Victoria's Secret: Not So Angelic
Written by Candace Friday, 30 May 2008 00:00
Once upon a time I ran across a post where someone said that Victoria's Secret "just sells cute underwear." Having a background in marketing and advertising, I felt prudish for even thinking that companies should consider the impact their advertising has on consumers. Was I wrong?
To me, women’s underwear is never “just underwear.” If it was, they would make it white, plain, and boring. Instead, companies spend countless hours trying to come up with a sexy product and innovative ways to sell it. And I realize that companies have to show their product in order to be competitive. But why do they always stick to sex is what sells? What ever happened to good-old fashioned, raw, natural, BEAUTY?
While many other companies remain decent in the selling of their products - models are fully covered actually wearing the product they’re selling, aren’t posed seductively, and in some stores like American Eagle’s Aerie line, there are no models at all in the lingerie - Victoria’s Secret on the other hand, has chosen to make their product no Secret, and certainly not Angelic. It's simply ironic that they believe these words are symbolic of their product.
As one of the largest lingerie moguls in the world, Victoria's Secret ought to have enough creativity to find other ways to advertise their product instead of reverting to the cliche of "sex sells." For starters, they could try not putting giant posters in their store display windows with models posing in the nude and not even wearing the “cute underwear” they’re supposedly selling. Or they could try not putting these same images on billboards and commercials. Or they could try not having their annual Angels show during prime time TV. What straight woman, the supposed consumer of the bras & panties, wants to watch half naked women strut their stuff anyway?
Maybe you don’t care. But as Christian women, I think we should care about what our money is contributing to. The mall shouldn’t have to be an uncomfortable place for anyone. It should just be about shopping, not another ground for a mental battle for our brothers in Christ. It’s one thing if they go out looking for it. It’s quite another to have it pushed in their faces unasked for. And not only do Victoria’s Secret’s advertising campaigns stand out for their hyper-sexualized themes and contribute to the sexual objectification of women, they also contribute to low self-image among women as they find themselves coming up short to the standard of perfection. That goes for both big girls, and thin, "less endowed" girls.
So let's face it: There are other places to buy our underwear from. I already mentioned one above, and several department stores, like Dillard’s and Macy’s, also offer high quality products without the risqué advertising. So why are we rewarding the company with common decency issues by shopping there? By our desire to be sexy?
Sometimes, Christ calls us to lay down our own desires for the sake of helping others: “Romans 14:21- "It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak..." There are alternative places to shop. Don’t give into the hype that this is the only place to buy necessities. And until they change their style, maybe we should take a break from the "Secrets" of Victoria.
UPDATE: Since we started a petition and boycott against the store grabbing over 900 signatures from both men & women, Victoria's Secret has heard us and changed their ads! Check out the story on FoxNews published September 3rd, 2008!
 Candace Perry | |
| About the author: | |
Candace is 26 and lives in Colorado. The founder of PurityPeople.com, while not perfect, she thanks God for protecting her purity all these years and still hopes her first kiss will be on her wedding day (or at least engagement). She enjoys hiking, singing, ballroom dancing, hip hop dance, and worshipping her Savior. You can often find her checking her Facebook mini-feed, ROFLOL to Kenan & Kel re-runs, and Snorkie crooning (that's baby-talking to her schnauzer-yorkie mix for those of you who might be lost). Speaking of LOST, she's a diehard fan of that among other shows from this century. | |
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