A giant, faceless nude mannequin sprawled across the shop floor is not exactly what most customers expect when they pop in for a bodysuit. Photos of Kim Kardashian posing on the sculpture inside her Chicago Skims store have gone viral, only not for the reason her team probably hoped.
Fans have skipped past the outfit and gone straight for the store. A Reddit thread has emerged with complaints about a 'dungeon' atmosphere and unsettling lower-level rooms. The debate boils down to one blunt question: is Skims' art-gallery approach to retail good for business, or is it putting real shoppers off?
Why Do Fans Say the Skims Chicago Store Feels Creepy?
The photo that kicked it all off shows Kim reclining across an enormous, headless nude sculpture on the store's first level. It is stark white, oversized, and entirely faceless.
Skims has long leaned into a minimalist, skin-toned aesthetic, but pairing that look with a sculpture this size seems to have tipped the space from sleek into unsettling for some.
One highly upvoted comment called the store 'extremely dark and sterile' and joked about the 'giant ass body' coming to life on a night shift, describing the scene as 'Five Nights at Skim's,' a play on the horror-game title. Others debated whether the store felt more like a horror set than a place to buy shapewear.
Is the Skims Chicago Store Really Like a Dungeon?
The sculpture isn't the only thing drawing criticism. One commenter who appeared to be describing a personal visit wrote that the store was 'like a dungeon in there', saying the lower level felt 'horrible' and 'super weird', with photos showing Kim on the first level and a stairwell down to the bottom floor.
Another user agreed there were 'so many weird rooms' downstairs, and the first commenter called that lower level 'unsettling and weirdly dim'.
The thread was not entirely negative. One user said the employees were 'SO nice' despite the surroundings, suggesting any frustration is aimed at the design rather than the staff.
Supporters could argue the unusual look does exactly what high-concept retail is meant to do, generating images and conversation. Critics might counter that an art-installation atmosphere clashes with the practical business of browsing and buying clothes.
The thread cannot prove the design is hurting sales, but it reveals a clear disagreement over what a Skims store should feel like.
Will the 'Dungeon' Backlash Hurt Skims' Expansion?
At its core, this comes down to what a Skims store is for. Kim's brand has built its identity around bold, high-concept visuals, and the sculpture gives the Chicago store a distinctive look. But if shoppers experience the space as dark, strange, or hard to navigate, that choice may generate attention without creating a comfortable place to shop.
Improving the lighting on the lower level or creating clearer connections between the different floors could address the complaints without compromising the store's character. For now, the evidence comes from a single Reddit thread rather than a wider social media backlash, so it remains to be seen how far the 'dungeon' label travels beyond that.
As Skims keeps expanding its footprint, the question is whether future stores repeat the gallery-style approach or adapt it to feel more welcoming. If the faceless sculptures and dim lower levels keep showing up, the brand will be signalling that visual impact is prioritized over customer comfort.
