October 20, 2023 - 6:00pm
Over the past decade, several brands have decided to pivot to a more “inclusive” marketing strategy, including lingerie superpower Victoria’s Secret. Earlier this week it was reported that, because of a revenue drop, the fashion line is ditching “wokeness” and returning to “sexiness”. In other words: say goodbye to overweight or “unconventional” models, and welcome back the Victoria’s Secret Angels with whom we grew up. Interestingly (and maybe just coincidentally), this was announced soon after they debuted an adaptive intimates line, featuring models with both common — and much rarer — conditions, like spina bifida or multiple amputees.
Brands which have made similar, “more inclusive” marketing shifts, have frequently been criticised for spreading pro-obesity or even “pro-ugliness” propaganda, while supporters have countered that it draws more people into fashion. Some more practical-minded observers have argued it’s about the bottom line: if a brand has obese models, it probably has obese customers. As it turns out, even if they do, those obese people probably don’t want to be reminded that they’re obese. Or, in Victoria’s Secret’s case, disabled as well.
So what purpose do these types of advertisements serve if they’re not actually making customers feel more comfortable? Well, there might also be something baser and more sadistic at play. Essentially, we’ve rechannelled our impulse to gawk at extraordinary bodies under the guise of “compassion” and “inclusivity”. Nowadays, many of these catwalks (and therefore, the accompanying ads) feel like freak shows, which might be the most apt analogy. As it turns out, not as many people are interested in that kind of “diversity porn” as marketing directors thought.
A similar impulse arises on TikTok, with the popularity of visibly disfigured beauty influencers. There’s a part of me that wants to believe that we’re giving them a fair shake and seeing past their physical deformity, and that these fields are now less focused on looks. But scroll through the comments section, and that’s pretty much the exclusive focus of users. “Just checking to see if this passes the vibe check!” is a common stock phrase, as though users are preempting the cruelty they assume will come because of the creator’s appearance.
But it’s all the same, whether fashion shows or burn victims doing “Get Ready With Me” videos. “Inclusivity” and “diversity” are just DEI wrapping paper that gives us a safe excuse to stare.
But not everyone wants to stare, especially when it comes to fashion. Or, at least, their lingerie. So what’s next if the freak show impulse — or inclusivity, if we’re being more charitable here — isn’t selling underwear? Is this the canary in the coal mine for “wokeness”? For mass-produced clothing brands, it could well be. But it’s also possible that it was never working in those markets, either, and corporations were simply hewing to the zeitgeist.
Yet if one contrasts diversity in fashion with diversity campaigns in Hollywood, one gets a slightly different picture. That’s because the Hollywood expression of wokeness is still glamorous, even if some people find it cloying or over-the-top. We see more diversity in movies these days, but that diversity is still pleasing to look at. The same hasn’t been true for fashion. Woke branding has its limits, it seems, and we are certainly not ready for it to touch our lingerie.
Katherine Dee is a writer. To read more of her work, visit defaultfriend.substack.com.
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SubscribeI’m an overweight white middle aged bloke, and nobody’s ever asked me to advertise pants. I’m feeling excluded, even unsafe.
Go watch something with Jeremy Clarkson.
Fat old bores are extremely well represented.
More like Fanta Orange Socialist.
I’m more of a Fanta Limon guy.
I guess I’m just more sophisticated than you rubes in every way…
All I care about is that Wokeness might be ending, especially with regard to undermining the best of Western society (e.g., freedom of speech, the presumption of innocence, equality of opportunity, the pursuit of fact, ‘No means No,’ rule of law, personal responsibility, not celebrating barbarous acts of terrorism—you know, the basics). Whatever small spark of trying to be decent and accepting of people and their natural differences that may exist can certainly stay, even if it’s smothered by the smoldering trash pile that is totalitarianism in woke sheep’s clothing.”
A century and a half ago, if we wanted to stare at weird looking people, we could go the circus and see the side shows, but that was dehumanizing and degrading. Now, we’re more inclusive and diverse, so we can stare at weird looking, grotesque, and disabled people without feeling guilty for doing so, because we’re empowering them and allowing them to feel ‘accepted’ and ‘seen’. I marvel at our collective progress as a society.
Part of the problem of wokeness is that it assumes that we are a lot nicer than we really are. Little bundles of compassion just waiting for something to care about. But we are not – perhaps least of all those who wear their wokeness on their sleeve. The motives of the woke don’t really bear serious examination.
It’s not that we’re terrible or anything – most of us wouldn’t do anybody any serious harm (at least under normal circumstances). Just not quite as selfless and compassionate as we might like to think.
Something I noticed about the left many years ago is that the empathy seems to be reserved for people they don’t know personally, whilst those they do get treated like s**t.
The woke are racist misogynist homophobic sadistic paedophilia-pimping antisemites. They are truly horrible people.
Fashion advertising is aspirational and magical – it presents images to us of what we can (magically) become by purchasing a product – beautiful, cool, wealthy etc. No one wants to buy a perfume used by the homeless, or a car driven by people down on their luck!
But people MUST care or they are bad.
I have no animus towards people who can’t sing. Indeed, I have a pretty rubbish voice myself. But when I go to see a musical I want to hear people who very much can sing. I definitely don’t want to see myself reflected on stage and I don’t feel excluded because I can’t “identify” with them.
