.
01:59And according to Newsweek, in March 2024, Skims' Men Wears promo was hit with criticism, as fans shared their thoughts around a missed opportunity to feature female basketball players, as some pointed out the promo was done during Women's History Month.
02:13On the other hand, fans did defend the Skims' March All-Star promo, pointing out she featured male athletes to specifically promote her new men's line.
02:22But what do you think? Is Kim's 60-foot float a genius marketing plan, or just another Skims misstep? Drop your take in the comments below, and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.