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Victoria’s Secret Features A Size-14 Model In Its Lingerie Campaign For The First Time
Victoria’s Secret has just signed its first-ever size-14 model. Her name is Ali Tate-Cutler and she will be featured in a collaboration ad campaign with U.K. lingerie brand Bluebella. The move to hire a plus-size model, however, was met with criticism, as some people think that the company is just covering its tracks. Less than one year ago, Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek was slammed for insensitive remarks on-brand talent.
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Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Responsible for a homogenous, airbrushed, and sexualized brand image that is now largely considered as outdated, Razek infuriated the public with comments he made in a Vogue.com interview last November about Victoria’s Secret’s casting practices: “Shouldn’t you have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.”
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Surprisingly, the confirmation of Razek’s departure came on the same day when news talks began circulating that Victoria’s Secret hired its first-ever transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, who is working with VS Pink.
Image credits: imageglam
Regardless, Ali Tate-Cutler was stoked to work with the brand. “It feels amazing, I feel on top of the world,” Ali toldE! News. “When I went in today to the VS store for the launch of the collaboration it felt surreal. I never expected that I was going to see an image of myself on the wall next to these famous models that I have been looking up to since I was a little girl. The whole thing came about when I got cast to be in Bluebella in London through my agents at Milk. It all unfolded from there and I was told this was going to be on the wall at VS and carried in their flagship stores.”
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
She also said she doesn’t get hung up on the term ‘plus-size.’ “I do know that I am not the first plus-size girl to become a model, but I am the first 12-14 size model. Size 14 is actually the average size of women in America and I do think that we need to see more of it in media and fashion because most women are that size. So, we need to be accurately represented in brands and media. For Victoria’s Secret, I am so excited that they decided to put a size 14 women like me on the wall. I feel like they are headed in the right direction and they are listening to their audience who have requested to see more women of diverse shapes and sizes. I think if they continue to head in that direction they will be on to a jackpot because that is reflective of what the average woman is in America.”
Image credits: ali_tate_culer
“When we look at fashion history it’s taken a long time but we can also look back and see that in the 1950s there was a different body image that was more popular,” Ali said. “Predominately the beauty standard that has dominated the fashion scope has been a skinny tall body. This was damaging for women all around the world to see this because we were told time and time again that you can only be a beautiful woman if you are tall skinny and predominately white which has changed so much in the last 10 years. I think it took so long because we needed disruption in the industry. We needed people to step up and be the whistle-blower of the fashion industry. More than ever we are seeing all different shapes and sizes in fashion weeks around the world. They are heading campaigns of all different kinds. It has been changing but it just took a while to get there.”
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Image credits: ali_tate_cutler
Some people, however, weren’t happy with the news
Image credits: readytostare
And pointed out what Ali said in the past
Image credits: readytostare
Here’s what others said about it
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What do you think ?
Dawn Baik 6 years ago
This is plus size????? I wear a 6 in regular clothes and am a large in VS - their standards are ridiculous and unhealthy.
Carol Taylor 6 years ago
here in Australia size 14 is not seen as 'plus size'..though in comparison, an American size 14 is the equivalent of size 12 down under..here you are not considered 'plus size' until you are an 18 (US 16)
Load More Replies...
Caryn Zent 6 years ago
It's funny she talks about having empathy for the environment over empathy for people.
Ellen 6 years ago
Maybe she should heed her own advice and resign for being a body figure she's against
Load More Replies...
darubyprincess 6 years ago
My original comment that I posted on this subject I deleted. For those of you who want to know what I said, I basically stood up for women that had normal shaped bodies, not model bodies. It's cool that you're trying to include "plus sizes" but that's not really inclusive enough. I know the whole point of modeling is to promote "hey i'm pretty buy my stuff and you can look like me as well" but can we have one normal lady modeling? Just call random people in from the street and ask them if they're ok modeling. If so, then just do the pic, pay them 50-100 dollars, and let them continue on with their day. We don't need perfect people. We just need people.
AndersM 6 years ago
Why is it a big thing, that a perfectly normal sized woman can buy sexy lingerie? They should make it much larger than that. There a heaps of "plus sized" women that would look amazing in sexy underwear. S**t I'm glad I'm not a woman and should feel "large" just because I couldn't fit in a French woman sized underwear.
Jenica Thomas 6 years ago
Wow daruby, I didn't see the original post but I doubt you deserved that response
Load More Replies...
pusheen buttercup 6 years ago
my one issue is this: "“Predominately the body that has dominated the fashion scope has been a skinny tall body. This was damaging for women all around the world to see this because we were told time and time again that you can only be beautiful if you are tall skinny and predominately white which has changed so much in the last 10 years. " Twiggy became a thing because thin was considered unattractive at the time, to the best of my knowledge. She helped women with "less curves" become admired for their "quirks". I think the better message to send is it's ok if you're thin, it's ok if you're curvy, and it's ok to be anyone in between. :)
Dawn Baik 6 years ago
This is plus size????? I wear a 6 in regular clothes and am a large in VS - their standards are ridiculous and unhealthy.
Carol Taylor 6 years ago
here in Australia size 14 is not seen as 'plus size'..though in comparison, an American size 14 is the equivalent of size 12 down under..here you are not considered 'plus size' until you are an 18 (US 16)
Load More Replies... Caryn Zent 6 years ago
It's funny she talks about having empathy for the environment over empathy for people.
Ellen 6 years ago
Maybe she should heed her own advice and resign for being a body figure she's against
Load More Replies... darubyprincess 6 years ago
My original comment that I posted on this subject I deleted. For those of you who want to know what I said, I basically stood up for women that had normal shaped bodies, not model bodies. It's cool that you're trying to include "plus sizes" but that's not really inclusive enough. I know the whole point of modeling is to promote "hey i'm pretty buy my stuff and you can look like me as well" but can we have one normal lady modeling? Just call random people in from the street and ask them if they're ok modeling. If so, then just do the pic, pay them 50-100 dollars, and let them continue on with their day. We don't need perfect people. We just need people.
AndersM 6 years ago
Why is it a big thing, that a perfectly normal sized woman can buy sexy lingerie? They should make it much larger than that. There a heaps of "plus sized" women that would look amazing in sexy underwear. S**t I'm glad I'm not a woman and should feel "large" just because I couldn't fit in a French woman sized underwear.
Jenica Thomas 6 years ago
Wow daruby, I didn't see the original post but I doubt you deserved that response
Load More Replies... pusheen buttercup 6 years ago
my one issue is this: "“Predominately the body that has dominated the fashion scope has been a skinny tall body. This was damaging for women all around the world to see this because we were told time and time again that you can only be beautiful if you are tall skinny and predominately white which has changed so much in the last 10 years. " Twiggy became a thing because thin was considered unattractive at the time, to the best of my knowledge. She helped women with "less curves" become admired for their "quirks". I think the better message to send is it's ok if you're thin, it's ok if you're curvy, and it's ok to be anyone in between. :)
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