To: Limited Brands Communications and Limited Brands Board of Directors
Victoria's Secret: Stop Objectifying Teen Girls!
I believe that women have innate value and are born with inherent dignity. Their worth is far beyond monetary value and the expectations we place on their bodies.
Your new "Bright Young Things" campaign blatantly -- and admittedly -- targets young girls with the message that their value is determined by their sex appeal. Middle school-aged girls already struggle with body image, and this ad campaign hits them where they are most vulnerable.
Objectification and sexualization of women contributes to a culture where rape and abuse occur far too often. As someone who cares deeply about the daily attacks on young women's self-esteem and self-worth, I urge you to end this campaign to bring these evils to such young girls. Their insecurities are not "magic," as your CFO has claimed, and are not to be exploited for profit.
Your sexualized messaging to young girls must end.
Your new "Bright Young Things" campaign blatantly -- and admittedly -- targets young girls with the message that their value is determined by their sex appeal. Middle school-aged girls already struggle with body image, and this ad campaign hits them where they are most vulnerable.
Objectification and sexualization of women contributes to a culture where rape and abuse occur far too often. As someone who cares deeply about the daily attacks on young women's self-esteem and self-worth, I urge you to end this campaign to bring these evils to such young girls. Their insecurities are not "magic," as your CFO has claimed, and are not to be exploited for profit.
Your sexualized messaging to young girls must end.
Why is this important?
Victoria’s Secret’s new “Bright Young Things” campaign brings sexual objectification to middle schoolers – it’s a line of provocative clothing and lingerie expressly aimed at teen and tween girls. Stuart Burgdoerfer, CFO of Limited Brands, which owns Victoria’s Secret, says of young girls, “They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.”
This is not magic – this is using the distortion of young women’s body image and insecurity as a source of profit. There are a variety of things teenage girls “want to be” — safe, respected, encouraged, valued, to name a few.
Join with Sojourners and call on Victoria’s Secret and Limited Brands to end this campaign against the self-worth of women and girls by sending a message to their communications team and board of directors.
This is not magic – this is using the distortion of young women’s body image and insecurity as a source of profit. There are a variety of things teenage girls “want to be” — safe, respected, encouraged, valued, to name a few.
Join with Sojourners and call on Victoria’s Secret and Limited Brands to end this campaign against the self-worth of women and girls by sending a message to their communications team and board of directors.