In a move that may feel a little unsettling to any fans of Black Mirror, PrettyLittleThing has now unveiled its very first virtual model, a faux fashionista said to be on a mission to bring shoppers "into the virtual world".
The model, which is set to evolve and develop over time, will be able to showcase "a range of emotions", ensuring she is as "relatable and real" to PrettyLittleThing shoppers as possible.
Creative director, Toni Hayden has hailed her as "a true ambassador for the brand", with a lifestyle "based on our customer's interests, likes, and dislikes".
However, as lifelike as she may indeed appear to be, many have wondered why the brand simply didn't hire a living, breathing professional model.
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Taking to Instagram, PrettyLittleThing revealed images of their latest' recruit', inviting followers to think up a suitable name for her. However, many were left feeling rather alarmed by the announcement, with particular concern shown about the future job prospects of flesh and blood models with bills to pay.
One sceptical shopper suggested: "How about you guys hire an aspiring POC model instead of virtually creating one?"
While another wrote: "So y’all giving virtual models a chance before giving real women the opportunity?"
Others took issue with clothes being advertised on a virtual body, concerned that this wouldn't give an accurate representation of what items would actually look like when worn around actual torsos, arms and legs.
In one widely liked comment, a disapproving fan wrote: "No coz I need to know how it’s gon look on me in real life. Not in anime."
And someone else declared: "You can't compare the body of a virtual thingy to that of a human".
A number of other fashion lovers were simply a little weirded out by the "uncanny" appearance of the almost realistic model, which has been described in turn as "terrifying", "creepy" and contributing towards "creating unrealistic expectations" for women.
In a statement given to The Mirror, a spokesperson for PrettyLittleThing said: “The launch of our first virtual model is PLTs first step into the metaverse. We understand that our Gen-Z customers have a strong interest in the virtual world, and this is not to replace our current existing models that feature across our website.
"We will be looking to design more models in our new ‘virtual’ world to show different shapes, sizes, and ethnicities".
The spokesperson confirmed that there are "no plans to stop using human models across our e-comm platform", stating that the company takes pride in "being at the forefront of social media and keeping up with social trends we know our customers are interested in".
They also went on to clarify that the virtual model's measurements have been detailed on the brand's website, ensuring that "customers can view a size guide as we do with our regular models”.
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