Victoria’s Secret is staying true to its new mission of becoming more inclusive.
The lingerie brand, once known for hiring rail-thin models who promoted unrealistic beauty standards, has turned a new leaf and is ensuring it doesn’t go back to its old was.
Out With The Old & In With The New
VS recently announced the latest model added to its roster, and its history-making decision for the brand.
The first-ever male model/ambassador was hired by Victoria’s Secret and you may recognize his face.
Actor Darren Barnet will serve as the beauty brand’s first-ever celebrity male ambassador.
Barnet is famous for his role as Paxton Hall-Yoshida in “Never Have I Ever.”
Darren Is VS’ First-Ever Male Brand Ambassador
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He will be the new face of Victoria’s Secret’s Pink line and will model their “Gender Free” collection of shorts, tees and sweats.
Pink CEO Amy Hauk stated in a press release, “We are so excited to announce this partnership because Darren is such a positive role model for teens and young adults.”
Her statement continued, “As we focus on expanding our gender-free offerings and continue to evolve as a brand, we want to ensure our partners not only represent the diversity of our customers, but also embody individuality and self-confidence.”
Barnet said his new role as VS Ambassador hits close to home.
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“Filming ‘Never Have I Ever’ definitely brings me back to my high school days and reminds me of the insecurities and issues that we face as young adults. I know how it feels to not fit in, and how important it is to feel supported and accepted for who you are,” Barnet said in the press release.
Victoria’s Secret began re-branding the entire company in 2019 when the company hired its first transgender model, Valentina Sampaio.
Victoria’s Secret announced they’d be ditching the “angel” body type, and would be creating a more inclusive and widespread image of “real women.”
A New Victoria’s Secret Is Born!
Thus came the rebirth of VS called the “Victoria’s Secret Collective.”
The Victoria’s Secret Collective, taps into a diverse array of shapes, sizes, and of course, ethnicities. This time around, they have gone a step ahead and added in the LGBTQ+ segment as well, which truly gives us hope for humankind, or at least the lingerie-loving ones.
This is exactly why Bella Hadid decided to step back into her role with the company; however, this time she will be serving as an ambassador for the company.
Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, Megan Rapinoe and more currently serve as ‘VS Collective’ ambassadors.
“What magnetized me to coming back was them coming to me and really proving to me that, behind the scenes, Victoria’s Secret has changed so drastically,” Hadid told Marie Claire of her “very complicated” decision.
The move to work with VS again was really about taking her power back.
“[Joining the VS Collective] was really about taking my power back and having the power over my body be released to myself again,” she said.
The company has also made massive changes behind the scenes. Several new females have been added to the board.
“It is so important for the women we work with to feel safe, supported, and comfortable. And perhaps most importantly, to ensure their voice is always heard,” Raul Martinez, EVP and Head Creative Director at Victoria’s Secret said in a statement to Marie Claire. “This is the exact reason we wanted to work with Bella in this capacity.”
In 2018, Razek claimed that no one wanted to see transgender or plus-size models on the show. Not long after these remarks, he was asked to leave.
The famous Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was officially canceled on November 21, 2019. The high-profile runway show had been “in style” for 23 years.
