Victoria’s Secret has been under the positive limelight when they released a new spring swimsuit campaign.
Though the physical catalogs are only set to arrive on mailboxes on March 1, the brand launched its online campaign for the 2021 spring swim, titled, “Destination: Swim” collection on Monday.
The shoot features two curve models Paloma Elsessesr, a recent Vogue cover star, and Dutch beau Jill Kortleve. What got everyone’s attention is Victoria’s Secret entry for body inclusivity.
Fans and commenters were thrilled to see the change and the positive promotion of all body types.
“I’m really happy to see you incorporating some curvy girls in your campaigns,” one commenter responded to a shot of Elsesser modeling a coral bikini for the campaign, which also stars Imaan Hamaan and Taylor Hill. “Keep it up.”
“I like this change,” read one comment, while another follower added, “It’s so good to see VS promoting all body types.”
“Thank you for now having models of all body types!” a commenter wrote. “Living for this.”
“It’s about tiiiiime!” gushed a fan. “Yeees curvy queen!”
“The first image here is making so many women comfortable in their skin,” another commenter said of Elsesser’s shoot. “Keep it up.”
Amid the rave and praise, some commenters opt to remind everyone that there’s still work that needs to do, such as catering to larger bodies and the iconic glorification of the brand’s slim supermodels known as “Angels.” One commenter said, “Better late [than] never I guess.”
The 2018 Backlash
The mixed reaction came from Robyn Lawley’s 2018 “We Are All Angels” petition, which calls out Victoria’s Secret and its legendary fashion show, to be more body-inclusive, Ed Razek’s controversial comments that casting trans or plus-size models in the show would destroy the fantasy, and even allegations of body shaming and misogyny.
All of these claims have led to the belief that Victoria’s Secret fails to support body diversity and has prompted the brand to step up, especially when competitors such as Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty have been gaining reigns for being inclusive of all body sizes.
One notable action that Victoria’s Secret has done is tapping Ali Tate Cutler, a size 14, as its first official plus-size model, and expanding its sizing by including curvy and trans models in its Spring 2020 Body by Victoria campaign.
