It's been a long time coming, but Victoria's Secret has finally added a plus-size muse to their roster. The lingerie brand's LoveYourself campaign with Bluebella features Ali Tate Cutler, a curvy model who has previously modeled for Reformation and Express.
Ali's inclusion in the campaign is making headlines because of a past statement made by the brand's chief marketing officer Ed Razek, who expressed that they would not cast plus-size and transgender models for the Victoria'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," he told Vogue. "It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is." Ironically, the campaign in question also features May Simón, who is transgender.
It was then pointed out by Fashionista editor-in-chief Tyler McCall that it could have been Bluebella, not Victoria's Secret, who hired the plus-size model in the first place as they've apparently worked with her before. Tyler also gave attention to Ali having a reputation for fat-shaming.
Refinery29 didn't give the brand much props for the casting either. "While a more inclusive model cast is a step forward from the brand, Victoria's Secret isn't winning back any fans by trotting out a woman who has a problematic take on body image," fashion news editor Channing Hargrove writes. "Once again, the lingerie retailer has missed the mark."
Despite the continued backlash against the brand, the comments on Ali's photo in Victoria's Secret Instagram account have been mostly positive. The model herself acknowledges also her place in the shoot as a step in the right direction. "I believe I’m the first size 14 on @victoriassecret? Regardless I’m pretty stoked to work with a brand I idolized when I was a teen," she writes. Great step in the right direction for bodies."
What do you think about VS casting a plus-size model?
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