Over the weekend, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show took place. All of the models looked beautiful, but some ugly comments were made.
"Does the brand think about diversity? Yes. Do we offer larger sizes? Yes… Shouldn't you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don't think we should." Mr Razek said. He continued to say," 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," BBC quotes.Mr.Razek would be more than happy to make bigger sizes, but why not showcase them? I personally recently stepped into the modeling world and the more I have educated myself, the more I've noticed inclusion. More brands are straying from the "supermodel" standards, why isn't Victoria's secret? With all due respect, I've worn my Pink/Victoria's secret apparel to the gas station; I don't view it as some exclusive/high fashion. AVERAGE people wear Victoria's Secret/Pink, so why don't average people model it?
I'm incredibly average, I'm five foot five (barely) and a size four; I'm no Victoria's Secret Angel. However, I understand that average is a very abstract concept; transwomen are average, plus-sized women are average. These average people are wearing Victoria's secret; by wearing the clothes, they are representing the brand, such as the models. If Mr.Razek truly thought about diversity, average women would be included in the fashion show.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Victoria's secret is a brand that appeals to the middle class. You can find a Victoria's Secret at almost any mall or outlet; it isn't exactly "high fashion". If this man claims this show is such a "fantasy" why is his lingerie/apparel so affordable/available to the average person?
I'm cisgender and a size four, one can easily say "you shouldn't be offended by this". I am. In 2018, we should be passed transphobia and body shaming. In my humble opinion, Mr.Razek made the biggest business mistake of his life. He made it very clear that he does not care about diversity. Though the opinion of a broke, freelance model, in college means nothing to him, I can say with confidence that he is absolutely wrong. I predict that within the next year, Aerie will be getting a lot more business than Victoria's secret because of the comments he made. I don't think a huge decline in sales was apart if his "fantasy", but that's just the price he will have to pay.
