Giant Kim Kardashian balloon blots out New York skyline

The provocative inflatable, mirroring the reality star’s recent bikini photoshoot, has sparked significant backlash from New Yorkers.

This is one cheeky ad.

A 18m long balloon body double of Kim Kardashian suddenly appeared in the middle of Times Square this week — and shocked New Yorkers with its barely there blue bikini and 4.6m high replica of the reality TV star’s butt, which drew hordes of selfie-taking gawkers.

The massive inflatable installation appears to be a marketing stunt for Kardashian’s latest SKIMS clothing line, with the balloon’s skimpy blue swimsuit mimicking one the 44-year-old donned in a recent Bahamas photoshoot.

A steady stream of onlookers were drawn to the display Wednesday, almost all of whom immediately whipped out their phones to commemorate the outrageous sight.

The Post observed several families passing the giant SKIMS ad, including one father who took a photograph of his young daughter in front of the balloon.

Once he snapped a few pics, the young girl switched places and took flicks of her father.

Tina Mitsogolu of Hell’s Kitchen was commuting home when she stumbled upon the giant Kardashian, snapping a picture she sent to friends with the caption “why…”

“It’s silly! I don’t even know what we’re selling at this point,” the admitted “Kardashians” fan, but non-SKIMS customer, told The Post, adding that the display just seems “vague.”

The location of the display in Times Square — which draws up to 300,000 pedestrians per day — is another question.

The balloon bikini mimicked one sold on the SKIMS website for $88. Picture: Getty

“For the centre of Times Square, I don’t think it belongs here. But there’s worse things in Times Square too. We have the naked cowboy walking around. He might have less clothes than her,” Mitsogolu, 27, said.

Co-workers Amanda Hernandez, 34, and Alison Cohen, 31, were also split on whether the display was appropriate for the bustling area, which is a popular spot for families and young children.

“I don’t know, a woman in a bikini is not something that is X-rated or anything like that,” said Hernandez of New Jersey, who said she wouldn’t have tried to avoid the balloon if her 9-year-old daughter was in tow that afternoon.

The bikini shown off on the balloon is a replica of a $88 set available on the SKIMS website — advertised to “make a sexy statement” and “bring the heat”.

“I can see both sides, but it’s a woman on brand, right? It’s supposed to be empowering women, so I want to take it that way, but I can totally see a man being, ‘Where are the strippers? Is this a stripper?’”

Cohen, of Chelsea, agreed, adding that the display was “innovative” because of the controversy it was bringing.

“It’s absurd. This is another level. But to me, that’s part of the nature of Times Square. You see things that are right on the edge of being acceptable or not,” Cohen said.

Leslie of Nashville, however, wholeheartedly disagreed.

The mother of three was disappointed to see the scandalous balloon as she walked through Times Square with her family Wednesday.

Kim also modelled the bikini in a recent photoshoot. Picture: Instagram

“I don’t like it,” said Leslie, who asked to only be referred by her first name, before turning toward her two daughters and son: “Do ya’ll think that’s inappropriate?”

All three shook their heads “no.”

“It doesn’t bother me that much, but it’s just like, ‘Oh, great’.”

For Andrew Petrecca, the towering Kardashian was “funny, yet jarring.”

Petrecca, 24, and his brother William, 22, posed in front of the balloon for a picture — which was taken by their mother, Tina. The threesome were visiting the centre from Montreal when they stumbled upon the advertisement.

“If I show that picture to my friends, I’d be like, ‘look how funny this is, because it’s so out of place in the middle of Times Square, and someone really thought it was a great idea to inflate this. It just talks a lot about the state of marketing, which is a lot of shock value,” said Andrew. Tina, however, disagreed with her son: “I don’t think it’s appropriate, but I think for Times Square, anything’s possible. It’s shocking, not surprising.”

This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.

Originally published as Giant Kim Kardashian balloon blots out New York skyline