Victoria's Secret is catching much-deserved heat for openly claiming that trans and plus-size models have no place on its runways.
The brand isn't exactly famous for its progressiveness, and it never has been. While other fashion brands work to add more sizing options and diversify their runways, Victoria's Secret has had pretty much the same look for the past two decades. It's a brand for skinny, white, blonde cisgender women.
So while it's not surprising that Victoria's Secret won't hire plus-size or trans models or add larger sizing options to its stores, it's a bit surprising that the company is so open about it. Chief marketing officer Ed Razek, 70, recently gave a statement on the topic to Vogue.
“It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should," Ed admitted. "Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.”
The statement has provoked an outcry against the company. As one astute commenter put it: "This is what happens when you have a 70-year-old man running a lingerie company."
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Victoria's Secret is one of the most popular apparel brands in the world, but its success has been on the decline for the past few years. That's because the company can't seem to catch up with the times.
While most brands are working to build more inclusive runways and stores, Victoria's Secret refuses to get on board.
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The company's attitude on diversity has been made pretty clear by its actions — it offers a narrow set of sizes in stores, and its runways are full of size 2 models who are mostly blonde and white. Clearly, inclusivity is not much of a priority here.
According to a recent statement from the company's chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, Victoria's Secret fully intends to keep things that way.
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Ed talked to Vogue about the brand's approach to diversity, specifically when it comes to transgender models, plus-size models, and inclusive sizing in stores.
"I think we address the way the market is shifting on a constant basis. If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have. We invented the plus-size model show in what was our sister division, Lane Bryant," Ed began.
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"Lane Bryant still sells plus-size lingerie, but it sells a specific range, just like every specialty retailer in the world sells a range of clothing," he continued. "As do we. We market to who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world.”
Refusing to market to a huge percentage of the population who would gladly give you their money if you did — an interesting approach!
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Ed continued, "I don't think we can be all things to all customers. It is a specialty business; it isn’t a department store."
That makes sense, except that Victoria's Secret is available in every mall in every town in the country.
Still, he went on to imply that he can't think of a real good reason to include more types of women in its runways or stores.
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"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?" he said.
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And lastly, Ed addressed the issue of hiring trans models, particularly for the yearly Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
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"It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? 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," he said. "It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.”
And who could possibly want beautiful trans women in a 42-minute-long "fantasy"?
A lot of people, as it turns out.
In fact, more and more women of all sizes, genders, and colors are demanding inclusivity and representation from their fashion brands. Some brands see that, and they are starting to give the people what they want.
But not Ed.
Many people spoke out against Ed's comments, including several well-known trans models, like Munroe Bergdorf.
"Trans women are just as attractive as cisgender women and to say we aren't is just his personal opinion," Munroe told Nylon.
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Model Geena Rocero wasn't entirely surprised by Ed's remarks but does think that his refusal to change will come back to bite him.
"We've all known that Victoria's Secret is way behind when it comes to inclusive representation of race, body, and gender diversity," Geena told Nylon. "It's not possible to survive if you don't adapt, it's basic law of nature that applies to business models as well, especially in the ever-changing consumer and tech-based mass consumer market."
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As Munroe put it: "Women want to feel empowered, sexy in who they are, not who a brand tells them they should be. If a brand isn't changing with the times, then they may be here for the now, but their days are numbered."
Plus-size model Tess Holliday agreed.
"I guess maybe Victoria's Secret doesn’t like money, because there’s a lot of money left on the table," she told Teen Vogue.
Indeed, Victoria's Secret's financial reports seem to imply as much.
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After the backlash, Ed Razek backpedaled on his own comments and gave a half-hearted apology on Twitter.
"To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show," he wrote. "We've had transgender models come to the castings… And like many others, they didn't make it… But it was never about gender."
For many people, the apology is way too little, too late.
Some advocates, like Tess, recommend that people buy from other, more inclusive lingerie brands instead.
"As much as I want VS, who’s the biggest lingerie retailer, to embrace plus size and more diverse body types, it's also important to give your time, focus, and money to brands who are actually doing what you want to see," Tess said.
On the other hand, one trans model has just one thing to say to Victoria's Secret: "Challenge accepted."
"They said they don’t need us, but I know they do," model Teddy Quinlivan told Them. "I’m excited to see a trans woman prove herself capable of being there because I know it will happen."
