A funeral home in Russia is doing its part to make its business a little sexier, enlisting a group of scantily-clad models to pose with coffins and help promote its services.
A 42-second clip for Horonim.ru that feature the models has made the rounds on Instagram and Tik Tok since being uploaded last week. The clip has been labeled as "tasteless" and even "blasphemy."
But of course, it's also worked famously for Horonim's mission of promoting the mortuary, which provides funeral services "for all categories of citizens."
“Why do we need nude women to advertise something so private and somber?” asked one aghast commenter, who then suggested that the service was “advertising for death.”
“The real horror is that people have lost all boundaries,” chimed in another. “The world has gone mad.”
Horonum.ru's 29-year-old social media manager, Albert Mazzafarov, created the campaign.
“My work is connected with the mournful events that happen in the life of every person, so I, as a specialist in such a difficult field, can help in the quality organization of the funeral,” Mazzafarov said, according to one video’s caption translated from Russian.
While much of the hubbub seems like harmless online outrage, the New York Post points out that Russia recently enacted an indecency law, which is designed to crack down on people who unlawfully post racy images taken at religious or state buildings.
One influencer who posed naked for a photo in front of a church could face jail time for the stunt. It's unclear if a private business is subject to the same scrutiny, per the law.