Luxury lingerie brand Honey Birdette, which once prided itself on having high-end products “by women, for women,” changed its slogan to “a luxury brand for all” and posted an ad featuring a male clad in a bra and panties.
On Wednesday, Honey Birdette shared a photo to its Instagram account, where it used male model Jake DuPree to market its new “RUBY” 3-piece lingerie set. In the photos, DuPree struck a few poses while clad in a red bra, thong, and matching stockings.
The caption for the brand’s post stated, “Red curtain moment! @jakedupree stars in the RUBY 3 piece set.”
At some point, the caption was edited and given a lengthy update, adding, “Honey Birdette fosters an inclusive and diverse environment, and we will continue to use our voice to empower and support the LGBTQ+ community, women, and anyone who wants to feel fabulous in our lingerie.”
“While thoughtful and constructive discussions are important to push culture forward, hate speech and bullying will not be tolerated on our channels. Comments of this negative nature will be deleted,” the brand added. “@jakedupree, you are so talented and have our full support!”
Honey Birdette must have received its fair share of backlash, as the brand later shut off comments for the post, making it so that users can no longer share their opinions.
A quick look at DuPree’s personal Instagram page reveals that the male model is no stranger to strutting around in women’s underwear.
DuPree, who has “they/them” and “non-binary” in his Instagram bio, describes himself as an international burlesque performer, fitness host and instructor, as well as “lingerie lover.”
He also posted a photo of himself modeling the luxury brand’s “RUBY” lingerie to his personal Instagram account, alongside a caption that suggests he received criticism over his Honey Birdette photoshoot.
“Days like this are tough, but I’m tougher,” DuPree wrote. “Thank you for so much love and support today! I heard from so many of you, and I genuinely appreciate all your kind words… and some funny comebacks that really made me laugh.”
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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