A Letter to Victoria’s Secret From a Father

/ Rev. Evan Dolive

An open letter to Victoria’s Secret regarding their choice to make an underwear line aimed at young teenagers. (Read about it here)

Dear Victoria’s Secret,

I am a father of a three year old girl. She loves princesses, Dora the Explorer, Doc McStuffins and drawing pictures for people. Her favorite foods are peanut butter and jelly, cheese and pistachios.

Even though she is only three, as a parent I have had those thoughts of my daughter growing up and not being the little girl she is now. It is true what they say about kids, they grow up fast. No matter how hard I try I know that she will not be the little ball of energy she is now; one day she will be a rebellious teenager that will more than likely think her dad is a total goof ball and would want to distance herself from my embarrassing presence.

I know that this is far down the line and I try to spend as much time as I can with her making memories of this special time.

But as I read an article today posted on The Black Sphere, it really got me thinking that maybe the culture that we currently find ourselves in is not helping the cause.

Recently I read an article that Victoria’s Secret is launching a line of underwear and bras aimed at middle school aged children. The line will be called “Bright Young Things” and will feature ” lace black cheeksters with the word “Wild” emblazoned on them, green and white polka-dot hipsters screen printed with “Feeling Lucky?” and a lace trim thong with the words, “Call me” on the front.”

As a dad, this makes me sick.

I believe that this sends the wrong message to not only my daughter but to all young girls.
I don’t want my daughter to ever think that her self-worth and acceptance by others is based on the choice of her undergarments. I don’t want my daughter to ever think that to be popular or even attractive she has to have emblazon words on her bottom.

I want my daughter (and every girl) to be faced with tough decisions in her formative years of adolescence. Decisions like should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Should I take calculus as a junior or a senior? Do I want to go to Texas A&M or University of Texas or some Ivy League School? Should I raise awareness for slave trafficking or lack of water in developing nations? There are many, many more questions that all young women should be asking themselves… not will a boy (or girl) like me if I wear a “call me” thong?

I want my daughter to know that she is perfect the way she is; I want my daughter to know that no matter what underwear she is wearing it does not define her.

I believe that this new line “Bright Young Things” thwarts the efforts of empowering young women in this country. “Bright Young Things” gives off the message that women are sex objects. This new line promotes it at a dangerously young age.

I implore you to reconsider your decision to start this line.

By doing so you will put young girl’s self-esteem, self-worth and pride above profits.

Sincerely,

Rev. Evan Dolive
Houston, TX

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2,835 thoughts on “A Letter to Victoria’s Secret From a Father”

  1. a few of the victoria’s secret models are mothers now… some of those children are girls. let’s ask THEM what they think about modeling for a brand that would put this out there. underwear for that age group doesn’t need to be anymore than “pretty colors” and poooooooossibly a teeny bit of lace. that’s it.

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  2. Well, I was a fan of VS because it was a store for women of all ages and I stress the word “women”, not little girls, not early tweens, but women. I am hoping that they have not decided on this brand line already and they will hear what customers are saying. Ugh, what the heck is their marketing team thinking?!?!?! Although there very well may be a market for this – it does not belong in the VS Brand. At some point they need to see that mature moms (with a sexy streak) do not want to share sexy lingerie shopping with their under teen daughters….

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  3. First of all, this is certainly not marketed toward middle-school children. It’s for their brand Pink. The Pink brand is aimed at college age women who are old enough to buy what they wish to buy. Now if parents of middle age children purchase some of the more risqué items for their young children, there lies a different issue. I understand the author’s stance as a father & I respect his love to protect his sweet daughter. However, I urge all of you to please research your information entirely before assuming what one man says to be true. My husband works for VS headquarters & this is how I know their marketing intentions. This isn’t the company at fault here. If you were to all boycott Victoria’s Secret & they happen to go out of business (not going to happen btw), there will always be other companies coming out of the woodwork with similar marketing. How do you stop them? You just can’t. That’s the honest truth. What you can do is be involved in your daughter’s life & encourage her that she’s loved no matter what she wears. She does not need to prove that she is “lovable” by wearing something that literally says it on her butt. As a parent, please don’t point fingers at everyone else in the world & say “this is your fault”. Take a good, hard look at what you’re doing to encourage your daughters to focus on what really matters– which is their values.

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      • I always find it amusing when someone calls someone stupid on the internet and use the wrong “your, you’re”. Completely negates credibility.

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      • *You’re

        And no, she has a completely valid point. If parents are worried about their daughter’s integrity, its their responsibility to teach their daughters morals. Also, she’s correct in that Pink is targeted to college women, who are usually 18 years old or older. And even suggesting that Victoria Secret is promoting rape and child molestation because of their underwear is the most outlandish thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t think any research would ever find a correlation to pantie design and rape.

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      • I agree with Sarah. Its not Victoria’s Secret’s job to explain what is appropriate for your child, nor is it anyone else’s responsibility to raise your child. I have two daughters in elementary school, and my husband and I teach our girls that they should focus more on being a good person and student.

        And qngie halea, good counter-argument. Didn’t realize this was still Kindergarten.

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      • Tell this to the kids that are wearing the designer clothing,this is how bullying starts picking on kids that are not wearing the “cool clothes” .as far as me and my wife,we will no longer shop at VS !

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    • While I agree with psty of your point, it has been published on other websites the purpose of VS’s Pink Brand. Here’s an exert from Business Insider and a quote from VS’s CFO discussing the Pink Brand:

      While the Pink brand is technically for college girls, a Victoria’s Secret executive admitted its actually designing for a younger audience in mind.

      “When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?” Chief Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer said at a conference. “They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.”

      Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-teen-ads-2013-3#ixzz2OZbFvMZz

      So, the author of this piece has a point. VS is trying to target younger girls.

