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Between its teen idol singers and the debate over when a women linguistically stops being a “big sister” and starts being an “auntie,” Japan has long held youth to be a critical component of classic beauty. That attitude might be slowly starting to erode, though. Not only are we living in an age where models in their 40s can sell bikini DVDs, women who’re past the four-decade mark can also star in lingerie ads, as shown in these videos.

Model and media personality Risa Hiroko first became interested in the show business industry while watching Charlie’s Angels as an elementary student. And no, we’re not talking about the movie that came out in 2000 or the short-lived 2011 TV reboot, but the original television series that aired in the 1970s.

Hiroko began modeling at the age of 19, and celebrated her 44th birthday in February. While she’s at an age where many in her line of work start finding themselves with less and less time in the spotlight, Hiroko just finished filming a new commercial, and it’s steamy enough to shatter the myth that there’s an expiration date to a woman’s attractiveness or sex appeal.

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There’s actually a reason Hiroko is strutting through an airplane cabin while dressed as a flight attendant (two reasons actually, if you count the fact that Japan has a soft spot for the outfit). The Tokyo native is the spokesmodel in Japan for the American Genie line of bras, and the commercial is for the newest model in the seamless, wireless series, the Genie Bra Air.

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And just to show there’s more work than goes into modeling than sticking a camera in someone’s pretty face, here’s a second video documenting the making of the ad.

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In keeping with Genie Bra’s image of comfort, the background music playing throughout the commercial is titled “Be Free,” and the Japanese slogan encourages women to “Free yourself.” Male viewers, ironically, probably find themselves feeling rather captivated.

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Source: Field Caster
Top image: YouTube/fieldcasterjapan
Insert images: YouTube/fieldcasterjapan (1, 2)