Victoria's Secret Hires Its First Plus-Size Model Following Past Controversy
A Bad History With Inclusivity
Lingerie brand Victoria's Secret hasn't had the best track record with inclusivity. The sizing is rather limited, and L Brands' chief marketing officer Ed Razek stepped down after making pretty heinous comments in Vogue in 2018.
"I don’t think we can be all things to all customers. It is a specialty business; it isn’t a department store. I’m always asking myself: If we do that, what is the reason we did it? Why did we include that person? And did we include them to shut up a reporter? Did we include them because it was the right thing to do or because it was the politically correct thing to do?"
"Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader. They don’t talk about each other. I accept that. I actually respect it. Cool. But we’re nobody’s third love. We’re their first love. And Victoria’s Secret has been women’s first love from the beginning."
Their First Plus-Sized Model
Victoria's Secret announced this week that Ali Tate Cutler would be featured in their new campaign. At a size 14, Cutler is the first plus sized model to ever represent the brand.
Too Little Too Late?
Cutler told Inside Edition:
"I definitely think that they're heading in the right direction with this. The average size of a woman in America is a size 14 and it's indicative of the people that they're selling to."
While this is a good step forward, many people pointed out on Twitter that it might be too little too late from the massive brand. A size 14 is barely considered plus sized, and the line still doesn't cater to most plus sized consumers.
Seems Insignificant Compared To Other Brands
When you look at the inclusivity of other brands like Rihanna's Savage X Fenty line, this move from Victoria's Secret feels like tokenism to many.
