Victoria’s Secret Ads Promote ‘The Perfect Body’—and People Are Pissed
October 30, 2014 by admin
Filed under Choosing Lingerie
Photo: Victoria’s Secret
Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret has never been known for being inclusive when it comes to a wide range of women’s bodies in its ads (most of us don’t look like Candice Swanepoel or Behati Prinsloo, let’s be real), but its latest ads featuring a bevy of supermodels with the accompanying text “The Perfect Body” have people pretty upset.
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The ads have sparked outrage since their debut, by proclaiming women have to strive for an unhealthy ideal, and now there is even a petition on Change.org, started by a UK-based university student Frances Black. “I just think it’s a really, really damaging message to send to young women,” Black told The Telegraph. “A brand like Victoria’s Secret is hugely popular in America and in the UK, and they mainly market to young women. It’s really hurtful to women’s self-esteem. I’d like them to apologise and take accountability for choosing the wrong words for the campaign. I’d like them to amend the wording and pledge not to use such harmful language in the future.”
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The petition, which already has hundreds of signatures, is worded: “Every day women are bombarded with advertisements aimed at making them feel insecure about their bodies, in the hope that they will spend money on products that will supposedly make them happier and more beautiful. Victoria’s Secret’s new advertisements for their range of bras Body use this tactic, and send out a damaging message by positioning the words ‘The Perfect ‘Body’’ across models of exactly the same, very slim body type.”
Do you think the ads send a damaging message to women? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
