Fundies declare war on Victoria's Secret and lose

[m0drnmoonlight]

I saw this in Chatter, but Jezebel posted a story about it that makes it relevant to this board.

So I'm sure many people saw a news story circulating online in the past week or so about Victoria's Secret developing a raunchy underwear line for tweens and preteens. It's called "Bright Young Things" and features sexy bras and panties printed with things like "Wild!" and "Feeling Lucky?" on them. There's even a thong with the phrase "Call me" on it.

The story spread like wildfire on the internet. I saw tweets from people I follow who are also concerned parents, petitions were circulated, outcries over the sexualization of young girls were heard everywhere, Victoria's Secret even had to release a statement on the whole thing.

Just so we're clear, Victoria's Secret is NOT marketing a naughty underwear line to little girls. "Bright Young Things" is the slogan for their new ad campaign for their Pink line, which is marketed towards older teens and young women. The story has even made it to Snopes.

Jezebel's article traces the controversy's origins to an article written on an ultra-conservative website, The Black Sphere, with an article meant to make parents shit themselves in absolute fear. The article's entitled "Victoria's Secret is coming for your middle-schooler."

theblacksphere.net/2013/03/victorias-secret-is-coming-for-your-middle-schooler/ (broke the link, just switch out the asterik)

Jezebel says the article is written by a woman named Amy Gerwing, whose author bio says her "passions in life include speaking out for the unborn and standing up to an over-reaching government threatening the fiber of our freedom." In her diatribe against Victoria's Secret, she claims "Bright Young Things" is the name of a new underwear line marketed to little girls because Victoria's Secret is hellbent on making your daughters into little hussies who wear lacy panties. Gerwing also links the underwear to eating disorders, sexual promiscuity, sex trafficking, and "the objectification of...God-given femininity."

Wow guys, I wear Victoria's Secret and I didn't realize it was turning me into such a huge whore! I mean...considering all the sex I'm not having, I didn't realize I'm still a promiscuous woman because I wear lacy panties.

The article got picked up by social conservatives, who staged a war against Victoria's Secret, who in turn released a statement saying they are not releasing a line targeted at little girls. It seems there was also an outcry at the women used in the campaign's ads, accusing the company of exploiting young women, when the models used in the ad are in their 20s. Oops!

And since when do social conservatives give a shit about the exploitation of young women when they do the exact same thing in other ways? Obviously, marketing naughty underwear to little girls isn't right, and some of Victoria's Secret/Pink's products are tacky (seriously - can we stop with panties and shorts with words emblazoned across the ass?). There's many things we can call Victoria's Secret out for, but trying to sell underwear to little girls really isn't one of them.

Jezebel's take on the whole thing is below and I'm not breaking the link there.

http://jezebel.com/5992818/the-right+wi ... ias-secret

And this is the first post I've ever created here, woohoo! (Since it's already in Chatter, I can remove it if it shouldn't be here)

Edited for riffle

[Minerva]

Fundies lose most wars they declare. Especially when it's against something trivial like cookies or underwear.

[itsnikki05]

I'd be pretty ticked if it were aimed at little girls, myself. But anyone with half a brain knows that they're not going to make friggin thongs for little girls! Idiots.

[Hane]

The first thing I did when I saw the uproar over the "Bright Young Things" collection was to go to the Victoria's Secret website. Nothin' there.

And here's a more complete story from a disinterested third party.

I could happily live the rest of my life without seeing messages plastered over girls' butts, but that's just me. *sigh*

In the article by Dolive, he talked about parents whose middle-school girls wanted certain VS underwear because they "saw the popular girls wearing them when they changed for gym." Um, whatever happened to saying, "No, honey--I don't think that's appropriate wear," instead of going whining to your minister?

[m0drnmoonlight]

The first thing I did when I saw the uproar over the "Bright Young Things" collection was to go to the Victoria's Secret website. Nothin' there.

And here's a more complete story from a disinterested third party.

