Window displays for Victoria’s Secret are stirring up a storm - some see this racy and provocative marketing campaign as a little over the top.

Victoria’s Secret stores in McLean, Va., and Wauwatosa, Wis., are targets of the latest clothing controversy. Local residents are railing against scantily clad — and provocatively posed — mannequins: women on all fours, others intertwined on a bed, still others in “garters and whatnot, and the only thing missing is a whip,” says Stan Zurawski, who’s leading the charge in Wauwatosa.

It’s a familiar cycle: Retailers ratchet up the raunch because they want to be edgy. Concerned shoppers react with neighborhood meetings and protests, and the company tones things down. (Remember the now-defunct Abercrombie & Fitch catalog that showed topless models?)

In McLean, concessions have meant, among other changes, straightening up and flipping around a thong-wearing mannequin whose largely bare derriere had greeted passersby. (Opponents are still not satisfied: A second protest is planned for today after a gathering Friday drew 40 to 50 people.)

In Wauwatosa, a reclining mannequin has been turned over so that its thong-clad bottom is no longer “mooning” the window, as Zurawski put it. But that’s “absolutely not good enough for us,” he says.

What makes this episode interesting is that Victoria’s Secret is straining the seams in a fashion climate that’s more about modesty: Bodies are largely shrouded this season by demure, ladylike looks.

Edginess is what Victoria’s Secret fans like, says retail consultant Candace Corlett of WSL Strategic Retail. “Good for them for smart marketing,” she says. And, in responding to the outcry, “good for them for having a conscience.”…

On Wednesday, Hebron explained the company mission: “All we’re trying to do is market what we sell. You see bras and underwear. That’s lingerie. That’s what we sell.”

Some mall customers don’t see what the fuss is all about, either. McLean patron Karimah Hatcher calls the controversy “ludicrous … Is someone supposed to find that sexy? It is not a real woman.”

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