From threesomes to thongs, this week it seems companies who aim their businesses at teenagers just can’t catch a break!
American underwear giant Victoria’s Secret have come under fire on numerous occasions in the past – offensive constumes during their fashion shows and environmentally un-friendly production practices to name just a few – but it seems their latest line is causing an unprecedented amount of backlash.
Their new beachwear line – Bright Young Things – which is mostly worn by middle-schoolers in the US (11-15-year-olds) has been released just in time for Spring Break and features “tees, tanks, swim and sweats”.
So far, so innocent.
But, the messages displayed on said items – ‘Call Me’, ‘Wild’ and ‘Feeling Lucky’ – are causing many American parents to complain, with some critics even saying the range is “portraying teens as sexual objects”.
One mother, Diana Cherry, has taken her grievances a step further and has penned an online petition, which now stands at over 700 signatures.
She writes: “I don’t want a brand like Victoria’s Secret telling my daughters what sexy should be and my son that girls have to look or dress a certain way. Sexualisation of girls by marketers has been found to contribute to depression, eating disorders, and early sexual activity — and this new ad campaign is a glaring example of a culture forcing girls to grow up too fast.”
The ad that is causing all the controversy…
However, the brand have hit back at critics and in a statement released on their Facebook pages said: “In response to questions we recently received, Victoria’s Secret PINK is a brand for college-aged women. Despite recent rumours, we have no plans to introduce a collection for younger women. “Bright Young Things” was a slogan used in conjunction with the college spring break tradition.”
But, Stuart Burgdoerfer, the chief financial officer and executive vice president of Victoria’s Secret brand owner Limited Brands, may have fuelled the belief that Bright Young Things was in fact aimed at a younger audience when he was quoted as saying: “When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be? They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at PINK.”
Good man, Stuart. Keep on encouraging the future female population of America to dream big…