I could happily live the rest of my life without seeing messages plastered over girls' butts, but that's just me. *sigh*

In the article by Dolive, he talked about parents whose middle-school girls wanted certain VS underwear because they "saw the popular girls wearing them when they changed for gym." Um, whatever happened to saying, "No, honey--I don't think that's appropriate wear," instead of going whining to your minister?

Thanks for linking to the Snopes article!

I wish they'd stop with the panties that have like SEXY and other crap written across the ass. I was at their outlet store a few weeks ago and I saw a pair of panties with something written across the ass IN GLITTER! Don't they realize that shit will fall off the minute you wash it? But I digress.

Why talk to your priest about your daughter wanting to wear Victoria's Secret underwear, this isn't a religious crisis! Hell, I remember being in 5th grade and changing for gym in the bathroom stall after we were talking about bras and it came up I didn't have one yet (because I didn't need one) and I got laughed at and teased. I went home and told my mom and she took me shopping for some, I would have been MORTIFIED if she called up our priest about it!

I also got the impression from Dolive's article and some of the other commentary that women who wear certain types of underwear were stereotyped as promiscuous or "bad." That's the social conservatives we know so well coming out! Obviously, I would not want 10-year-olds to be buying thongs and marketing things like that to little girls is sick, but that line of thinking about women is ridiculous.

[laura oz]

I'm the one who posted this in chatter. And I'm the dolt who didn't google it first. I still say it's overpriced and nobody is gonna want to see "Feeling Lucky?" plastered across my flat ass. I've never understood why anyone wants their ass to say anything for them. I like mine to know it's role, and stay quiet. And, really, if a guy is seeing me in my drawers, it's probably gotten past the talking stage.

[m0drnmoonlight]

I'm the one who posted this in chatter. And I'm the dolt who didn't google it first. I still say it's overpriced and nobody is gonna want to see "Feeling Lucky?" plastered across my flat ass. I've never understood why anyone wants their ass to say anything for them. I like mine to know it's role, and stay quiet. And, really, if a guy is seeing me in my drawers, it's probably gotten past the talking stage.

It's ok, I fell for it too at first when I saw people circulating this on twitter! Not surprised it was just social conservatives scaremongering.

And can we start a White House petition to make it illegal to sell panties with words scrawled across the ass? Or the front, for that matter (I'm thinking of the thong with "Call me" written on it, ew).

[RainbowSky]

I'd be pretty ticked if it were aimed at little girls, myself. But anyone with half a brain knows that they're not going to make friggin thongs for little girls! Idiots.

I can't believe this is my first post but...

_WalMart sells thongs for little girls. They're Hanes I believe. That or Fruit of the Loom. They're in the packages.

I know that isn't the only store that does or has recently either.

[Peppercorn]

I've never understood why anyone wants their ass to say anything for them. I like mine to know it's role, and stay quiet.

LOL. Mine talks. It says "Sheesh, lay off the Reese's peanut butter eggs already!"

[Peppercorn]

I can't believe this is my first post but...

_WalMart sells thongs for little girls. They're Hanes I believe. That or Fruit of the Loom. They're in the packages.

Now my ass is saying "Ugh, that's so wrong."

Welcome to the First Posters club.

[laura oz]

I can't believe this is my first post but...

_WalMart sells thongs for little girls. They're Hanes I believe. That or Fruit of the Loom. They're in the packages.

I know that isn't the only store that does or has recently either.

:doh: You gotta be shittin me? I'm too lazy to google right now. Seriously, for little girls?!

eta WELCOME TO FJ!

[m0drnmoonlight]

:doh: You gotta be shittin me? I'm too lazy to google right now. Seriously, for little girls?!

eta WELCOME TO FJ!

Good god, that is awful! I looked on both brands' sites and on Walmart, but didn't see anything. Unless they stopped selling because, you know, little girls shouldn't be wearing thongs!

And yes, welcome!

[hearyoume08]

It's fruit of the loom. Technically they're juniors and placed with the other junior/women's stuff , so there is some limit to how young a girl can wear them.