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      • Thanks, Michael, for posting that. I don’t have daughters, but I am continually amazed at the early sexualization of our daughters these days. ALL kids want to be older, always probably have wanted to be that way, but that parents would be foolish enough to purchase such items is where the problem is. Smoking is often thought of as cool and adult by kids, but should you be buying your kids these? Or alcoholic beverages? College age girls and high school girls are actually not faring much better thinking that putting out is part of the “magic” that VS tries to portray it as. It often leaves them with feeling used, with an STD, an unwanted pregnancy and a feeling that they’ve abandoned their moral code.

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      • I think it’s safe to assume that most girls look up to an older crowd. Still at age 30, I look up to my own mother & other older influential women 🙂 I think what he was saying here was that he’s aware that girls are going to want to wear Pink as well b/c they see their older sibling or someone they look up to wearing it. Pink carries many items & definitely not all of those items have risque sayings. This goes back to the responsibility of the parent to say if something is not age appropriate for their daughters to wear while shopping.

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    • If Victoria’s Secret consumers felt strongly enough about something, they could most certainly take down the company. Don’t doubt that for a second. The company is nothing without their consumers.

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    • Agreed. There are going to be lots of things we as parents don’t want our children to get into or what have you, and it is our job to teach them, not to try and change everything else around them. There will always be conflict, there will always be things that we don’t want our kids doing or things we see as innappropriate.. the only thing we TRULY have power over is ourselves and what we teach our kids. Teach her and SHOW HER THROUGH YOUR EXAMPLE that she is of great worth and extremely lovable. Show her through how you treat her mother and her. Show her by how you love and respect yourself. That is the only way that is going to help her. NOT by trying to convince someone else to NOT teach her something. That’s not going to happen. Put more effort into what and who you can control, and less into who and what you can’t.

      I love that you care, though!! She is one lucky little gal!!

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    • While I agree that it was incorrect to use the phrase “middle-school aged children”, according to a statement made by an officer in the corporations, they are going after high school girls, which is contrary to what you are saying about college students (even though that is technically what “Pink” was originally intended for).

      -At a conference in January Limited Brands’ Chief Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer confirmed Victoria’s Secret’s plans. “When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be?” Burgdoerfer asked. “They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.”-

      Yes, we can be as involved in our children’s lives as we can be, but when children and teens who come from families who do everything they possibly could to raise their children with morals, values, self-esteem, and positive self-image are shown on a daily basis through audio and visual media, ads, books, magazines, music, movies, idols, etc, the exact opposite of what their parents are trying to teach them, as well as friends who may not have the same family life as they do with inappropriate freedoms, a child and/or teenager can become confused. Especially during the time of puberty, when hormones are change and chaotic and these kids are trying to figure out what it means to take responsibility for yourself.

      I disagree with your statement that we can do nothing about this kind of thing. Marketing is based off of what the client wants. If we tell them and show them that we want more wholesome, appropriate products, that is what they will provide for the sake of their company. To think that we have no say in what companies put out there for our children is naïve. Society has a lot of influence with children, hence the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Do we need to be judgmental, violent, and oppressive about expressing our views and opinions? No. In fact, that teaches our children the exact opposite of what we should be teaching them. Should we calmly express that this is not something we are interested in and that we do disapprove of them sending this message towards our daughters? Yes. Saying that does not have to be done in a disrespectful manner.

      I have no problem with VS. I think they are a wonderful brand who provides quality products. What I disapprove of is the innuendos they have chosen to associate with young teenage girls. For a grown woman, that is fine. It is her choice and she has grown to a point in which she has figured out what she wants and who she is (I hope). But for a young teenage girl, it is not something I would want my daughters to even be tempted by. I only ask that they consider the message they are sending to young girls when they put this out there, even when the girl may have a strong upbringing in values and self-esteem. Everyone can be tempted, no matter how strong they are and I think our society should consider more how they are tempting our children. Growing up before they are ready, burying themselves in electronics and less in creating real relationship, encouraging various forms of sexuality before they are even old enough to have that kind of relationship, changing the way girls view their bodies from beautiful, intelligent, precious young women to something that needs the shallow affection of others to survive, enticing boys to view girls inappropriately and as anything but a good and respectful relationship waiting to happen, etc. These are not things that will encourage happy lives for our children, nor will it lead to a growing and thriving society for our grandchildren and more.

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    • Just because your husband works for their headquarters doesn’t leave you as their marketing expert in my eyes and honestly how can you expect the rest of us to see your opinion as unbiased at this point. (I leave out the question mark because that last part really is meant as statement) I agree with your point in parents needing to stay proactive in their children’s daily life, but I have my suspicions on what children you may or may not have, or what standards you hold them to, when you play off that this task is simply that easy. Perhaps that wasn’t your intent, but it was my take-away as a general reader. Your daughter will have gym class and sports where changing in the locker rooms creates that atmosphere of judgement in who has the name brands, the “sexy, the “VS”. I have even seen adolescent girls (in public I might add, though no parental presence) showing off their “Pink”. The connotations and denotations should always be taken in to consideration here. When an individual sees this brand, do they think woman or girl? Marketing is everywhere, it is literally impossible to hide our children from it in every day life, and inevitably their eyes come across these messages. The models are being made to look younger and younger. So here is how I, the average public, see this. Either there is a serious marketing failure in trying to launch a new facet of a line to “women” that makes them look like “bright young things” (being the wife of a headquarter employee, please define this for us, as we obviously have the wrong pedo-impression), or this is exactly what it appears to be; a line directed at adolescents in years that such things absolutely should be beyond their comprehension.
      You are absolutely right on one thing. VS will not go out of business, for what they are all about is ripe in this country today, we simply ask that you leave our children alone. We cannot go on every trip to the mall with them, be with them in those locker rooms, or when they go out with friends. This is when they come across one on one time with such companies as Victoria’s Secret. Even marketing towards college-aged girls is a gamble as that line becomes blurred with more and more high school children attending college through PSEO and other such programs. Why not stick to CLEARLY marketing at “women” and then yes, if younger girls purchase, then they do, but at least that I can pull out your magazine and show my daughter that these things are meant for women, not girls.

