Is Victoria’s Secret ‘Bright Young Things’ Line Sending The Wrong Message To Teen Girls?

Lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret is under fire after launching a new line called “Bright Young Things.”

Ads for the line – part of the VS PINK collection – picture women who look young enough to be in high school or college, posing in bright-colored hoodies and panties with suggestive messages.

Girls want to be “older,” says VS exec

Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria Secret, denies that the line is targeted toward a younger demographic, but a statement made by CFO Stuart Burgdoefer at an investor conference in January sends a different message.

“When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be? 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,” said Burgdoerfer.

Apparently “Bright Young Things” was a slogan the company wanted to use in conjunction with the time of year when colleges are on spring break.

Girls are not things

Dana Udall-Weiner, a Santa Fe psychologist who works with young girls on body image issues, says the company is crossing a line by promoting clothing with messages like “Dare you,” “Call me,” or “Feeling lucky.”

“This speaks to the idea that girls have a fantasy of being raped, that women on some level are asking for it,” said Udall-Weiner in an article for Time.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg agrees, noting that the idea of calling young girls “things” is reason enough to speak up against the campaign.

Cherry, a stay-at-home mom in Seattle, launched a petition on Change.org and created a Facebook page to urge Victoria’s Secret to pull the Bright Young Things line. The collection is no longer available on the website, and the company released a statement saying that a new “pre-summer” line is currently in stores to replace Bright Young Things merchandise.

Source: TIME