Fans praisedRihannathis fall when she featured a very diverse mix of models — includingheavily pregnant model Slick Woods— in her debutFenty x Savage lingerie showatNew York Fashion Week. And it seems the inclusive designer doesn’t approve of lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret’s stance on hiring transgender and plus-size models.
L Brands’ (the parent company of Victoria’s Secret) Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek has been facing backlash since tellingVoguethat the brand would not hire trans or curvy models for the annualVictoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
“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,” Razek told themagazine.
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He added that inviting plus-size models to participate the show isn’t something Victoria’s Secret plans to do in the future, since “no one had any interest in it” when they pursued the idea in 2000.
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“I think we address the way the market is shifting on a constant basis. 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,” Razek said. “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.”
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He added, “We attempted to do a television special for plus-sizes [in 2000]. No one had any interest in it, still don’t.”
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Kendall Jenner/Instagram
Jenner posted a graphic on her Instagram Story that read, “Celebrate Trans Women.” The model’s dad,Caitlyn Jenner,publicly opened up abouther transition from male to femalein 2015.
“My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologize,” Razek said. “To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show. We’ve had transgender models come to casting… And like many others, they didn’t make it…But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”
Victoria’s Secret has made an effort to expand diversity on the runway, casting 19 models of color.
The brand was also praised foradding Winnie Harlow, the first model with vitiligo, to its catwalk lineupin the 2018 show.
“It means the world to me,” the first-timer said. “Victoria’s Secret might be the biggest show there is because of how many people are able to watch it around the world, so to be a part of diversifying the Victoria’s Secret Angel landscape is a true honor that I’m so proud of.”
source: people.com
