Victoria’s Secret, a famous undergarment company, recently received a tremendous amount of backlash after former president and chief marketing officer, Ed Razek, admitted to not allowing plus-size and transgeneder women to model and walk the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show. This was admitted during a Vogue Magazine interview.

 When asked by Vogue if transsexuals should be in the show Razek said,  “No. No, I don’t think we should.” 

“Well, why not?”  he was asked. 

 “Because the show is a fantasy,” Razek said

Razek and the company received an immense amount of backlash and he later ended up resigning from his position at Victoria’s Secret. Victoria’s Secret has always been known for its lack of inclusivity in its fashion show but Ed Razek admitting these things made many people angry. 

One model spoke out and said, “Such comments create a hostile work environment for people who do not conform to Victoria’s Secret’s mold – one that enforces an idea of female beauty that is predominantly white, cisgender, young and thin.”

 Another transgender model Gigi Gorgeous uploaded a Youtube video titled “SHAME ON YOU Victoria’s Secret.” Gorgeous later stating said that Victoria’s Secret has lost her as a customer and she will never buy a bra from the company ever again. 

Victoria’s Secret then shared Razek’s apology through Twitter saying, “My remark regarding the inclusion of transgender models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show came across as insensitive.” He failed to acknowledge what he had said about plus-size models.

Razek said he would cast a transgender model in the show. People believed it was too late to for his apology and  too late to take back everything he had said. Even though the company then hired a transgender model, Valentina Sampaio, it didn’t change what he had said. Most people will not change the way they now  feel about the company after Ed Razek’s comments.