The Victoria’s Secret fashion show, which was recorded on November 8, aired last night. Victoria’s Secret is increasingly seen as a relic of women dressing for men’s pleasure, and the brand is losing market share as a result. There were no plus-sized models on the runway, there were no transgender models, and to add insult to injury their 70 year-old Chief Marketing Officer, Ed Razek, made some really obnoxious comments about their lack of inclusion. He said, in part, that people ask him “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.” The term transsexual is considered outdated and is not a preferred term. What’s more is that this is obnoxious. He also said that Victoria’s Secret can’t “be all things to all customers,” complained about being “politically correct ” and said, of the lack of plus sizes and models of all shapes and sizes, that their sister brand Lane Bryant existed for that. Ok then, we don’t have to buy their products either then, thanks for letting us know.
Singer Halsey performed at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. After it aired, she issued the following statement on her Instagram about the show’s lack of LGBTQ inclusion. Halsey has been open about her bisexuality and this was personal for her.
View this post on Instagram
???? @GLSEN – glsen.org?
A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey) on Dec 2, 2018 at 7:06pm PST
Commenters are complaining that Halsey took Victoria’s Secret’s money and still did the show, but that’s not the timeline as she clearly states. The show was taped on November 8th and the comments from the CMO came out after that. She probably had very specific contractual requirements and was afraid to speak out against VS prior to it airing. Plus she didn’t want to overshadow the show before it came on TV. She waited and that’s completely understandable. Ultimately Halsey did the right thing. I wish she would have mentioned VS’s lack of plus-sized inclusion too, but maybe that’s implied. Plus she focused on the one issue and reached out to transgender people. We need more celebrities and everyday people to stand up for what’s right and decent. Respect.
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