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Victoria’s Secret Misses the Mark by Pursuing Inclusivity as a Tactic, Not a Culture

The retailer finally advertises to us mere mortals, but the result is bland and performative

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair wears a bra and panties while posing with her hands on her hips in front of a brown background. She has a Band-Aid on her left thigh and the words We see you appear over the picture — Victoria's Secret is years behind its competitors in embracing inclusion, yet still strikes a drab and dated tone.Victoria's Secret

By Christina Garnett

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During a week of anxiety for many women in the United States, Victoria’s Secret launched its latest campaign devoid of angels, glamour and wings. Instead, it featured us, mere mortals, with a promise of advocacy and commitment for us “real” women to be the ones defining what beauty is.

Once aspirational and the standard for unattainable beauty, the brand is stripped to reveal the real women who are now everything to them. The endless parade of short sentence platitudes overlaying smiling personifications of inclusivity misses the mark.

Christina Garnett

@ThatChristinaG

Christina Garnett is the principal marketing manager for offline community and advocacy at HubSpot.

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