Likewise, I suspect disabled people would mostly like to see attractive people on a catwalk and their need to identify with the models is greatly overestimated.
I have a thick Hungarian accent I failed to improve in 35+ years. The TV channel I watch now has an announcer with MY ACCENT! It’s horrifying. I really don’t want to know how terrible I sound.
I’m White and would actually quite like to see some adverts featuring White people for a change.
I see plenty of adverts with white people – they all have black partners, mind.
I bet that really triggers you
I’m not white and I agree. Over-representation is patronising to black people and fuels racists’ paranoia.
I always thought Victoria’s Secret was a euphemism for chlamydia.
Incel humour at its finest….
Don’t project your NPC status, babe.
Whereas, ‘Poo Fash. you of course shop for your fripperies in the male Marxist fat-acceptance section of Victoria’s Secretion.
When was the last time you smiled? Be truthful now, and no counting cynical smirks.
I’m guessing that the accountants will see the worst of the woke excess off. If (as a working assumption) businesses are already competing and selling at the maximum rate to their customer base then they can only increase their sales by increasing their customer base. Various firms have tried to increase their customer base by promoting diversity. Either to customers who consider themselves ‘diverse’ or customers who consider ‘diversity’ to be a social good.
We now know that this is a dangerous grab for new customers if it ends up alienating the old established customer base. We already know of some epic failures (e.g. Bud Light) but I bet the accountants can recognise less egregious cases before they become public.
I think the key word here is “fashion”.
Comes (with a bit of luck) and goes.
Looks like the ESG well is running dry.
Not sure about all this. The photo at the top shows a beautiful woman who through no apparent fault of her own is an amputee. By any measure, she looks good and healthy. But the body positive movement shows fat, sometimes sloppy people and tells us we’re not supposed to notice. Or that fat is beautiful, when we all know it is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle that could kill us all. People just aren’t as stupid as some think. VS seems to have woken up to that shocking truth.
I’ve seen quite a few fashion adverts featuring men modelling women’s clothes. An Australian brand used a man to model bikinis, Nike used a man to model a sports bra. If women are the market you’re aiming at, why would women buy intimate clothing that fits male bodies?
I wouldn’t
Rescued by the wonderfully benign profit motive!
multiple amputees
Do you need special underwear if you lose a limb? Maybe if you lose an arm.
Well its not very subversive, dangerous or sexy for Brian to get off the building site for the day and come home to dress up in his own support stockings, greying knickers-with-the-iffy-crotch and too-small-bra (that appears to give him six breasts). Much sexier if he uses the wife’s. Apparently.
Woke is way out over its skis at the moment and will soon be re-enacting that horrible ski-jump catastrophe that opened the old Wide World of Sports program on American TV. Can’t happen soon enough.
I wonder how the models felt being “included”, because of a visual deformity. My deformity is a thick Hungarian accent. The TV channel I have been watching for 30+ years now has an announcer with a similar accent. I cringe so badly, I must switch/mute immediately, when I hear it. It is also deeply patronising to me.
I always thought that the pre-“woke” Victoria’s Secret fashion shows – at least, the little I saw of them in photos and two-second grabs in the meeja – were freakshows. All those angels’ wings, and such – what woman on earth would wear them?
I thought woke people were completely against capitalism anyway, so why cater to them?
A lot of it is just too niche to make money.
Heavier models are a different story though. Especially with certain kinds of clothes, and the rise of online shopping, people want to see clothing on people with a body shape that is more normal. It’s the only way to know if it will actually fit alright when you order it. Skinny models might look nice in the picture but it tells you nothing about whether that bra will actually hold your boobs in place.
Fashion changes?!?!? Stop the presses!
I do note that she chose to link to the grotesque Matt Walsh for his thoughts on fashion marketing. Whatever credibility this dumb “anti-woke” piece may have had instantly goes out the window when you choose to use an extremist maniac who spends his spare time screaming in the faces of vulnerable children to make your point.
“who spend (sic) his spare time screaming”
I’ve no idea who Matt Walsh is, but he sounds like you.
Au contraire, cherie!
The screaming you hear is the voices in your head – and the lunatics you get your opinions spoon fed to you from of course!
Ah, touched a nerve there then. Unfortunately, you haven’t nearly enough cognitive power to push back, from within the champagne bubble you inhabit.
The voices in your head tell you to say that?
Oh dear, those champagne bubbles keep repeating on you.
Have another Fanta Orange.
Matt Walsh is a fairly hardcore libertarian. Calling him hardcore anti-woke is just another ill informed slogan from CS. Walsh, for instance, is strongly opposed to the anti-work stuff in Florida. He also supports open borders. He’s a libertarian. He doesn’t want people imposing their shit on him.
‘Poo Fash’s hatred of Matt Walsh derives from Walsh’s opposition to child mutilation.
Libertarians exist to throw close elections to the left.
You need to call yourself “Champaign Nihilist” since most on the left share that ideology. The display of the disabled and deformed should be called the, “Life is sh+t” campaign.
I think he should call himself “Champagne Torturer & Mass Murderer”, seeing as he needs to own the ineluctable consequences of implementing his ideological commitments.