Letter to VS

On March 22, 2013, I composed a letter to Victoria’s Secret in regarding to their “Bright Young Things” line. What happened next was unexpected. As of February 27, 2015, the letter has been viewed over 3.9 million times on this site alone, it has been written about in dozens of newspapers from around the world. The response has been overwhelming– however, the response from Victoria’s Secret has been lacking. I have not received any contact directly from Victoria’s Secret. As I wrote in one of my updates, Victoria’s Secret has only made a statement on their Facebook page regarding “Bright Young Things.”

Below are some frequently asked questions about my experience with my letter.

Why did you decide to write your letter?

I wrote the letter because of my daughter; I know that one day she will be grow up and not be the little three year old she is now. I began to think about what I wanted to tell her (and thus all girls) about her self-worth and self-esteem and self-pride. I wanted her to know that she is who she was created to be. Secondly, I wanted a multi-billion dollar company to know that targeting a younger demographic either directly or indirectly was wrong. Women are not things or objects to be used to sell fancy underwear. The letter came out of a desire to instill in my daughter that love and care and acceptance should not be based on articles of clothing.

What do you want Victoria’s Secret to do?

I want VS to change their marketing practices. Their marketing campaigns are aimed toward a younger demographic, on top of that they are objectifying women. Once again VS is setting a standard of sexuality and beauty that is unattainable for most girls. I believe this is a conversation that is no limited to VS but all marketers that hypersexualize women in order to make a buck. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Has Victoria’s Secret contacted you directly?

No. Sadly, they have not. This has been one of the most frustrating things of this whole process. I hope that they do; by doing so they will respond to millions of people who want their voice to be heard.

How can I contact you?

If you would like to contact me you can email me at evan [at] evandolive.com or by using my contact form by clicking here.

Interviews and Articles Regarding the Letter to Victoria’s Secret

Pictures

Selected Tweets

I may not have daughters but my sons w/1 day marry some1's daughters. Thx @RevEvanDolive 4 this post http://t.co/r2Bx8CcFa1 @VictoriasSecret
— Migdalia (@MsLatina) March 27, 2013

@revevandolive I want my daughter to have the choices, education and life my mother did not have the opportunity to have.
— Fausto (@fausto412) March 29, 2013

Women & girls r worth more than this! #exploitation -A Letter to Victoria's Secret From a Father http://t.co/zyPBG3RmSe via @RevEvanDolive
— Anna Marie (@annamariestweet) April 1, 2013