'Better late than never': Victoria's Secret receives 'reluctant' praise for size-inclusive rebrand

·3 min read

Looking for more celebrity and entertainment news? Sign up for Yahoo Lifestyle Canada’s newsletter!

Victoria's Secret's inclusive campaign wins
Victoria's Secret's size-inclusive campaign wins "reluctant" praise. (Image via Victoria's Secret)

Victoria's Secret's long overdue size-inclusive rebrand is earning praise on social media.

The renowned lingerie brand, that has faced heavy criticism in recent years for perpetuating unhealthy and unrealistic beauty standards, has seemingly changed its tune. While many think it's "too late" to get on the body-positive bandwagon, others are applauding the company for finally welcoming models that represent bodies of all shapes and sizes aboard.

On Tuesday, Victoria's Secret earned some "reluctant" praise via Instagram after sharing a promotional video for their Semi-Annual Sale campaign that featured plus-size models.

The video immediately prompted a variety of reactions from followers, some of whom were skeptical of the brand's about-face towards inclusivity.

"I'm giving this my reluctant praise because, yes, it's so great that they finally clued in that the Victoria's Secret 'fantasy' was dated and out of touch with the new and improved beauty standards set by younger generations," one commenter wrote. "But I still can't fully give my support because we all knew how resistant the executives of the brand were about being inclusive. Like, yes — better late than never, I suppose. But I'm still skeptical because it kind of just seems like they're only doing this to pander to a 'woke' demographic. Not because they actually want to be inclusive."

Click here to sign up for Yahoo Canada's lifestyle newsletter.
Click here to sign up for Yahoo Canada's lifestyle newsletter.

"I really appreciate how diverse this video is. Glad you made some changes," another Instagram user commented.

"Well, only 20 years too late," wrote another. "But better late than never, right?"

Despite their attempts at a more body-positive brand image, many people weren't willing to let Victoria's Secret forget the years the brand promoted a singular body type: thin.

"I love that you guys are finally using realistic models," someone else chimed in. "It's really too bad that you already tainted your reputation by putting tall, slender women on a pedestal, influencing women with regular bodies to hate themselves and think they don't fit the 'fantasy.' I will personally not be buying, but at least you're trying to get in touch with body positivity."

"Finally. Inclusive models with real bodies," added another. "Instead of forcing a 6-foot tall, 90-pound, size-zero woman with breast implants on us like it's 2001."

Back in 2018, Victoria's Secret faced major backlash after the chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, told Vogue why plus-size and transgender models weren't welcome on the roster.

“Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should,” Razek said. “Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is. It is the only one of its kind in the world, and any other fashion brand in the world would take it in a minute, including the competitors that are carping at us. And they carp at us because we’re the leader.”

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter.