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Original poster

Victoria's Secret giant TV screens

64 replies

mamabear35 · 01/11/2014 14:17

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?

OP posts:
MyEmpireOfDirt · 03/11/2014 21:13

This reply has been deleted

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MyEmpireOfDirt · 03/11/2014 21:11

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Zazzles007 · 03/11/2014 19:41

Woo hoo! That is fantastic! Thank you to all those MNers who have signed the petition and have encouraged others to sign as well Smile. (Btw, its not my petition)

WhizzFucker · 03/11/2014 18:49

Nearly 21,000 now signed the petition - here's the link again:
www.change.org/p/victoriassecret-apologise-for-your-damaging-perfect-body-campaign-iamperfect

YonicScrewdriver · 03/11/2014 14:39

Oh yes, that is what I meant, the situation is crap!

Blush
Gina111 · 03/11/2014 14:12

Mamabear I think Sonic meant the situation in the shopping centre is crap.

Have posted letter to centre - will let you know response.

Agree it would be great if Mumsnet could get involved, particularly around the unavoidable screens.

Now only 4.5 K signatures needed on petition re Perfect Body.

YonicScrewdriver · 02/11/2014 22:41

OP, I was trying to show an underwear ad that showed the bra on a woman, but not in a sexualised way, IYSWIM. It can be done!

redandyellowbits · 02/11/2014 22:28

I'm definitely up for sending a letter of complaint - I haven't been to Brent Cross for a while now, I'm surprised they have done that as it has usually had a very family friendly feel to it.

I agree it would be great if MN could back us up with this?

LittleBearPad · 02/11/2014 22:26

The one I saw was in Brent Cross too. It's hard to miss and very disconcerting.

Original poster
mamabear35 · 02/11/2014 22:26

I don't think a store has to have twelve foot high tv screens to sell their products but really made all the worse that practically naked girls are strutting around and then taking on very seductive poses. If that's not objectifying women im not sure what is? Come look at these beautiful women as sex objects! I am trying to teach my children about their private parts remaining private when these images are shoved down their throats.
They have so little good female role models and heroes to aspire to as it is that the first time they see women truly celebrated it is because they have unrealistic skinny bodies with huge breasts walking around leaving very little to the imagination. We have so far still to go.

OP posts:
Original poster
mamabear35 · 02/11/2014 22:21

That's crap op

Sorry Sonic wha do you mean?

OP posts:
YonicScrewdriver · 02/11/2014 15:36

m.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/embroidered-non-padded-spacer-dd-gg-bra-with-cool-comfort-technology/p/p22309340?jsrl=stop&un_jtt_redirect

Here is a bra advert showing the bra but not in a sexualised way.

SirChenjin · 02/11/2014 15:13

I am not offended by women wearing underwear - but these 'perfect' women all conform to a stereotype ie big breasts, small waists/bums/ thighs, waxed to the extreme. We managed to buy underwear in years gone by without this kind of imagery, but the sexualisation of just about everything (I exaggerate for effect, obv) means that many young women (and men) are growing up to believe this is the norm. I find that really sad. I would imagine that if they used 'normal' body shapes then sales would fall, simply because we have been conditioned to think this sexualised body image is normal when it comes to selling.

Squidstirfry · 02/11/2014 14:46

It would be nice to see a mixture of real women's shapes and sizes, ladies with all sorts of normal figures promoting a brands designs one day.

It's so repetitive and formulaic how the fashion marketing industry always uses the same look, the same barbiedoll women, the same bland sexless shapeless stick figures...

It's not that VS are objectifying women or that there is 'pornification' going on here, because honestly how else is an underwear company supposed to promote underwear other than show the garments on some beautiful women.

The problem is how narrow the concept of "the perfect body" is. Always the same type, thin and lifeless.

They show nothing but a complete lack of originality, forward thinking and sensitivity to their target consumer with this campaign. That is what I find offensive. I am not offended by ladies wearing underwear.

Amethyst24 · 02/11/2014 11:52

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

YonicScrewdriver · 02/11/2014 10:32

That's crap, OP.

SirChenjin · 02/11/2014 10:18

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??

pudding25 · 02/11/2014 08:35

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...

pudding25 · 02/11/2014 08:32

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.

Damsili · 02/11/2014 00:52

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

Zazzles007 · 02/11/2014 00:50

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

Original poster
mamabear35 · 01/11/2014 23:27

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?

OP posts:
Gina111 · 01/11/2014 23:20

cross post

Gina111 · 01/11/2014 23:19

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?

Zazzles007 · 01/11/2014 23:17

Correcting the one that didn't work:

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