Group of journalism students pose in an erotic calendar proclaiming their love for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Group of journalism students pose in an erotic calendar proclaiming their love for Prime Minister Vladimir PutinWhat do you get the politician who has everything? A group of journalism students decided to offer Russia's prime minister an erotic calendar starring themselves.
Lingerie-clad students from Moscow's most renowned university have posed in an erotic calendar proclaiming their love for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who turns 58 today.
The calendar, called Vladimir Vladimirovich, We love you. Happy Birthday Mr Putin, features 12 women wearing only underwear and pouting at the camera with saucy slogans.
The women are all named as journalism students at the Moscow State University and a spokeswoman for the faculty confirmed that the models study there.
RisqueThe tone is set by the front cover, where a plunging neckline and copious cleavage is captioned "We love you!" (My vas lyubim).
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Clad in a black lace negligee, Miss March, Lena Gornostayeva, wishes Putin a happy birthday with the message, "You put out the forest fires, but I'm still burning."
Journalism faculty spokeswoman Larisa Bakulina slammed the calendar as a "work of erotic tastelessness."
"We are not happy that they used the brand of the journalism faculty,"she said.
One of the creators of the calendar, Maxim Perlin (22), a producer at a patriotic Internet television channel, said that he put it together with a publisher, Vladimir Tabak.
The models posed for free, he said claiming the calendar had an empowering message.
"The idea of the calendar was to show girls who are not simply models who turn up for 100 dollars, but girls who have some political opinion, who have already achieved some success," he said.
Asked why the models were in underwear, he said, "In my opinion it's more beautiful and more interesting."
Fast selling50,000 copies of the calendar went on sale on Tuesday at Auchan hypermarkets, Perlin said. "We hope it will have some commercial success."
Yesterday, a stack of the calendars, costing 260 rubles each (Rs 400) was on sale at a hypermarket on Leninsky Prospekt in southern Moscow.
Designer Antonina Shapovalova, a leader of Nashi pro-Kremlin youth movement, in 2008 created a line of girls' thong knickers with the slogan "Vova, I'm with you," using a nickname for Vladimir Putin.
Past loveSuch displays of affection by beautiful women for male political leaders have come from the Hollywood set. Marilyn Monroe had sung Happy Birthday, Mr President for JFK. The second was the image of Lauren Bacall atop President Truman's piano.
