Down with Victoria's Secret

Dear Victoria's Secret,

I have been a customer of yours since I bought my first sexy bra in college (before then, bras were merely a matter of function, not seduction). I have watched you go through many transformations and hundreds of models. I have stuck with you even when you went trampy and your catalogs looked like soft-core porn. I did this because yours was one of the few stores that carried cute bras in my size. Now, the relationship is over.

While shopping with my sister, mom and nieces over the weekend, we walked into Victoria's Secret and browsed. Now, perhaps I could have been a more informed consumer to begin with. I didn't look at the Pink line of Victoria's Secret because when it was launched in 2004 I was three years out of college and apparently, it was college-aged women that were the target audience for Pink.

From the July 4, 2004 CNN/Money:
The boudoir behemoth, famous for its sexy, romantic and provocative lines of intimate apparel, this month rolled out its more colorful and playful 'Pink' fashion line chain-wide after a limited launch late last year. Victoria's Secret is marketing the new lower-priced collection as 'fresh, fun and free-spirited,' catering to a younger 18-to-22-year-old clientele.

All good. All fine. Women over the age of 18 can wear whatever kind of underwear they want.

The problem is, the girls I saw perusing the Pink line this weekend were nowhere near 18, not to say 22. They were maybe 13 or 14. They were there with their boyfriends. They were looking at underwear with "I Get Around", "Can't Get Enough" and "Just Visiting" written across the butt. They were babies. They were babies looking to seduce their baby boyfriends. Barf.

And then the fact that I am a parent of a girl became so painfully clear. What I wouldn't do to raise a daughter who looks at these messages and says, "No thank you. I don't need to market my sexuality." A girl strong enough to know that she deserves better than to give herself up before she even has a sense of who she really is. I recognize my responsibility as a parent in helping to make this happen.

But I don't want companies marketing to girls and women like this. Aren't we supposed to be raising self-confident and empowered girls? Aren't we there yet?

Apparently not.

So I've decided to boycott Victoria's Secret. I know they won't care. I know I'm just one person. But I have to do it. For my daugther's sake.

Next Steps

Hello dear readers!

It's been months--months!--since I've been here. It wasn't because I forgot about this space or about the people kind enough to read. I've been working on some projects of my own, figuring out the next steps in life, raising a three-and-a-half year old. I've been busy.

But I'm back. And you were missed.

Look for weekly posts!