Victoria’s Secret quietly changed its “Perfect Body” slogan on Thursday, following backlash stemming from a Change.org petition.
Image: Huffington Post
The Change.org petition, which had garnered almost 30,000 signatures at time of writing, demanded an apology for the company’s ad as well as an amendment to it.
The petition, which was created by three students at Leeds University in England, Frances Black, Gabrielle Kountourides and Laura Ferris, claimed the ad campaign promoted “unhealthy and unrealistic standards of beauty.”
Every day women are bombarded with advertisements aimed at making them feel insecure about their bodies in the hope that they will spend money on products that will supposedly make them happier and more beautiful. All this does is perpetuate low self-esteem among women who are made to feel that their bodies are inadequate and unattractive because they do not fit into a narrow standard of beauty. It contributes to a culture that encourages serious health problems such as negative body image and eating disorders.
#iamperfect @VictoriaSecret Harmful campaign. I am not perfect and I don’t expect it either. What a shame!
— Cinthia Novick (@CinthiaNovick) October 31, 2014
Victoria’s Secret, I am appalled. Frick you and your “perfect body” campaign SMH YOU’RE ALL PHOTOSHOPPED pic.twitter.com/PE49XSktJv
— O’Haggerty (@leerocket5000) October 30, 2014
Victoria’s Secret did not make public apology or statement regarding the ad, but did change its tagline on its website Thursday. The ad now reads “A Body for Every Body” (no, you’re not crazy, that doesn’t really make sense) but kept the original image of the models.
While the creators of the petition did post an update on Change.org claiming their excitement over the change, they said the fight will not end until the company “apologise [sic] and pledge to not use such harmful marketing in the future.”
Following the launch of the petition, another lingerie brand, Dear Kate, took a stand on its website, recreating Victoria’s Secret’s ad with models of different shapes and sizes.
“As an all-girl company making smart undies, we think we can do better,” the company stated on its website. “Through this photo, we showcase women who are often neglected by the media and traditional retailers. We show the multitude of shapes perfect bodies can take.”
Victoria’s Secret has not yet responded to Mashable‘s request for comment.
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