Lingerie brand Victoria's Secret is attempting a comeback after its downfall last year. People finally had enough of the fatphobic and transphobic CEO, Ed Razek. Once a public outrage commenced, the annual fashion show was canceled and sales plummeted.
Now, as announced by The New York Times, Megan Rapinoe and Priyanka Chopra will become brand ambassadors and new faces, rather than supermodels like Adriana Lima.
Trolls Come For Rapinoe
Online trolls are coming for Rapinoe specifically, but her fans aren't standing for the treatment. Jessica O'Donnell, a conservative social media editor for The Blaze, tweeted against Rapinoe's role in the revamp.
She posted, "What PR agency suggested this garbage? women want to look like the Angels. no one wants to look like megan rapinoe."
We would understand the criticism about better inclusion for different body types, but we can assure her that plenty of people would LOVE to look like Rapinoe. The editor quickly defended herself, claiming that VS customers are curvy and want to look like curvy women, rather than athletic women.
The whole issue in the first place regarded the lack of intersectionality within Victoria's Secret. That's not to body shame well-known models of the brand, they're gorgeous. The disconnect resided in a singular body type marketed as ideal. Athletic builds deserve to feel sexy, as do curvy ones.
Another critic via Twitter didn't shame Rapinoe's body, but rather on the ongoing lack of realistic bodies within VS campaigns, "Seems like VS has been marketing to men for decades instead of actually making pretty, quality undergarments that fit women who are not size 6."
A Step In The Right Direction
Others hope that this drastic change will also step away from appealing to the male gaze. In the past, women often felt pressure to measure up to Victoria's Secret models.
Instead of feeling empowered to look and hone their sexuality, they were fear mongered into amusing the men in their lives, to be a Candice or a Chanel.
As seen via their social media, Victoria's Secret is centering The VS Collective around activists and entrepreneurs as well as models. The same people who are criticizing Rapinoe's involvement are the same ones who assume that reality can't combine with magic.
A woman can still wear a bombshell bra without being assumedly shallow. In the same way, women who prefer minimalist lingerie shouldn't have to feel like they're keeping up with the lacy Joneses.
