Source: NYpost.com
USA – This lingerie advertisement hasn’t just scared the pants off its viewers — critics have also begun blasting the brand on social media, alleging the racy promo promotes Satanism.
Honey Birdette, an Australian label with several stateside locations in California, released a roughly one-minute-30-second advertisement on Sunday, which shows a red devil seducing a scantily clad model dressed in a red one-piece with straps and hooks.
The video aims to promote the brand’s “666 Club” line, and begins with the message, “Don’t forgive them, father, for they do know what they do,” — a riff on “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned,” said at the beginning of confessions in the Catholic Church.
Filmed in Sydney in September, the red-filtered shots also show the model walking through an orgy, in which same-sex couples wearing bondage gear kiss.
The clip has earned about 64,000 views and a flurry of angry comments on the Instagram upload, which Honey Birdette captioned “Feeling a little devilish? Enter this way . . .”
“What in the satanism,” said one commenter, while another remarked “What’s next . . . child sacrifice?”
Others soon followed: “Why the blatant Satan worship? Who is paying you?” said another, while another, more matter-of-fact, said, “Huge fan of the brand but really don’t enjoy this marketing choice.”
The fire began burning last week, when Honey Birdette offered a quick online preview of the ad, with brand officials telling The Post that ticked-off viewers went into Australian store locations to see if they actually do worship Satan. But they brushed the backlash off.
“With everyone going through COVID, we just wanted to stimulate people,” Honey Birdette’s founder, Eloise Monaghan, said in a statement. “It’s time to have some fun and we need to do that visually at the moment.”
Honey Birdette releases a Halloween-themed campaign each year, and this year’s video took inspiration from a Berlin nightclub full of models in latex, leather and chains. The 666 Club collection includes seven looks, one of them named “Kukuro Leopard,” which has leopard-print bras, bottoms and bondage kits, and a garter belt set priced at $315.
“Kukuro is the bondage set that has 14 different sex positions you can use it with,” said Monaghan.
But sex wasn’t on the mind of the online critics.
“Holy f - - k in hell wtf did you ladies of honeybirdette sell your poor soul to the devil during this pandemic?” wrote another. “Next scene: these beautiful ladies are sacrificing underage little girls and drinking their blood wtf.”
“There’s always someone who’s got a problem with sex, isn’t there?” Monaghan said in the statement regarding initial criticism. “Anyone who doesn’t fancy women being empowered to use their sexuality is generally who the complainers are.”
Not everyone took to Instagram with complaints centered on Satanic allegations. One person sought to challenge those critics.
“If any of ya’ll actually sat down for like 2 minutes and actually learnt what Satanism is and not stick to whatever the f - - k you have been taught you’d probably get some enlightenment oddly enough,” wrote one user.
Others offered support.
“Favourite collection ever hands down,” said one. Another, more descriptive, said, “People are so triggered while I’m over here panting like HOT HOT HOT f - - king YES.”
Meanwhile, a user named @naughty_little_vixen, said “The Devil just gives it that forbidden touch of SIN.”
