First Kiss

The first kiss video seems to affect its audience in either one of two ways, you’re left wanting to pull your own genetically-superior stranger in for a cheeky snog after watching Tatia Pllieva’s 3 and a half minute advert, or like me, brought up on the back of the kind of modest British-ness that implores us to redden at any sign of pda, you feel an implicit impulse to be embarrassed at the whole idea of it. A marketing ploy that bares a striking resemblance to St Valentine’s Day itself.

From the get-go of the short-lived but massively popular Facebook sharing fling, I was fascinated that a black and white short film depicting super-hot models giggling as they kiss ‘for da first time’ had gained so much social-media attention, although I’m also fascinated by the popularity of The Notebook, which is essentially the same thing set to a rose-tinted 1940s backdrop. After I watch for the tenth time to try and ‘get it’ (for research purposes and not for the hot guy at the start), I feel frankly bored and numb, however, if you haven’t yet had your eyes opened by these sexy anons, may I suggest you skip straight to 1:45, for the most awkwardly neck-breaking kiss evz.

Going all out on this ever-pressing cultural issue to understand why people dig this sentimental shit, I watch the Story behind the “First Kiss” video on YouTube to investigate what the brand behind the sensation, LA-based clothing label wren, had envisaged. After a couple of the groomed but rugged models (one has tattoo sleeves and the other has big eyebrows, phwoar) describe the bittersweet furore of their YouTube kisses with oozing confidence, founder and creative director of wren, Melissa Coker suggests that the popularity of the film stems not from our fascination with watching good-looking people touch each other but from audiences abilities to relate their own butterfly-inducing experiences. Looking through the YouTube comments on the original video, it appears a lot of people do get a tingly sensation out of it; DesmondLetsPlays, the first commenter I clock, writes ‘It’s magic feeling to see this..:’)’. Now hey, as an 18 year old, perhaps I haven’t reached the prime of my life which will surely be brimming with hot sober allusive snoggin’, but as I recall my own first kiss, which, in stark contrast to the videos depressingly swooning vocals, was in such awkward silence I can still hear the sound of our slopping chops resonating, and would probably look more suited to crackling home footage than that captivating HD b&w, I just can’t see it.

It appears there is still hope for civilisation however, not everyone is experiencing heart palpitations from an ad for a brand which looks like Zooey Deschanel might regard its clothes as proper, with dozens of parodies appearing on Youtube – from dogs finding lurv at first sight to first hand-jobs and motorboats. My favourite of course, is Vice’s effort, paying 20 randoms off the street to acquaintance their tonsils with each other in front of the camera. Strangely enough, watching Vicky, who works ‘round this area, grip her match in for a good old peck, and even an old perv in a dressing gown purr, my skin doesn’t crawl from the same sheer amount of cringe as it does at the advert. This is what normal people look like when they kiss, this is raw, man.

Nevertheless, As Cent Uygur points out on The Young Turk’s discussion of the original video, however fraudulent and ultra-glossy the smooching in this short film may be, it is actually a marvellous tactic for a small-time brand to start gaining some status, for an advert, it’s proved itself to be a pretty good one.

Which brings me to ponder the idea that if strangers slurping keeps you awake at night, then hats off to you, even if it is via a ‘creative’ advert, which has its moments of being quite charming, in a society where almost everything has a money-generating purpose.