There's definitely a social commentary wrt fashion and how it influences human behavior. That's the whole premise of the show.

There's also very explicit gratuitous fan service obviously intended to titillate a predominantly male audience, and characters who exist to make meta-commentary on that titillation.

There's also a theme of "working within the system to undermine it" which runs throughout the show.

I don't think the question is "Was this tasteless on purpose?" but "Was the purposeful tastelessness a benefit to the show?"