      I’m pretty sure that most men can’t even get their kicks from your magazines any more, VS, because it’s hard to tell the girls from the women. If they do, I’m seriously concerned about so much more. Maybe VS should also stop pointing the fingers and take responsibility for what it is. A major company that has national impact on the American culture. This statement is two fold. I am recognizing the fact that VS is a huge business success, but also believe that it comes with responsibility considering the product. Why not help those who helped VS become what it is today? Is that really too much to ask?

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      • I never said I was a marketing expert. I wasn’t even trying to come across as unbiased. I was just trying to bring another view to what seemed like a one-sided argument & thought that I would say that I had an insider’s understanding. More so than anything don’t pass judgements on my children or how I raise them. With all do respect, you don’t know anything about me or my children. I was simply just trying to bring another viewpoint to light. Besides all of that, I did enjoy reading your views. I wish there was a bit more respect during online discussions. I usually don’t ever reply to them. Now I realize why.

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  4. WOW….HOW SAD…..YOUNG GIRLS GET RAPED AND MOLESTED EVERYDAY IN THE COUNTRY AND THAT SEEMS TO BE THE MESSAGE VICS SECRET ARE PROMOTING. DISGUSTING AND THEY SHOUILD BE BOYCOTTED. I KNOW I’M DONE DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM.

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  5. I often go shopping for clothing for my grandbaby girls. I like to keep a few extra undergarments and tops for changes when they come to visit….but what 3 year old needs bikini underwear??? I have to search to find panties that fit at the waistline and under their little bottoms. I want my grandbabies to be dressed for play without having to worry there bodies are being exposed. What little girl needs a bikini swimsuit??? What little girl needs a top that exposes her shoulders or pants that expose her belly button. Our children are little people who need to know their value and self-worth are tied to their minds and hearts and not to their bodies. Let’s dress our children for play, not sex.

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    • I SO AGREE!!!!!! Bikini’s should be for older girls…at least late teens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I also saw the bikini’s for toddlers! STUPID!

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    • BRAVO to you Louise!! I’ve been saying this for years! Even those of us ‘women’ that don’t want to expose ourselves have a difficult time finding clothing that is more ‘age appropriate’ & not letting it all hang out!

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    • I have bought some lotions there to give as a gift for my sister’s back in my country, but for some reason the few times I went there I never felt compelled to buy anything for myself, specially underwear. I just look at it and think. ” This was made for very unrealistic women body type and I know my husband won’t love me any less if i don’t wear this kind of underwear”.
      I understand this father point of view and also I agree, and the person above defending the company saying that no matter what we do this kind of business will always be there, just make me feel how selfish and individualistic world we live, this father is just concerned and that should be praised!! Of course she is defending her husband’s job because that is what brings food on her table. She doesn’t mind about the negative effect that can cause in children,

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    • 500% agree! I will NEVER let my 8 yr old in a bikini anything! When she is a teenager and only then MAYBE I will consider it but not until she is much older emotionally and physically!

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      • I didn’t have a daughter, but my son says most of the girls his age are emotional basket cases. They sleep around like it is nothing. Perhaps those of you who think it is ok to buy these things for your daughters might want to hear how the males talk about them when they are out of earshot. Our grandparents had names for it, tramps, sluts, etc., and it’s high time we all realize that for some reason we have allowed our daughters to grow into the Playboy ideal of what Hugh Heffner thinks is the ideal woman., NOT what 99.9999% of real women are or should be. I see little girls walking around with their behinds sticking out, their breasts on display, etc., and little bitty girls with thong underwear, and I think to myself, there can’t possibly be a father in that poor young girl’s life. What man would let his daughter dress like a common whore? Parents, you are supposed to teach and raise your children, not necessarily win popularity contests with them.

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  6. I simply think it’s time for ALL DAD’s who agree with this letter to stand up and BE THE MAN. Reject passivity, accept responsibilty, lead courageously and expect God’s greater reward. Raising our daughters to know right from wrong in the manner in which the Bible teaches. It’s a tough tough world and according to scripture, it will not get any better. Pray for me and I will pray for you!

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  7. Thank you for taking a stand and being a voice for your precious little daughter,and all the other little girls out there! I applaud you !

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  8. I think his letter is fabulous and almost tear jerking. I have children and I am all for expression in kids but underwear with raunchy sayings written on it for 14 yr olds is unacceptable. It obviously upset this father deeply, as it has myself, now that I’ve read more about it. I think VS could have a younger girl line but without the derrogatory sayings… but honestly I would not take my tweener in that store to begin with. That is too young. Also, 16 yr olds aren’t going to buy something that says “Bright Young Things”, sorry it ain’t happenin. If a 16 yr old is shopping at VS, they are buying for their bf/gf. If a 13 yr old is shopping in there, she is normally with her mom or older female, and I do not have mom friends that would ever purchase these products for their tweener daughters. Unfortunately, not all girls have a strong female to look up to and no self confidence which will make them think they need these products. This reverend’s daughter is very lucky to have a daddy like that!!

