Victoria's Secret Responds To Anti-Trans Backlash

Photo: J. Lee/FilmMagic.

Victoria’s Secret may pride themselves on being “culturally diverse” for featuring models from different backgrounds and of different ethnicities, but, the brand’s recently-revealed views on featuring plus-sized and transgender models prove they’ve still got a way to go.

Following the backlash, the brand has released a statement from Ed Razek, chief marketing officer of its parent company L Brands.

“My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive. I apologise. To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model in our show. We've had transgender models come to castings...And like many others, they didn't make it. It was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are.”

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Ahead of the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Razek and the executive vice president of public relations at VS, Monica Mitro, explained why neither trans models nor plus-sized models have ever appeared in the show in an interview with Vogue. "I don’t think we can be all things to all customers. It is a specialty business; it isn’t a department store,” Razek said.

He went on to defend the brand’s decision to exclude curvier models, saying “no one had any interest” in watching a show featuring them in the past and “still don’t.” Later, he specifically explained why transgender models are also a no-go for VS. "’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 said.

Razek’s comments, specifically the anti-trans ones, drew heavy criticism from many on social media.

The audacity of suggesting that trans women aren't fantasy-worthy. Such bullshit. They're far more magical than you could ever be.
— ? (@RoyalEasnadh) November 10, 2018

Hey @VictoriasSecret!

Not including plus-sized or trans models in your fashions shows is super uncool!

I’m both trans and plus-sized and I work a bikini as well as any one of your models can.

Don’t be on the wrong side of history! We deserve runway representation! pic.twitter.com/k0YGoNmpoC
— Ophelia Brown (@opheliajcbrown) November 10, 2018

Unfortunately the VS fashion show has never been about womens' fantasies, it is only for cishet men, or they would have plus size and trans models.
— Claire Nyssa (@andneedlez) November 10, 2018

Hey @VictoriasSecret you need plus size models, trans models, and plus size trans models. If you’re marketing to actual women and not the disgusting “fantasy” of a woman that men want to see then make your material relatable. Honestly this is basic shit. Shame on you
— ?️‍?Alex Zinn?️‍? (@AlexZinn3) November 10, 2018

While transgender visibility on the catwalk is improving somewhat – 45 transgender models and four non-binary models walked major and semi-major runways this past season – comments like Razek’s keep any major progress from being made. So hopefully this incident will inspire Victoria's Secret to make a real change and adjust their scope on what being diverse truly means.

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