Early last month, RSA debuted the the first in a series of three videos for Agent Provocateur. The first, called The Initiate, focused on a guy and two women frolicking in bed. The agency’s descriptive puffery aside, we liked the spot. It does what any good lingerie spot is supposed to do. Make you believe you, too, can be as sexy as the people in the ad if only you slap some Agent Provocateur on your ass.
Now, RSA is out with the second installment in the series. Entitled The Muse, this ad features a model, French actress Mylene Jampanoi – also featured in the first video, sitting in Renaissance era garb as an artist paints her. Of course, paint her isn’t the only thing the artist does to her. After adjusting her clothes a bit, mostly to further reveal her undergarmants, he embraces her as Jampanoi flashes the camera a knowing smile.
The ad appears to have rubbed the Huffington Post the wrong way saying they don’t like “the way the male artist ogles the female model as she just sits there, motionless and helpless.”
Point taken but of course she’s just sitting there. She’s a model being painted. Moving around would make it a bit difficult for the artist to paint her. And as for the notion Jampanoi is somehow helpless and, perhaps afraid, her smile at the end confirms she’s all in on the artists ogling and handling of her.
Hey, this is a lingerie ad. There’s bound to be some sex in the equation, right?
