diptych # 207 / civilized ku # 3062-63 ~ something to THINX about

subway station poster ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen
late night subway riders ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen
late night subway rider ~ New York, NY • click to embiggen

One never knows what one might encounter / see during a late night NYC subway ride ...

... late Tuesday evening, around midnight, while returning to Manhattan from Brooklyn (where Hugo and I had attended a Penguins / Islanders hockey game) on a nearly empty subway train / car, I encountered a scene of loneliness and (perhaps) desperation, and, somewhat surprisingly, some truly beautiful art. I feel no need to explain / expand upon what the late night subway riders diptych depicts. However, the art in question calls for a little more information.

Upon disembarking from the subway train in Manhattan, I came upon 10-12 large posters for THINX, a company which makes underwear for women with periods - a product which TIME magazine named to their list of the 25 Best Inventions of 2015. The posters were in a (2) word(s), stunningly beautiful. iMo, a prime of example of advertising art which rises to the level of Fine Art (for many reasons beyond just how they look). As a matter of fact, I am making an inquiry to the company about acquiring a copy of the pictured poster (or maybe the pink grapefruit one - see it in ADWEEK article link below) in order to frame it and hang it on a wall in my house (note to wife - Surprise! And, no, I'm not kidding).

Not surprisingly, when the posters were first introduced, they were deemed by the company which sells subway ad space to be "inappropriate" and they rejected the posters. However, the company's objection was eventually made mute by the NYC MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) when a spokesperson for the agency said simply, "Of course they will be approved." (you can read 2 short articles about the hullabaloo on ADWEEK and Slate).

See more THINX posters.