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  9. VS had beatuiful lingerie for 18 and above. I love to look pretty and sexty for MY Husband. I do not want and never have wanted young girls to exploit their bodies. I don’t think it is appropriate for a young girls 10- 16 years old to have belly rings, thong underwear or tops so low they are showing their clevages as well as jeans so low that when they bend over we see their undies. Why do they need to expose themselves? Who is it for? Do we want to them to “fit It” so boys can think of them in only one way? Heck No! Childhood is here for only a few years. They have at least 40 years to dress in that light. At this adolesant ages, the idea of sex in any form should not be their top priority. Slumber parties, shopping, going tothe movies, just having good age appropriate fun. I have raised 3 daughters who were popular, beautiful, fun and never once did they advertise their bodies. Please VC their is enough sex trafficing, rape and sick thoughts for our young girls out their already, don’t add to it. Make cute undies for them, not thongs, No words need to be printed on them.

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    • Can anyone over 50 imagine this happening when we were kids? VS would have been closed down by protests and people being too horrified to think of buying such stuff. But, America, go ahead, have your kids grow up to live like the folks on Jersey Shore or whatever. They wouldn’t market it if they didn’t think you were foolish enough to buy it. What’s next? Underoo’s that say “Home of the Big Mac” for boys? “For a Good time, rub here?” It would be just as vulgar and just the exact same thing, except somehow, it has become permissible to exploit our young females this way. It’s disgusting.

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  10. I’m a 17 year old young lady. I’m appalled and disgusted with VS! They are and have been promoting sex before marriage in teens. Even if they aren’t trying to do that, the pictures and products do. I’m even more disgusted with the words they are choosing to imprint on their under clothes! If things like “wild”, “call me”, “dare you”, aren’t encouraging sex in young people, I don’t know what is.

    In my opinion girls that wear those things have a low opinion of themselves. They don’t believe their is a plan for their lives and that there is a man, not a boy, a man waiting for them. Saving himself for her and only her.

    It’s products like these that effect young people. If you wonder why we have so many pregnant teens, this would be part of the reason. We don’t have adults who are brave enough or just don’t care enough to show us how to do things right. As a teen myself I’ve noticed many adults tend to look at teenagers and think we are just stupid and rebellious. But the truth of it is, again, we don’t have adults who are willing to show us what we are doing wrong.

    If I was old enough to have children, I would never ever, EVER, want my daughters to buy your awful products. And I hope and pray that you really reconsider this decision!

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    • Disgusted Teen, you have a good head on your shoulders. VS has tapped into a vein in our society that thinks all this promiscuity is just fun and games. It isn’t. It has caused so much misery for both the people that indulge in it and the unplanned children that result from it it can’t be tallied. Not to mention people who have contracted herpes and AIDS and the ruined reputations.

      A corporation is just an entity that exists to make a profit. Sexy lingerie has its place in a married person’s sex life if they so desire, but it is not a necessity. Love, respect, honor, caring and sharing are not endowed upon a lover by a scrap of silk and lace. VS has marketed an image, quite successfully, that makes women feel as if they should be all things to a man, and be damn sexy while she does it. It is a continuation of the Playboy ideal of womanhood, that if most women were told that is what mold they were being cast into, they would call them fighting words.

      You were given a brain to think with and appear to be using it. If adults will not guide the children and teens, they will be guided by advertisers and Madison Avenue. Be true to who YOU are, and realize this is all just phoney hype to get you to purchase a product you neither need or have to have in order to be the sexy, love of someone’s life.

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  11. Someday your girl will grow up and want to drink beer when she is 19 or 20, and might even decide to smoke cigarettes, or even have plastic surgery. Don’t blame the companies selling those products. Be responsible for your child by teaching her right and wrong. If she wears a Victoria secret bra to middle school, it will be nobody’s fault but your own. Be a good parent and teach your child right and wrong. Don’t blame the world when they turn into something you don’t want them to be.

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    • you’re the moron. seriously. have you never heard of social influence? don’t be ridiculous enough to say that your parents are the only ones who shaped your life choices and decisions that you made.

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      • That is what’s so sad about this. The influence of society is trumping the influence of parents by leaps and bounds. And society is going down the drain faster than a twister through a Kansas city in April.

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    • How do you know he won’t be teaching his child right or wrong? She hasn’t grown up yet, he is not blaming the companies for how she’s turned out yet. This letter that he wrote is exactly part of how a parent takes a stand, tries to change the world and presents a good example of personal responsibility for the next generation. There is of course more to parenting than that, but this is part of it. There is nothing moronic about it.

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    • i dont believe anyone is blaming the world for their children turning into something they don’t want them to be, but I will say it is very hard as a parent to enforce and teach and have your child follow a good message and do the right things when all around them people, tv, magazines, clothing stores, movies, and other media are screaming a different message. The media and stores and magazines and all of those things should be supporting the parents message to teach good morals and not making it a competition, just to make some sales. And truth is parents jobs would be a lot easier if there wasn’t so much crap to ‘keep’ our kids away from.

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  12. This is a very positive thinking young girls should think of havin a beter future n should have high esteem, under wears?? Nooo pls reconsider your decision to start up this line.. This a very gud one Rev. Evan Doliva

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  13. I’m not going to read all the many comments, but if it has been stated my apologies. The Victoria Secret line is business, plain and simple. The sad part is the state the young girls are allowed to even participate in these activities. It is not the clothing lines fault that they are catering to potentially promiscuous adolescents. It is the absence of parenting across the board. The mothers, the lack of relationships with fathers and their daughters, and a list a mile long of how parenting, the concept of family, and the degradation of society as a whole has failed in reaching this point.
    Its not about feeling “sexy”, its about itemizing a self because the self-worth that should be there is sadly lacking.
    I am not a parent, but I hope to be one day. And I will simply say this to a society that I find the main element at fault looking itself in the mirror and calling everything but itself in the mirror at fault. We all are at fault. For not teaching the children coming up what it means to be a person, and have some self-worth in life, for creating such pecking orders of self-image and setting store in such. For overall being Hedonists in denial not wanting to admit that we could have or should have done something to prevent this point.
    Let the little sluts dress as the parents have provided. Fathers teach your sons to find someone not like these children, mothers raise your daughters to be better than you were, and for those who perpetuate the situation. Keep bending over till you see a hole, and see if there is a rabbit there. This is assuming that you have not already chased the rabbit down that hole.

