JCPenney: Our 'Period Skirt' is Bloody Brilliant!!!

JCPenney is defending its "period skirt" to the max, touting it looks good any time of the month.

The chain is now responding to criticism that the design on the fabric looks like a woman bleeding out as she strolls down the street ... seemingly unaware she's attracting sharks.

The store responds, "We think it's a fab skirt for any time of the month. Period."

Now for what we think is the real story. Penney's new CEO, Marvin Ellison, has vowed to rebrand the struggling chain, making it more modern. He's already made strides, and you gotta believe someone in his brain trust mentioned the design would be slammed by angry women.

Here's the other side ... Ellison clearly knew the skirt would attract attention, so at least to us it seems like a clever plan from the get-go.