Lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret has responded to criticism over its lack of diversity amongst its models with a new campaign.
The campaign for the Spring 2020 ‘Body by Victoria’ line features models of all shapes, sizes, and ages.
The brand’s first openly transgender model has posed for the campaign too – 23-year-old Valentina Sampaio.
The photographs were shot by Helena Christensen, 51, who also modelled for the campaign. She was joined by another VS veteran, 49-year-old Daniela Pestova.
Plus-size models Candice Huffine and Solange van Doorn feature alongside familiar Victoria’s Secret faces such as Joan Smalls, Jasmine Tookes and Barbara Palvin.
The new campaign is part of an image overhaul for the brand, which has been criticised for only featuring young, thin and cisgender models in its catalogues and on runways.
In 2019, the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show was cancelled as the company prepared to “evolve the marketing” of the brand.
Singer Taylor Swift (L) performs as model Karlie Kloss presents a creation during the 2014 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in London
For years the show had been a frustration of many, including consumers, commentators and even models. Former Angel Karlie Kloss quit the show in the name of feminism and the outdated concept of what beauty was.
Victoria’s Secret’s former Chief Marketing Officer created controversy when he said there was “no room” for plus-size models on their runway and that he would not cast transgender models in an interview with Vogue.com.
And the L Brands company’s founder and CEO Leslie Wexner was tied to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was Wexner’s former personal money manager and a trustee of the Wexner Foundation, Wexner’s charitable group based Ohio.
