A pair of identical twin sisters from Los Angeles have come up with a bizarre way to make money – they’re ‘sleeping’ with superhero figurines and then selling each one for a whopping $333. In a bid to boost sales, they’re also posting highly suggestive photographs on Instagram of each night spent with a figurine.
Allie and Lexie Kaplan, 22, are working in collaboration with ‘The Most Famous Artist’ Matty Mo, who rose to fame after making $50,000 in one weekend by selling cash on Instagram. The figurine collection, named ‘The Boys Toys’, features seven fictional characters – Batman, Mario, Pikachu, Yoda, Chewbacca, The Hulk, and Darth Vader. The sisters revealed that they purchased the figurines for a total of $130 from LA’s Toy District and are selling each one for $333. According to The Most Famous Artist online shop, they are all sold out.
“Each ‘Boy Toy’ is signed on the tag and includes a signed Certificate of Authenticity sealed with kisses and a framed picture of us with the ‘Boy Toy’. And yes they smell like us,” the twins wrote on Instagram. “We are taking over @themostfamousartist this week to launch our new project ‘Boy Toys’. We slept with each one of them and have the pictures to prove it. This week we are going to tell you all about each ones dirty little secrets.”
Naturally, the twins have received lots of criticism for ‘oversexualizing’ themselves in an attempt to make money. But Mo came out in their support, stating: “If you sexualize an object even as simple as a children’s toy enough, all of a sudden it becomes desirable. While the Kaplan twins have been scrutinized for oversexualizing themselves, maybe it’s playing the game of oversexualizing themselves that will help them be successful. In doing so they can also make fun of their roles and maybe satirize the types of buyers who will play into that gender role.”
The twins, who have bachelor’s degrees from New York University, primarily describe themselves as artists. Through their oil paintings, where the subjects are celebrities, they explore the concept of identical twin identity. Their ‘Celebrity Sex Scandal’ series sprang from this idea, and their most prized work to date is their Kim Kardashian Superstar painting. “The image is just so iconic and we’re fascinated with celebrity culture and exploitation as a part of that culture,” the twins said, speaking to Nextshark. “Celebrities capitalize off of their own fame and reputation through social media channels and other media attention. Kim used a sex tape to make herself a household name; she took advantage of this idea of celebrity and did it best.”
Through their work on the paintings, the Kaplan twins became fascinated with the idea of exploiting their own sexuality and using it to their advantage in art. And they seem to be well aware of the pitfalls of their work as well. “Through our work we may come across as narcissistic to some, we view it instead as a form of ‘reproduced selflessness,’ as the work we make is not about the self or ego, but about the other or alter ego,” they wrote on their website. “Additionally, we use ourselves as the subject in almost all of our works as a sort of narcissism and objectify ourselves to study the concept of self, mass media’s reconstruction of reality through shock and spectacle, and the seduction of abjection.”
With Instagram making a big impact on their work, the sisters hope to change how people associate artwork with the artists and eventually make a name for themselves in the world of art.
Photos: Kaplan Twins/Instagram
