Are you offended by the latest Victoria’s Secret “perfect body” lingerie ad?

Many are concerned that the ads shame women of different sizes and shapes. There’s even an online petition demanding that Victoria’s Secret apologize and kill the campaign.

Here's the ad in question:

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Yes, Victoria's Secret is selling their line of “perfect body” lingerie by showing it on their ideal models (i.e. young, tall, thin, long hair, and mostly white). But how is this different from other Victoria’s Secret advertising? And don’t most lingerie brands sell their products in this same way?

I'm not a huge fan of the lingerie giant, for many reasons. I've also aged out of their target demographic and prefer other brands. But at least this ad is honest and direct. Their mission has always been to sell young women on a "sexy" version of what they think straight men want women to look like in underwear. (I’m not saying guys care, just that Victoria’s Secret uses the male gaze as their filter of optimal sexual desire.)

The yearly televised Victoria's Secret Lingerie Fashion Show sells sex appeal packaged in the same old tired way. It's about guys hooting and hollering at babes on the runway; and women turning to Twitter to compare themselves to these images. The coveted status symbol is a chance to wear a $2 million Fantasy bra. The diversity in their model line-up is that women hail from different European countries. But everyone tunes in to watch the show. And Victoria's Secret continues to dominate the lingerie market, with women flocking to their stores to buy more.

If you don’t like the way lingerie is sold to you (and Victoria's Secret isn't the only brand pushing their product in this way), you can vote with your wallet. There are plenty of places to buy products of similar quality and style for the same price, and in a much wider range of sizes. But it doesn't make sense to ask for an apology from a brand that is doing what it does best: successfully selling young women an ideal of the perfect female figure.

What's your opinion? Are you offended by the Victoria's Secret Perfect Body lingerie ad? Do you shop at Victoria's Secret? Do you plan to sign the petition?