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In an effort to dodge a body-shaming controversy last November, Victoria's Secret changed a campaign slogan from "The Perfect Body" to "A Body for Every Body." However, many consumers are beginning to notice that the lingerie store isn't quite living up to its new motto.

"'A Body for Every Body' — Prove it like you mean it, Victoria's Secret," Brittany Cordts states in a petition on change.org that demands that Victoria's Secret offer larger lingerie sizes. The petition also urges the store to showcase more realistic models in their advertisements and annual fashion show. In just a few weeks, Cordts's petition racked up more than 2,000 supporters.

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Cordts isn't the only one to notice Victoria's Secret's lack of shapes and sizes. Dana Drew, an author of another petition, states, "Every year I watch the Angel fashion show and would love to purchase the items I see on my screen but can't because Victoria's Secret doesn't sell plus sizes."

According to Business Insider, Victoria's Secret lingerie sizes are inconsistent. Some styles of bras are offered in a size DDD, while some styles stop at a size D. Not to mention, the retail market considers sizes 12 to 24 plus size, and the largest panty size the store carries is an XL, which is the equivalent to a size 16.

For a company that dominates nearly 35 percent of the lingerie business, it's appalling that the store doesn't already offer sizes for every kind of woman. It is disgraceful that in today's society, the store continues to promote unachievable beauty standards, as well. The Victoria's Secret Angels, highlighted in the store's ads and runway shows, are always impossibly beautiful and slender, making women with any other body type feel unworthy. The company may be No. 1 in the lingerie business, but it continues to send a message that their items are not suitable for the average woman.

Victoria's Secret needs to acknowledge women of all shapes and sizes and stop shaming women who aren't model thin. Although their models may be naturally skinny, it is not an accurate representation of the average American woman, who is a size 14, according to the Denver Post.

"There are over 100 million plus-size women in the United States. Victoria’s Secret already offers larger bra sizes for women with enhanced breasts; it makes perfect sense to expand their lines so women with larger bodies can also join the club," Drew states in her petition.

So c'mon, Victoria's Secret: It's time to face the facts and live up to the slogan, "A Body for Every Body." The world wants to see curvier supermodels in your campaigns and runway shows. Give us some lingerie that will fit us, too. Besides, it'll be great business.

Want to be a part of the movement? Show your support by using the hashtag #iamperfect on Twitter or Instagram. Tag @victoriassecret to make sure they see just how flawless you are.

 

Reach the columnist at ambice@asu.edu or follow @AllieBice on Twitter.

Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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