Recently, the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret Brand Chief Marketing officer Ed Razek admitted that the brand has no plan to cast transgender and plus-sized models to walk on their annual fashion show. In a recent interview, Razek shared his sentiments whether the brand will cast transgender or plus-sized models on their future shows. Regarding casting plus-sized models, he mentioned that is what their sister division Lane Bryant is for.
“If you’re asking if we’ve considered putting a transgender model in the show or looked at putting a plus-size model in the show, we have. We invented the plus-size model show in what was our sister division, Lane Bryant. Lane Bryant still sells plus-size lingerie, but it sells a specific range, just like every specialty retailer in the world sells a range of clothing. As do we. We market to who we sell to, and we don’t market to the whole world.” He explained.
On the other hand, a lot of people were unhappy with Razek’s statement on casting transgender models. He said that they the brand is not expected to cast transgender women as it is not part of what the show aims to do.
“It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? 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.” He said.
This statement made a lot of people disappointed with the brand, especially the transgender community. They argue that the brand has its shortcomings when it comes to diversity and inclusivity as for many years Victoria’s Secret has been casting only slim built women.
It was indeed an insensitive thing to say especially to transgender women who face a lot of discrimination and unacceptance. Representation truly matters in all aspects as it is a way to empower and make people understand what these different people go through.
While Victoria’s Secret does have its shortcomings when it comes to representation, it is undeniable that they are slowly doing their part to cater diversity through the models they cast the past years. This year, they made an effort to cast the first Filipina model, Kelsey Merritt as well as the first model with Vitiligo, Winnie Harlow. Indeed, Victoria’s Secret has a long way to go, and hopefully they would include not only women of all ethnicities but also women of all shapes and forms.
After all, Victoria’s Secret is not the most political brand there is. We must also understand that they have been doing these shows the way it is but has been making efforts towards diversity and inclusivity. It does have a point that each brand does not cater to everyone and at the same time brands that choose to market to everyone deserves to be supported by many.
This is not a perfect society after all, and the journey towards it is not an easy process. It takes time.
