Victoria's Secret giant TV screens

[mamabear35]

I want to bang my head against the wall. Victoria's Secret has just opened a shop in my local shopping centre. It is the size of about three shops and very hard to miss. Along one wall are giant 12 foot high television screens showing a Victoria's Secret catwalk show on a loop all day everyday... Think models very scantily dressed.

As a mother of two young girls I am in despair. How am I supposed to teach them to love and respect their bodies when they are so blatantly objectified in such a public place. To make it worse the issue was raised on Facebook with one mother saying she found it offensive and the amount of women who came on to defend Victoria's Secret was terrifying. The argument of "well scantily clad women are everywhere there's no point in trying to change the world" or I shit you not "stop being such a prude"were all voiced here. I weighed in with my opinion but now I am just depressed. Someone please come along and tell me I'm not losing my mind.

How can this be happening in 2014 and what can we do about it?

[mamabear35]

Anyone? Am I really alone in this?

[SirChenjin]

No - you are not alone. It makes me weep - the amount of pressure that my DD and her friends are under to conform to certain body images is scary, and it seems to be working, if the FB photos that appear on her page that have been posted by girls in her year are anything to go by. 15 year old Playboy Bunny on her way to a Halloween party, anyone?

Did you see that ad for VS that shows the Angels (think that's what they are called) and the words 'Perfect Body' underneath? It's as if we've made no progress whatsoever in the last 50 years.

[Amethyst24]

They do make fabulous knickers though. Lovely soft cotton in loads of different styles and patterns, 5 for £20.

[Gina111]

The same has happened in my local shopping centre - possibly the same one. I had the same thoughts and vaguely wondered what to do. Will await others' responses.

[LittleBearPad]

Yep, they gave them in my local shopping centre too. The screen is huge. I felt compelled to say to DD (2 so I imagine she was somewhat bewildered) that women don't look like that in real life.

[mamabear35]

It's such a shame because actually I was looking forward to checking it out... But now out of principle I don't feel I can. Everyone on the Facebook thread kept remarking how good their products were, like that was really the point?? It's such a shame that while I'm trying to teach my two little girls what private means and how to look after their bodies and respect them, they are faced with such blatant disrespect for the female body. Any ideas on how to tackle this? Am thinking of lodging a complaint with the shopping centre and going to the papers.

[redandyellowbits]

I would agree with lodging a complaint with the shopping centre. I can't see the papers giving you much support, sadly.

[BellaSolanum]

Not Victoria's Secret, but I saw another lingerie store doing this. Think the video on loop was women in lingerie type pyjamas having a pillow fight.

I do actually own some VS lingerie, and it IS really nice, which almost makes it worse. Their quality could stand alone, it makes them stand out against many competitors, and yet they still go for these cheap, demeaning tactics.

[Zazzles007]

I don't have sons or daughters, so take my offering for what you feel it is worth.

As a consumer however, on principle, I do not shop or buy from VS because of the way they promote their products. And as a marketer, I think it is unethical to promote women's underwear in a way that is so, so, so objectifying of women, holds the vast majority of women up to completely impossible physical standards of beauty, and promotes what is essentially 2% of the world's genetically 'gifted' women as some sort of ideal to aspire to. Off the top of my head, these are the reasons I do not buy VS products. Perhaps mamabear, you could not only complain to who ever is responsible for the ads (in marketing land, 1 complaint = 9 others who felt the same way, but did nothing), you could also use the store as a teaching mechanism, in an age appropriate way, so that your young daughters understand why the VS message is so, so damaging to women, young and older.

[WhizzFucker]

Westfield Shepherd's Bush is everyone talking about? Complaints sounds like a good start - let's all do it at the same time

[pudding25]

I think we have both been on the same Facebook group where this was discussed. (TTFM group?) I too was shocked at some of the reactions. For me, the thing that annoyed me the most was their ad campaign for 'The perfect body'.

[mamabear35]

zazzles that's it on soo many levels. My girls are 5 and 3 and they are being bombarded with these images ... Most times I can control it and avoid but it's pretty hard to avoid 12 foot high screens in our local shopping centre. It's Brent Cross in London so not as high end as Westfield and much more family focused ... I really think something needs to be done. Who's with me?

[mamabear35]

Yup pudding that's it! Hello!! Or more annoying the argument of it's just underwear!

[Zazzles007]

Or more annoying the argument of it's just underwear!

The people who say this sort of stuff are burying their heads in the sand. A very cursory google with "victoria's secret is bad for women" brought up these articles for me:

www.nydailynews.com/life-style/victoria-secret-perfect-body-ads-draw-criticism-article-1.1992023

www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/victorias-secret-perfect-body-advertisement-is-dangerous-thinspiration-9826494.html

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11192298/Victorias-Secret-lingerie-adverts-spark-outrage.html]]

lifeteen.com/self-esteem-victorias-secret-fashion-show/

This is not an isolated thing to certain localities, or certain groups of people. This is a growing awareness of what is a very important issue to all females, of all ages and from all walks of life.

[Zazzles007]

Correcting the one that didn't work:

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11192298/Victorias-Secret-lingerie-adverts-spark-outrage.html

[Gina111]

This is a link to an article and petition about "The perfect body" but may be worth launching another about the enormous external screens that can't be avoided in these shopping centres.

www.entertainmentwise.com/news/161142/Petition-Against-Victorias-Secret-Perfect-Body-Campaign-Gathers-Momentum

I will also write to both shopping centres. Are there any others that anyone knows of?

[Gina111]

cross post

[mamabear35]

Have signed the petition against the Perfect Body ad campaign. Will go into the shopping centre in Monday with a written complaint. I think they should have procedures in place to change something if enough people find it offensive. Will let you know how it plays out... Would be great if Mumsnet backed us with this?

[Zazzles007]

I have also signed the petition. Here is the direct link to that petition for any others who would also like to sign it. The organisers of the petition only need 6, 846 more signatures to reach their 25, 000 target.

www.change.org/p/victoriassecret-apologise-for-your-damaging-perfect-body-campaign-iamperfect

[Damsili]

Yep, saw the one in Brent Cross too. It's very in your face.

[pudding25]

Thanks for the link to the petition. It's not the shop itself that pisses me off. It's their advertising campaign. Nothing wrong with some nice underwear and they also do other things. But there is no need whatsoever for massive external screens and 'perfect' body ads.

[pudding25]

Sarah Vine wrote an article about this in the Daily Fail and got absolutely slated by the idiots in the comments underneath. People don't get how damaging these kind of adverts are.
My other pet hate is adults constantly talking about dieting and calories in front of their kids but that is a whole other thread...

[SirChenjin]

Petition signed.

Do I think it will make a jot of difference. Sadly not. The pornification and objectification of women is everywhere, and appears to one that is being embraced by many young women of my daughter's generation. What has gone so wrong??

[YonicScrewdriver]

That's crap, OP.

[Amethyst24]

Yonic - yes, they are. None of the models in their ads are wearing bras that fit.