This lingerie advertisement hasn\u2019t just scared the pants off its viewers \u2014 critics have also begun blasting the brand on social media, alleging the racy promo promotes Satanism.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The video aims to promote the brand\u2019s \u201c666 Club\u201d line, and begins with the message, \u201cDon\u2019t forgive them, father, for they do know what they do,\u201d \u2014 a riff on \u201cForgive me, Father, for I have sinned,\u201d said at the beginning of confessions in the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The clip has earned about 64,000 views and a flurry of angry comments on the\u00a0Instagram upload, which Honey Birdette captioned \u201cFeeling a little devilish? Enter this way .\u2009.\u2009.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat in the satanism,\u201d said one commenter, while another remarked \u201cWhat\u2019s next .\u2009.\u2009. child sacrifice?\u201d<\/p>\n
Others soon followed: \u201cWhy the blatant Satan worship? Who is paying you?\u201d said another, while another, more matter-of-fact, said, \u201cHuge fan of the brand but really don\u2019t enjoy this marketing choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith everyone going through COVID, we just wanted to stimulate people,\u201d Honey Birdette\u2019s founder, Eloise Monaghan, said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s time to have some fun and we need to do that visually at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Honey Birdette releases a Halloween-themed campaign each year, and this year\u2019s 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 \u201cKukuro Leopard,\u201d which has leopard-print bras, bottoms and bondage kits, and a garter belt set priced at $315.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cKukuro is the bondage set that has 14 different sex positions you can use it with,\u201d said Monaghan.<\/p>\n
But sex wasn\u2019t on the mind of the online critics.<\/p>\n
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