As establishments slowly reopen in some affected countries, some stores came up with a clever idea to promote social distancing while creating a “normal ambience” for their customers. For instance, a Vietnamese restaurant owner in Thailand decided to place stuffed animals at each table to keep diners company; while a German cafe asked customers to wear pool noodle hats for social distancing.
However, one Korean football team that’s trying to recreate a fun and normal atmosphere for everyone received public backlash instead of praises. LADBible reported that the fans who were watching the game between 2016 K League winners FC Seoul and Gwangju FC noticed that the mannequins on the former’s side were not the ones everyone usually sees in boutiques or storefronts. Some people even pointed out that the mannequins actually bore an uncanny resemblance to sex dolls due to their busty breasts and nipples.
On Twitter, writer Devon Rowcliffe said that the team in question “inadvertently used sex dolls rather than fashion mannequins to help fill empty stands.”
2016 K League winners FC Seoul inadvertently used sex dolls rather than fashion mannequins to help fill empty stands this weekend. The club has apologised. Both the club and the supplier are pointing fingers at others. (It's not just COVID-19 you need to avoid catching!) #kleague pic.twitter.com/59rSU8XxYL
— Devon Rowcliffe (@WhoAteTheSquid) May 17, 2020
After realizing that their attempt had caused more harm than good, the team released a public apology on their official Instagram page.
“We would like to apologize to the fans. We are deeply sorry about the mannequins that were seated during the May 17, 2020 match.
“However, we would like to clarify that while these mannequins have been made to look and feel like real humans, they are not for sexual use – as confirmed by the manufacturer.
“We had them supplied by a company named Dalcom, which claimed they are clothing mannequins. We double, triple checked that they are not for sexual use.
“Prior to supplying them to us, Dalcom had these mannequins returned from its streamer management label. In this process, they had been given names of the streamers. That is the only reason there is an association with the streamers. We failed to check up on this part and that is indeed our fault. We apologize.”
Although the team has already clarified that it was purely unintentional, some Twitter users still can’t help but ask whether it’s their way of getting more people to watch. If it is then “bad publicity is still publicity”, right??
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