    Sincerely,
    Mirrored Conscience

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    • But what happens with those girl that unfortunately don’t have the luck of having good parents to guide them and teaching? They will get influenced what whatever is around, and in this case these companies play a big role.

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  14. Wonder how many of the folks who support this campaign would be ok with, for example, Trojan marketing condoms to middle school boys, or Abercrombie and Fitch marketing tight jeans for boys that read “Lady Killer” on the back side or that have special built in crotch bulges?

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    • Sad to say, I know some folks who would be first in line to buy them. Its like seeing Nike shoes on a baby who can’t even walk yet, but the Mom is on welfare. People have come to believe that clothes make the man, when they do not.

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  15. It is both of your responsibilites. The parents, (who take daughters shopping and spend their own hard earned dollars) and the lingerie company’s duty to be part of a moral human entity. Thats all.

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  16. The “bright young things” line is part of the Pink line, it’s not a separate line geared at teenage girls. At least not from the way that I have seen it being promoted.
    I’m 22 years old, married and love shopping at VS (when I have the money to spend). I find the panties that say “call me” etc. on them to not be my taste. I don’t like my bum to have things written across it for the main fact that it looks wide enough without pointing out that I can fit a full sentence across it. However I know girls who think they’re cute in a cheeky way (no pun intended). I like VS because as a woman in an over sexualized world where I am constantly told that I am not thin enough, pretty enough, or sexy enough, they make me feel like I am all those things. When I’m wearing underwear that I think is cute or sexy I automatically feel more confident. Not because I plan on taking it all off and flaunting it but because at the base of everything I feel like I am beautiful. VS promotes confidence, it makes it ok for women to find pretty underwear and to not be ashamed of the woman tht they are but to embrace it and love it. That is why I shop at Victorias Secret.
    Now do I think a young teenager should be allowed to shop there unattended? No. I think that they should be guided by their loving parent as to what is and isn’t appropriate for their age. But I think VS does provide plenty of appropriate options for any age group.

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    • Ally, With all due respect- Yes, It is a separate line specifically aimed at younger teen aged girls. The CEO of VS has said himself in interviews that this new “Bright Young Things” line is specifically aimed toward younger teen girls because they look up to college girls. Here is the direct quote from him when asked about it- Limited Brands which owns the Victoria’s Secret brand confirmed through their CEO Stuart Burgdoerfer they were targeting teens. He said: “When somebody’s 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be? They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and that’s part of the magic of what we do at Pink.”

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  17. I completely understand where the rev is coming from. I am a 19 year-old college student. I personally would never wear underwear that said “Feeling Lucky?” or “Call Me” because I don’t wear underwear to show it off to other people and wouldn’t ever want to send that message to anyone, especially a guy. I respect myself enough to know that I don’t need to dress provocatively or send provocative invitations to get guys to like me. I’ve learned through the years that I should NEVER change for anyone, that I should always be myself and if a guy or anyone doesn’t like me for who I am, then they don’t deserve my time of day anyway.
    Saying this, I have not always thought this way. When I was younger, I sincerely thought that guys would not want to talk to me unless I was wearing something that flaunted my “assets”, applied loads of makeup, or was dressed in brand name clothing such as Holister, Abercrombie, or the company in questioning: Victoria’s Secret “PINK”. In middle school, you weren’t “cool” if you didn’t wear brand name clothes and makeup and the guys didn’t talk to you. Middle school is an extremely awkward time for everyone in my opinion. Girls and boys are hitting puberty if they haven’t already. Girls are “growing into” their bodies and developing curves, and boys are noticing these changes. No one really knows who they are or what they want to be. No one knows who their “true” best friends are, because they could change at any given day due to a rumor or drama. Everyone just wants to FIT IN.
    Social media is doing absolutely awful things to our society, but its been a work in progress. In my Sociology course last semester we studied the effects of social media on young people and how much it has changed and developed over the years. Everyone criticizes huge popular companies for promoting provocative clothing, pounds of makeup, being extremely skinny, the list goes on and on. The truth is, this image, the image of a “perfect” girl with a tiny waist, lots of makeup, provocative clothing, etc., has been embedded into young girls minds’ for decades. Its not even just the huge brand name companies that are the issue, its the images in the media that suggest that if a young girl wants to be “perfect” or wants people to like her that she must these lists of characteristics and if she doesn’t meet these things then she isn’t “good enough”. We are seeing a growing number of young girls that are developing eating disorders. This ties back to the images in the media insisting that to be perfect you must be “skin and bones” skinny like the models girls see on tv or the celebrities seen on the news.
    These media images are EVERYWHERE, not just in the obvious places such as this one: A Victoria’s Secret advertisement. Watch the news? You will almost certainly see a story about some celebrity, and these celebrities all promote this “perfect girl” image. Now I am focusing only on the subject at hand here which is young girls, but its the same for young boys as well in other images and expectations through the media. If you let your young girl watch tv, even if you made certain that the content of the tv show is what you consider appropriate, she will view hundreds of these media images during commercial breaks. There are commercials of these big brand name companies, there are commercials for other tv programs or shows that might promote this “perfect girl” image, and there are plenty of commercials of popular celebrities who support the image.
    These images are found everywhere you go. On billboards, in magazines, on tv, on the internet, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. No matter how much you shelter your child from these big brand name companies, they will end up seeing it somewhere where you don’t expect her to find it or they will find another brand almost exactly like it. Her peers will most definitely be talking about it because according to them these brands are what support being a “perfect girl”. They don’t know better because it has been programmed into their mind in so many different ways through images in the media.
    These big companies promote these things because they promote this “perfect image” that every young person has programmed into their minds. They could chose less provocative products because they wanted to stick to their morals or beliefs, but in all reality if they did that young people would stop buying their products because they would no longer support their programmed idea of a “perfect image”. Yes, it’s wrong. It’s horribly wrong, but people need money, and if they have to go against what they might think is right they will to make an income and support their families.
    This issue is so much bigger than the one company of Victoria’s Secret. If you look around, these products are everywhere and are sold by thousands of big name brands. But removing these products from markets won’t change this programmed “perfect image” in young peoples’ minds through images in social media. And one person or one small group of people protesting against these negative “perfect” images isn’t going to change anything. Its going to take a society as a whole, coming together and figuring out where these images are coming from and where they start entering and programming themselves into young peoples’ minds. The problem is not everyone will agree on what characteristics of these images are “negative” or not. I don’t have a solution to this issue, but I agree that is a growing problem that can’t and won’t be fixed in a year or two. It is going to take a LONG time to figure out how to change this, and I don’t believe it will every be fully “reversed”. I do believe though, that if we make a big enough effort to make small changes, that it could happen.

