Lizzo Questions More-Inclusive Return Of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
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As a brand, Victoria’s Secret has fallen behind the times in terms of embracing body inclusivity in both their sizing and marketing, losing much of their clientele to newer brands such as Savage X Fenty and AdoreMe.
Four years after their last major runway show, Vicky Secrets is returning to the catwalk in 2023 with a more diverse array of both looks and models. Body-positive advocate Lizzo, however, has a few questions.
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“This is a win for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake,” the “Special” singer shared on Twitter Sunday as she re-posted the news.
“But if brands start doing this only because they’ve received backlash then what happens when the ‘trends’ change again? Do the CEOs of these companies value true inclusivity? Or do they just value money?” the artist pondered.
https://twitter.com/lizzo/status/1632379676566999040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1632379676566999040%7Ctwgr%5Ec067bf713cfaddcce3332970adaf7ddd5a3f3d20%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bustle.com%2Fentertainment%2Flizzo-victorias-secret-fashion-show-return-doubts
News of the upcoming runway show stems from Victoria’s Secret CFO Timothy Johnson, who shared during a quarterly earnings call (via Retail Dive), that more money will be spent on marketing in 2023 to build brand awareness and to “support the new version of our fashion show, which is to come later this year.”
As recently as 2018, however, Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek stood by only hiring thin, cis models to walk the runway, telling Vogue the show is based in “fantasy.” Following the backlash, Razek stepped down, allowing for the brand to move in a new direction.
“When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond,” said CEO Martin Waters at the time. “We needed to stop being about what men want and to be about what women want.”
On it’s corporate website, Victoria’s Secret also provides a statement asserting that integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion “into everything we do is not just the right thing to do – but is critical to driving performance and doing well for our associates, customers and communities.”
