VICTORIA'S SECRET: RACY OR RACIST
So Victoria's Secret are copping a lot of flack of late, rightly or wrongly, and there has been lots of accusations of racism flying around. The accused are both members of store staff and, the designers behind the lingerie itself.
Firstly, the 2016 show (filmed in Paris on 30th November and aired on CBS on 5th December) was met with a broad amount of criticism from members of the public and well-known fashion and media publications including Cosmopolitan and Teen Vogue, based around cultural appropriation and the brand's use of references from indigenous cultures and traditional motifs. For example; one strutted down the Paris runway wearing a Chinese Dragon (in place of the more traditional set of Angel Wings).
'Cultural appropriation is a term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. It is in general used to describe Western appropriations of non‐Western or non‐white forms, and carries connotations of exploitation and dominance.' - Oxford reference - See Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and the rest of the gang sporting cornrows... Strangely Cosmo have since deleted their article but issued no statement around its disappearance.
The second incident occurred when a black female customer of the Alabama VS store (whilst being viewed live on Facebook) was ejected from the shop, as another black female was discovered to be shoplifting. Kimberly Houzah was visibly distressed by being 'affiliated' in such a way, purely because of the colour of her skin. Read the full article and watch the video here.
The Washington Post reports 'At first there was outrage. Kimberly Houzah told everyone watching her Facebook Live video to boycott Victoria’s Secret. She pledged to call the store’s corporate headquarters and report the racist behavior she’d just been subjected to. She told her friends that she’ll never set foot inside the store again, even if “I’m down to my last pair of drawers.” Then, she began to sob.'
We have since heard the Store Manager in question has been dismissed for their actions.
At The Bra Bible we absolutely do not agree with prejudice of any kind. However in our formidable experience, the bras at Victoria's Secret leave much to be desired in terms of fit, fabric quality and price-point. So we believe it is important to consider your future purchases based on your own opinions as a Bra Bible Reader, having reviewed all the information available to you.
Photo credit: www.victoriassecret.com
