Tokyo: Department store cancels ‘Thighs Exhibition’ following online outrage

TOKYO (TR) – A department store chain said last week a photograph exhibition on women’s thighs has been cancelled after questions were raised about the subject matter, including whether minors were used as models, reports Nikkan Sports (Mar. 2).

On March 2, Marui Group said that “World of Women’s Thighs Exhibition,” which was scheduled to be held at its outlet at JR Ikebukuro Station in Toshima Ward between March 9 and 26, has been cancelled for “a variety of reasons.”

According to Bacon, the company behind the exhibition, it was to include about 500 photographs taken by photographer Yuria that show the thighs of women in various revealing settings. Some photographs depict women lounging in bed, while others show what appear to be young girls wearing swimsuits and school uniforms.

After Bacon issued a press release announcing the exhibition last month, social media erupted, with some persons claiming the content was not suitable for pubic consumption and others questioning whether some of the subjects were minors. “[The event] should not be held in a department store where various people come and go,” one person wrote online.

“We would like to offer an apology to our customers for any inconvenience we may have caused,” Marui Group said on its web site.