For so long, society saw lingerie and boudoir for only the skinny, tall, and big breasted women. It was such a false sense of reality, a finger on the pulse of 1% of people, yet advertised to 100%. The amount of money spent, body image issues caused, emotional hurt and abuse women put themselves through (myself included) to try and look like what Victoria’s Secret wanted me to… is ridiculous.
And guess who Lady Victoria Secret actually is…
He’s a dude. From Ohio. And I promise you… long, tall, and blonde does not describe him.
Let me tell you a little story:
A middle school girl went shopping with 2 of her friends on a Saturday morning. Both girls (skinny from birth, athletic, tall, and beautiful), wanted to go into Victoria’s Secret. Now the girl (overweight, had thyroid issues, beautiful but didnt know it yet), instantly felt anxious walking into the hot pink, overly scented store. The two friends headed right to the bra section. Knowing full well nothing would fit her, the girl searched for the sweatshirts, praying they would have an XL. Unfortunately, the stores only carried up to a large (which was hard to find), and even that wouldn't fit over the girls head. Feeling defeated, the girl looks over to see her friends both being helped by women who looked just like the models plastered all over the walls. The entire time the girl was in the store, she was never even approached. Not once. The tall, beautiful women wearing tape measures and hot pink shirts barely even glanced her way. In fact, the only time she was acknowledged was when she was headed towards the door. And even then, I’ll say the looks she got were not good ones. The girl went home, in tears, determined to lose weight. Her life is plagued with body image issues, comparison problems, and insecurity.
That is not how her story ended, thankfully, and that is not this generation.
I am excited and proud of how far the normalization of female bodies has come. EVERY body is beautiful, and a lot (I dare say most) brands have accepted that. This new "era" of Victoria's Secret emphasizes body positivity, but is it enough to forget the decades of damage caused? Does this rebrand feel like a ploy to just stay in business? What do you think?
At Enfoque, we believe there is no specific body or certain type of woman that boudoir/lingerie is for. Beauty is not confined to a box, and it shouldn't be anywhere. ESPECIALLY not here. We want YOU, whoever you are, however you come. We see your beauty, and we want you to see that too.
Major shout out to musical artist Jax, who recently released a song called, “Victoria’s Secret”, that brings a lot of the controversy and major issues to light.
If you need us, we will be blasting it through our office.
“God, I wish somebody would've told me
When I was younger that all bodies aren't the same\
Photoshop, itty bitty models on magazine covers
Told me I was overweight
I stopped eating, what a bummer
Can't have carbs in a hot girl summer
If I could go back and tell myself
When I was younger, I'd say, psst
I know Victoria's secret
And girl, you wouldn't believe
She's an old man who lives in Ohio
Making money off of girls like me”
-Jax (2022)