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  18. I am a mother of 2 my daughter is 10 and very very impressionable at this age I believe more so that others because she has a father who can’t make up his mind if he wants to be there for her or not and her brother with the same problem. This new clothing line is degrading our youngsters and I know it is my personal feelings but makes them think that looking trashy is sexy. You are bringing out a clothing line that well for all intense and purposes is about sex. I know the world we live in is constantly changing but it is not changing for the better and that is because we believe in lies and don’t stand up for ourselves. I as others have put our so called 2 cents in and we could all go on and on but leaving out children to think that it is okay to sell themselves by wearing “call me” thongs is tacky and there will be i am sure mothers and fathers whom will purchase the items. But maybe you could rethink the line and come up with something that is flattering and practical for the age group. with positive comments for your commercials. That I would put stock in!!!

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  19. I looked it up and they are targeting 15 and 16 year olds…so Sarah when you say it’s for collage age children you are wrong. We need to protect the innocences for our young women. Yes parents need to take their part in this however peer pressure can be overwhelming when trying to fit in. Shame on you VS!

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  20. Stand up as a parent and just say no! You are not wearing advertising on your underwear when no one should be able to see your underwear.

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  21. All I can say is I might not shop there anymore. I know I am only one person but I have a 3 year old daughter and she is a beautiful child of God! She will never be an object.

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    • The information is mis leading. I called VS in NY NY this morning. That collection has hit the stores and is gone. It was intended for the college spring breakers. I shop VS all the time, I have NEVER seen underwear that stated call me. I’m not one to follow internet hype, but I love this brand and almost stopped shopping there because of this, until I found out the truth. There intention straight from VS is they are not targeting young girls. Pink is intended for the older teenagers and young college students. Parents are responsible for installing a child self worth. not lacy underwear.

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  22. it is HORRIBLE that you are using the black sphere as a source and believing and repeating what you read there as gospel. zero credibility, sir. this week they are giving away an AR-15 assault rifle! seriously?

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  23. My commit is to the wife of the VS company man. Who states “Now if parents of middle age children purchase some of the more risqué items for their young children, there lies a different issue.” Is not the issue because parents aren’t the buyers. The teenagers are. Please keep this in mind when you blow off this fathers concern. My daughter who is 16 has gotten gift certificates for VS that her friends have bought for her. So can you see his point?

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  24. I wholeheartedly agree with this letter. As parents it’s our responsibility to teach our children morals and to respect themselves. If they don’t who will? The world is a dangerous place for our children, more worried about money and turning our children into sex slaves by keeping them in bondage with the thoughts that beauty comes from how much you show of yourself. I pray for all parents to guard their children. I pray that they teach them about modesty and the importance of respecting themselves.

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  25. I think that Victoria Secret is for women who know what life is all about and should be wise enough to make the right choices, but these young children are just beginning to know what life is all about and it takes all of us out here, including the Victoria Secret Company, to help them make right decisions and not to show them evil ways of life. I think that children should be children and they will have plenty time to grow up and decide which direction to go into life. Things like what VS is trying to do could start young ladies to become involved in a way of life that would destroy what they have been taught.

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  27. I remember as a young girl have the days of the week printed on my panties 🙂 Look how far we have fallen. I don’t necessarily disagree with a teen line of under garments. I have two teenage daughters, but if you want to print words on them how about something like. I AM PROUD, I AM BEAUTIFUL, I AM CONFIDENT, I AM LOVED, I AM STRONG!! Then every time they pick out a panty to wear they read those words before putting them on.

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  28. Personally, I agree with the father and countless others who are disgusted with the way VS advertizes and how young of an audience/consumer they are targeting. I include audience becasue young boys are being affected as well. Babies on up are SUBJECTED to the vulgar window advertisements in VS stores that are in most, if not all, malls. There is no choice NOT to see the pictures of half naked females. Maybe if advertisements were rated like movies and only allowed where the proper age audience would shop, boys would not grow up thinking it is normal to see hal naked women…possibly the objectification of women would lessen. I think it is ridiculous that there seems to be no regulation on what a baby, 3 year old, pre-pubescent, or teen child will see in the way of advertising in their local mall – save putting blinders on.

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  29. I have 4 teenage girls and I’m happy to report that they’re all rather nerdish! Right now they’re so involved in school and other forms of activity that this has not even hit their radar as of yet. Victoria’s Secret? EWWWW! As a father of 4 teenagers I’m not as embarrassing to them as I thought I might have been. I’ve talked to them about the ‘birds and the bees’ and yes they are curious about things when it comes to that but it also seems that none of them are interested in such a prospect at this particular time!

