Whether you wanted it or not, the official sequel to the Wren Studio fashion film First Kiss is here. Although the new short, titled Undress Me, shares a few qualities with its predecessor — it stars professional pretty people, it was shot in artsy-looking black and white, and so on — the biggest difference is that it’s not a fashion film. Instead, Tatia Pilieva’s latest creation is a promotion for the Showtime series Masters of Sex.
My feelings about this one are a little more complicated than they were when it came to First Kiss. I knew that one was an ad, and as I have said before and will undoubtedly say again, I don’t have a problem with manipulative advertising because I think advertising is inherently manipulative anyway. But Undress Me… feels a little weirder. Kissing is one thing, but generally I don’t like to get naked in front of people until I, y’know…know them. Not in the biblical sense; I mean in the literal, “Do I know who you are and have I spent a significant amount of time with you?” sort of way. It’s a comfort level thing, but that’s just me personally. Hopefully all of the participants here were willing ones.
In some ways, though, Undress Me might be a more effective advertisement than First Kiss. For one thing, it’s much more transparent about its motives, with Masters of Sex branding being tastefully but firmly plastered all over it; and for another, the subject matter of the video is directly related to the thing it’s promoting. Although, like Gizmodo, I think the whole thing is a lot more uncomfortable and awkward than First Kiss was, at least we can’t complain that it’s pulling the wool over our eyes or trying to sell us clothing without letting us know that it’s trying to sell us clothing.
As Adweek pointed out, though, Undress Me is even riper for mockery and parody than First Kiss was. Humorists and comedians? Bring it on. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Image: Tatia Pilieva/YouTube
