Victoria’s Secret has been around for over 40 years. It’s in practically every mall and most women probably have at least one VS bra or pair of underwear in their drawer. Not only is Victoria’s Secret known for their underwear and clothes, Victoria’s Secret is also known for its fashion show.

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is known for its beautiful models, extravagant sets, and performances. But there is one another thing the Victoria’s Secret fashion show is: controversial. People have argued that the show portrays unrealistic beauty standards and promotes body dysmorphia. In 2019, the Victoria’s Secret show was cancelled because of controvery from the brand’s lack of diversity with its models.

The USA Today article, “Models demand ‘meaningful action’ from Victoria’s Secret after harassment claims” discusses the controversies Victoria’s Secret faces with its brand, including a harassment claim. The article reports that over 100 models signed a letter Victoria’s Secret CEO demanding efforts to be taken to protect models against misogyny, bullying, and harassment. Since the letter, a spokesperson for Victoria Secret has spoken out on the problem, stating the efforts they make to protect their models from abuse.

If I were a representative for Victoria’s Secret I would handle this controversy as immediate as possible and be as transparent as possible with the public. Because Victoria’s Secret plays such a big role with women, it’s important to ensure that models feel safe working with us. I would release a news release to various news sources, such as USA Today and Yahoo! News, that would detail the efforts Victoria’s Secret is taking to ensure safety of its models.

The audience most affected by this story is women ages 16-30 as that is who primarily shops at Victoria’s Secret. The controversy affects both models and customers. Models are the people directly impacted by this situation but a customer’s likelihood to shop at Victoria’s Secret can be impacted by how the situation is handled. If we are transparent about our future plans to ensure safety for all models with the public, we hope the efforts will be received positively and customer’s opinions won’t be changed.

I believe this story was driven by the media because it includes quotes from other reports about the situation. In addition, the article touches base on the past controversy of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show in addition to the letter signed by 100 models.

Overall, to come back from this situation, I believe it is pertinent that Victoria’s Secret releases a news release that will be posted to the public that details the future measures that will be taken to ensure safety of all Victoria’s Secret models.