As the Victoria’s Secret franchise gets ready for its 2018 fashion show I have noticed that their lineup is immensely diverse. Almost half of the models come from Asian, Black, or Hispanic descent, so hooray for that. However, I have also noticed that this year along with every single previous year, no plus size women earned a spot. So much for diversity.
Considering that Victoria’s Secret is a company that makes clothing up to size XL, they obviously have in mind that two out of every three of their customers wear a size 12 and above. However, it seems as if they don’t want to represent or acknowledge the majority of customers. Don’t they think it’s time for the annual fashion show to reflect that also?
This year’s show has already been labeled “more diverse than ever,” but can they really say that when not one of the 52 models is plus size? Is it because designing clothes for curvy and plus size women can require more expertise? Or is it because they feel like plus size women or curvy women aren’t sexy enough? Do they think bigger women should be ashamed of their bodies? Because that certainly seems to be the message I’m receiving.
Victoria’s Secret obviously wants to make profit by offering a range of sizes that include plus size women, but god forbid they make them a part of their “look.” If the marketers were smart they would set aside their pride and not only include plus size women in their fashion show but ensure that all women, regardless of size, can find a product they like.
It would only be logical since the plus size fashion industry happens to be growing faster than the women’s apparel industry as a whole. But, I’m pretty sure Victoria’s Secret already knows that. They are just refusing to represent plus size women while still expecting and wanting them to buy their products.
Yet, they wonder why they haven’t been making as much profit. The brand itself is complicit in its own demise.
It’s safe to assume that a significant amount of the nations women don’t fit into Victoria’s Secret’s idealistic standard of the 0-12 range. So it would only be logical that these women are represented.
I mean honestly, how hard is it to incorporate plus size and curvy women into a fashion show? Victoria’s Secret’s profits have already been declining over the years and their sales will just continue to plummet if they don’t make changes. So many other fashion franchises have taken the step of a wider size range and plus size models. They will just end up stealing all the profit that could have been Victoria’s Secret’s.
It’s just sad that Victoria’s Secret has to be dragged kicking and screaming into the revolutionary idea of size inclusiveness and still won’t budge.
It would be in their best interest to start by including women of all shapes and sizes. After all, shouldn’t they care and want to make their consumers the happiest they can?