River Island debuts bizarre 'depressed' display mannequins

High street retailer River Island have debuted a new merchandising mannequin with a bizarre depressed appearance.

Images of the mannequins were first circulating on Twitter by author Sarah Giff, who tweeted they look “like they’re hungover in the shower thinking about their life choices”.

The mannequins are sat on top of displays and are crouched in the foetal position looking glum look and destitute.

Publications ranging from the BBC to Dazed have described the mannequins as “goth”, “depressed” and “hungover."

When the BBC asked the high street chain why their models look so morose, they said, “River Island likes to keep the shopping experience interesting, fresh and different for our customers - with distinctive in store displays, which we change and update regularly... We always welcome customer feedback and aim to reflect their views in our stores.”

River Island stated the mannequins, which are thin, pale and hold an existentialist pose, have been used for some time, but are only in two stores, in Manchester and Dublin.

River Island isn't the first high street shop to have the wellbeing of its mannequins questioned. In 2014 some called one of H&M's displays, featuring dummies hanging from the ceiling, "extremely frightening".

Photo credit: Author Sarah Giff Twitter