Victoria’s Secret took a couple big steps toward diversity recently. But is it two steps forward, one step back?
Victoria’s Secret got tons of backlash for transphobic comments made last year by Ed Razek, Chief Marketing Officer of parent company L Brands, who infamously stated:
“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.”
Those comments were about not just transgender models but diversity in general — something for which VS has been criticized for years.
Related: Rihanna Blew VSFS Away With Her Savage X Fenty Show
Well, back in August the company hired their first trans model, Valentina Sampaio. And this month they took another stride toward inclusivity with their first ever plus-size model:
Ali Tate Cutler!
Now both can be seen in the latest ads for the company:
So why is the company now facing more backlash??
Well, most is coming the form of “too little, too late.” Literally. Many fans either think this is a hollow attempt to save their image, while others think Ali Tate Cutler is a bit slim to be considered “plus”:
“Victoria secret just hired their first plus sized model at a size 14. ?”
“I can’t believe #VictoriaSecret thinks size 14 is a plus size”
“Victoria Secret has been a company for 42 years and they just got a “plus size(14)” model. Took you long enough…”
“Makes me sad that this is what Victoria Secret considers plus size ?”
“Victoria Secret went from we not f**king with the plus size women to hiring a “plus size” model after they started losing money”
“i really hope everyone sees through the new victoria secret changes like hiring a plus size and transgender model… they didn’t want too hire them and the only reason they did is because of what that “selling the fantasy” comment did to their sales F**K them LaSenza is better”
But there was one more specific complaint about Ali Tate Cutler.
After the news of her hiring, a plus size fashion blogger named Alyssa Dalessandro posted a run-in she’d had with the model way back in 2016 — when she apparently went pretty hard after “fat” people as causing problems for the environment. No, really!
In a post to Facebook, the future VS model began:
“Sorry but I don’t care about people’s health who are fat…”
She said instead she cared about how they were ruining the environment. Here’s the whole screen grabbed message:
THAT lack of empathy? Yowza. Overweight people are destroying the Earth, huh? That is a take.
What made her say all that? Dalessandro explained:
“Yes this was 3 years ago on my personal Facebook page. I did not know her and had never even heard of her but somehow she found my page and felt compelled to say that.”
Well.
Dalessandro called her a “‘plus’ model who will take checks for being plus and claims to be a body activist but hates fat bodies.” And she was of course not happy to see this was VS’ choice for their first plus model this week:
Not surprised this is the model that Victoria’s Secret hired to be their first “plus size” model. ???????????????? https://t.co/vdS7G73vCR
— Alysse Dalessandro ???? (@readytostare) October 8, 2019
Are YOU upset at Victoria’s Secret??
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[Image via courtesy of Victoria’s Secret.]
