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A letter to Victoria's Secret

by Nefertiti Tyehemba

Dear Victoria's Secret

After flipping through the newest edition of your catalog, I became appalled at the images that I saw and the images that were inherently left out. Was this a Victoria’s secret catalog that left people of African descent from modeling the Malibu bikini set or ocean blue wrap-around skirt?

As I turned each page, my hope to see women of color grew dimmer and dimmer. I wondered, where were women who looked like me? Whose shape appeared similar to my own? The photos depicted white women or very light-skinned women with long blond hair, in many instances. This seemed absurd to me because there weren’t just a few shots of women of these features but it was practically throughout the whole magazine.

In such a widely read magazine by many people, I felt that the models should represent a larger spectrum of races. Are these women the only ones who buy your clothes? I think not. Women of all ethnicities flock to those boutiques with an intent to attend to their own pampering. It’s all women who need a little TLC (tender, love and care), right? So, why not embrace others and include models that represent other ethnicities, pockets of your own consumers?

After all, I see a magazine that is more inclusive as one which is on the road to reaching out to the masses. Whether it’s lingerie or a sports car magazine—would you want to buy a magazine that showcased the same sleek red sports car? In my opinion, the pressing need for diversifying your catalog is one that needs to be addressed.

Sincerely yours,
Black woman left out of the secret

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