    There is hope for our kids, we can make an impact on them at an early age, they do have minds of their own and they will make their choices but I think it comes down to guidance and pointing them in the right direction. A lot of times parents spend more time talking to their kids than listening to them, and I have been guilty of that. I’ve never had 4 teenagers before but I’m learning that all it takes is your time and energy to get to know who they really are. I refuse to believe if you’re involved enough with them that an underwear line will define them.

    I am in no way a super dad, just a dad that wants his children to grow up and be happy in their own skin and believe me, in this day and age, it’s not easy, my youngest daughter is a victim to bullies off and on, my oldest daughter has epilepsy, the second oldest is a pretty private person and a very rigid rule follower (I guess I got lucky there) and the 3rd is very self conscience because she has developed early and is very beautiful and thankfully unaware at this point. Heck, they’re all beautiful, and intelligent! I hope that they continue down this path and ignore brand names like Victoria’s Secret. Right now they’re all into music, art, animation, Sokura Con, Comic Con, Cos Play, comics, video games, horseback riding,hanging out together when they can after school and lots of inside jokes between themselves… oh and the occasional squabbles, like normal kids.

    I’m not perfect and none of them are perfect but I’d like to think I have a good start with them, I don’t judge them for the choices they make but I try to help them make informed decisions about anything they do. Education isn’t just relegated to school it’s important that we parents share our knowledge of the world with them and the pitfalls that are all around them and that the culture they see coming from places like New York and Hollywood are for the most part NOT reality and I think, with my kids, they get that!

    What can I say that hasn’t already been said other than to listen to them and be as much a part of their lives as you can.

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  30. As a mother of a young son, it would be nice not to worry that he’s gonna have to see 9-year-olds sporting slutty underwear. He’s got enough working against him in this world trying to steal his sexual purity without adding THAT.

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  31. VS is aimed at “college girls” ? With polka dots and idiotic sayings across your butt? When I went to college, the females were women. This line is aimed at children (12-17). It’s as bad as the booty shorts and tiny tank tops that clueless “parents” buy for their children. Guess what – adult men are gawking at your baby girl because you have dressed her up like a twinkie hooker. It’s a reflection on your poor parenting and your own crappy self esteem. Have some respect for your kid – even if you never inculcated any respect for yourself. No one ever died from dressing with class.

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  32. I would NEVER let my middle school daughter wear such things; I know from experience, if a girl wants to get her hands on something, they’ll find a way to get it. Parents wonder why girls come home pregnant and rebel at such a young age…this is one of the problems. Corporate America is targeting younger girls just to make a few extra bucks – even though they are already extremely wealthy. My daughter is only 8 months but I will not take her to such places advertising to such a young group of impressionable females. I’ll ban VS forever if this is what they intend to sell and I’m sure my husband will completely agree with me on this decision. I’m sure any decent father would agree with me on this.

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  34. I think you have a Fantastic idea but a lot of parents buy in there and also purchase gift cards for certain occasions. I hope that they take into considering to change this. If it happens, o will be surprised. There is too much tapes anymore. Yes is students involved but we really have Sick people on world that would maybe see that and be aroused. I don’t think stores care anymore as long as they make profits and pay the employees. Good luck on this mission.

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  35. To Victoria Secret,
    I have a 12 year old daughter. I am raising her to be modest and to have self respect. I do not and will not buy this type of crap for my child. I would like you to ask the President of the United States if he would allow his daughters to were your line of clothing at their current ages, and please print his response.

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  36. For Victoria’s Secret to promote our middle school girls “hootchy mama” clothes is despicable. We all know about peer pressure and the need to fit in. Our children have enough pressure to grow up too fast on them. We all know that sex sells but please keep it age appropriate. For there to be adults that think that these “under garments” are actually appropriate for this age group tells me that the people leading this company are more worried about profit than the consumers using their products. I, for one, do not like seeing very young girls in “hootchy mama” underwear. Stylish? Maybe for 20 somethings but not middle school girls. Nice letter Rev. Evan Dolive! Lets keep our children children for as long as we can.

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  37. I agree with this father’s comments…I don’t have children yet but I am an educator and I work with school agers. They have impressionable young minds. As adults we are the models to model appropraite behaviour, choices, etc. We want to point them in the right direction to help them make the right decisions and moral decisions.
    It’s a shame that our society has become so sexualized…Victoria Secret…it seems as if you have run out of secrets…especially after sharing your new launch idea on this underwear line for school agers. Would you want your daughters, nieces or grand daughters wearing thongs? It’s an open invivtation…Please Can your idea….it’s degrading our young people. Thanks.

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  38. Before trying to sell to teens and (gross) pre-teens, maybe Victoria’s Secret should try selling to PLUS SIZE WOMEN. It is disgraceful that they would consider children and I will not allow my girls to shop there until they are emotionally ready (hopefully 18+). ~Mother of 2 girls

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  39. Thank you for this. I have a soon to be 3 yr. old girl and I am also worried about the message that pop-culture sends young girls today. Hard to raise a lady these days when those deemed “popular” are anything but.

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  40. No,you are the moron! There is an age requirement to buy cigarettes or liquor.There is non to buy panties,and if you go panty shopping with your teenage daughter,you are a freak. Alcohol and cigarettes are not sexually suggestive,victoria secret is……..I can go forever.I understand where you are coming from,but it’s just not the same!

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  41. I absolutely agree with Dad. This is so disgusting for a company to even consider involving young girls at any age to purchase such sex driven under wear. This store is what I thought and most people were under the impression for adults. The media alone has not only sent a message that women should be a size 3 but be as sexual as possible in order to be popular with the men. I’m sorry, I was raised in another time when being a lady was a good thing. That is what men or shall I say real men are really looking for as far as long term anyway. Loose girls are a dime a dozen. I’m just sayin.

