There are a lot of parents out there that think Victoria's Secret crossed the line with their new underwear line that's supposedly meant to target young teens and tweens. In fact, one father is extremely angry over their new "Bright Young Things" campaign that includes colorful pushup bras and thongs that say things like "Feeling Lucky?" or "Call Me"–all supposedly targeted at girls as young as 12.
Evan Dolive, a married, ordained minister and father to a 3-year-old girl, wrote an open letter to the company about how he wouldn't like his daughter to wear the provocative underwear that's aimed for "dangerously young" customers when she's a tween. Could you blame him?
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The news that Victoria's Secret has been trying to target a younger audience with their grown-up underwear is nothing new. And if you don't believe me, just check out their Pink line that features items that would appeal to any teenager. But Dolive feels that things have gone a little too far with their newest campaign of sexy, pastel panties and bras.
"As a dad, this makes me sick. I believe that this sends the wrong message to not only my daughter but to all young girls. I don't want my daughter to ever think that her self-worth and acceptance by others is based on the choice of her undergarments," he writes. "There are many, many more questions that all young women should be asking themselves … not will a boy (or girl) like me if I wear a 'call me' thong?"
I couldn't agree with him more! I honestly don't think I'd be comfortable with my tween daughter sporting a pair of panties that says "Wild" either. Just the ads alone look like something that specifically targets young tweens with 13-year-old undeveloped looking models, pretty pastel colors, and slogans that seem to be skewing a little young.
But Victoria's Secret is claiming that their "Bright Young Things" line references the college Spring Break tradition. At least that's what they said in a statement they sent to Business Insider. I'm not sure I'm really buying that. Especially because that totally contradicts what the brand's Chief Financial Officer, Stuart Burgdoerfer said at a conference.
"When somebody's 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?" he said. "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." I think they might want to consider doing a little rebranding,because this obviously does appeal to girls 17 years of age or younger.
I think what this concerned dad did is very admirable and it obviously struck a chord in many parents considering how quickly his letter has gone viral. We have made so many efforts to empower today's young women and thisunderwear only tell girls that their self-esteem and self-worth lies just in their looks and sexuality. Seriously, what happened to the good ol' days when they made things like mastectomy bras?
Image via Victoriassecret.com