    P.S. I will start shopping at Fredericks if Victoria Secrets stand firm on marketing to younger girls. They have better made clothing anyway.

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  42. I have been against VS for some time now, realizing a few years ago, that I was once a woman who hoped for society’s approval as I stepped in the door of VS and swiped my credit card at their check out counter. There was a sense of pride walking through the mall with that cute, pink-striped bag in my hand – but there was no pride and no hope for myself in my heart. How very sad. There is peace in my heart because I can say that is no longer my story.
    Unfortunately, for the individual and the population as a whole, VS didn’t start this downward spiral of how we portray women, but as impressionable and influencial as the trademarked name is, I would hope their goal would be to empower women, not demoralize them more. It is not wise to support companies that flaunt their influence and profit amongst the vulnerable and of tender years and then complain that lack of parenting is the reason for misguided and troubled teens. I believe it is a combination of both, and I think what could be lacking as parents is more letters like this to companies like VS. Either way, this is an enormous amount of pressure being placed on young girls! I am grateful for this man’s fatherly heart, he is a father to many girls when he writes this letter.
    I say we all become fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers for all the girls/women in our communities. And I hope the same for young men as they are raised, whether it be from parenting or media, to value a woman based on her looks and her ability to keep up with the trends. It is just as important to give a different message to our young men, to teach them differently than the media teaches them. Young boys have a great responsibility to become men that lead. Let them not become leaders that turn a blind eye to the mainstream and accept it because they believe they are not capable of standing up, going against the grain.

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  45. SEX SELLS and we cannot do anything is an argument?
    Is that really the mentality level and awareness people have these days?
    Did we fall that low?
    I think our intelect and human values are stronger than that.
    There is a line which shouldnt be crossed even if sex sells. There is a thin line between “sex sells” and sex sells is taking away the right for a proper childhood. Proper growing up and childish innocence. For innocence that allows you to build up your own human values.
    This case is not called “sex sells”. This is the case of taking away the right for a proper childhood, to young ladies and our future daughters one day.
    And YES, people can do A LOT. As small as initiative is enough.
    Instead of writing your comments here, you could all organise a social media platform, as simple as facebook, collecting your opinions and your votes against this idea and actually making a firm concrete reason/argument for VS to rethink thier business idea. From small to bigger…
    If their popularity drops and their reputation is in danger, they will reject the idea.
    MAKE A CHANGE. BE A CHANGE.
    There are life values and human values which should be respected.

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  46. Thank you for expressing your concern to Victoria’s Secret. I think their commercials of tall, thin, extremely beautiful women in their underwear are also hurtful to everyone who sees them. They are hurtful to all females who live with a real body that is not perfect. They are hurtful the all males that see other “perfect” women and then have friends and family that are not perfect. What type of image are we trying to live up to? In my opinion – impossible and unhealthy. I have two young granddaughters. I know how much they want to be liked and fit in. The new line of Victoria’s Secret underwear described above would be very hurtful to them and all other “children”. How about we let our children remain children and enjoy their youth without being turned in to sex objects for profit for Victoria’s Secret.

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    • Agree. Their image of a woman is surreal. They never reveal or emphasize the information of how many hours per day these models have to exercise and what kind of special diets they have to provide. What a regime.
      I apsolutely prefere Agent Provocateur, encouraging the image of a natural woman.

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  47. So, if I were to take the stance literally, that ‘This is just the way it is’ (which it isn’t) then if an ostrich buried his head in the sand (which they don’t) would totally believe that the world was, is and always will be dark. OK.
    Not to mention, I’ve bought and looked through a few times over, VS merchandise and it’s nothing but crap that doesn’t last more than a few washes. (and I’m a very finicky laundress)
    And personally, I wouldn’t tell the whole world my husband works at VS, not very highly thought of by many. That’s right up there with saying he works at the Playboy mansion.
    But then, there are many niiave people in the world.
    A company that is selling sex, exploiting women and parading them like animals up for auction is NOT anything decent people want to associate themselves with or condone in ANY way shape or form. Especially NOT to young children. And I’m sorry, but children mimic what they see as popular. *insert ostrich head in sand*
    Magazines, billboards, posters in the malls, tv ads, computer ads….IT’S EVERYWHERE! And decent people are told, if you don’t like it don’t look. It’s YOUR job to monitor YOUR children. Well, HELLOOOOOOO….your filth is everywhere. Decency ruled LONG before sexual exploitation. Sex mongers should be ‘elsewhere’ (and they will be when they die) not decency.
    It IS VS and ALL the other filth mongers fault that ‘sex sells’. Period. And when you have to make light and belittle a man for standing up for what is right …then you know where YOU stand too. And YES, you did.
    Know this too, there is a growing trend of men who are FED up with filth and all of the HARM it causes to themselves and thier families and they are fighting it!
    When a person becomes calloused to filth they can’t see the trees in the forest….all they see is darkness.

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  48. I am older and I do shop at vs and I love them I think that this father is 100 percent right that store is not to be aimed at middle age girls it should be 18 or older I don’t think anyone would want there daughters at ages 6 and up to be shopping there that’s horrible

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  49. I agree totally with this letter. I am a teacher and my students are 12 and 13 years old. Many of them struggle daily with issues of self-worth. Let’s let our children be children and not put additional pressure on them to grow up so fast.

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  50. no matter the age, no matter the up bringing, there is always some business out there that finds a way to undermind the morals and ethics trying to be taught at home. I do not know of any 12 yr old that goes to a fashion industry and says please make underwear for me that has provokative wording on it. I need to wear it so I can show the boys, I will have better self esteem because I have “call me” written on my crotch.

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