For some strange reason you can't find them on the main website online, they have their own (creepy) website.

http://www.shopfruit.com/

[lovemygsp]

Apparently the 18 year old fundie and her husband who were in line in front of me last week didn't get the message with their big stack of pink panties. She was all judgy and gave me a nasty glance at what I was buying. Shocked them when my husband joined me (gotta spice up the ttc sex somehow ;)) Idiots.

[RainbowSky]

It's fruit of the loom. Technically they're juniors and placed with the other junior/women's stuff , so there is some limit to how young a girl can wear them.

For some strange reason you can't find them on the main website online, they have their own (creepy) website.

http://www.shopfruit.com/

No, in the girl's stuff starting with size 4ish so in the after potty training up to 16kids sizing aisle. The smallest ones that I saw were size 8 or 10. I remember being like WTF because my then 6yo wore the same size I found in underwear at the time. I'll look next time and see what the smallest ones they carry are. Or smallest they have or carry here anyway.

I saw them again a few weeks ago looking for some (non thong, TYVM!) underwear for my daughter and am still thinking WTF!!

Thanks for the welcome, everybody! I've been lurking since before butterflychica took over and (finally!!) recently registered so I could get my FJ fix again :-)

[hearyoume08]

No, in the girl's stuff starting with size 4ish so in the after potty training up to 16kids sizing aisle. The smallest ones that I saw were size 8 or 10. I remember being like WTF because my then 6yo wore the same size I found in underwear at the time. I'll look next time and see what the smallest ones they carry are. Or smallest they have or carry here anyway.

I saw them again a few weeks ago looking for some (non thong, TYVM!) underwear for my daughter and am still thinking WTF!!

eww, when did this become a thing? Do I want to know what adults buy these things for their kids...no no no For once I'm glad that Texas has weird ass rules because I have never seen that kind of ridiculousness in person.

Victoria's secret was never an option for me ,I mean I had hips and a full D cup by the time I was 12(this was the early 2000's, so it would be more like a c today) so I went straight to women's sizes, plus I have wide rib cage ( about 39 in) So I was always relegated to the plus size brands aka anything over a 36 band or c cup at that time. I am now a very full 40 DD/small 40 DDD depending on the brand/style and It's even less of an option.

[m0drnmoonlight]

No, in the girl's stuff starting with size 4ish so in the after potty training up to 16kids sizing aisle. The smallest ones that I saw were size 8 or 10. I remember being like WTF because my then 6yo wore the same size I found in underwear at the time. I'll look next time and see what the smallest ones they carry are. Or smallest they have or carry here anyway.

I saw them again a few weeks ago looking for some (non thong, TYVM!) underwear for my daughter and am still thinking WTF!!

eww, when did this become a thing? Do I want to know what adults buy these things for their kids...no no no For once I'm glad that Texas has weird ass rules because I have never seen that kind of ridiculousness in person.

Victoria's secret was never an option for me ,I mean I had hips and a full D cup by the time I was 12(this was the early 2000's, so it would be more like a c today) so I went straight to women's sizes, plus I have wide rib cage ( about 39 in) So I was always relegated to the plus size brands aka anything over a 36 band or c cup at that time. I am now a very full 40 DD/small 40 DDD depending on the brand/style and It's even less of an option.

Ick, that is gross! Little girls should not be wearing thongs, end of story. And companies also shouldn't be making thongs in those sizes! It's one thing if it's teenagers, but not little girls! That's why this whole fundie war on Victoria's Secret is hilarious - they were clutching their pearls over a line marketed to young women and instead of actually researching it, immediately declared Victoria's Secret was going to sell naughty things to 9-year-olds.

Puberty hit me like a ton of bricks by the time I was in 8th grade (and then I got picked on because my underthings weren't supportive enough - god, you just can't win with teenage girls) and following a lot of weight gain that I'm still trying to undo, I'm now a 40D. I could never buy bras at Victoria's Secret, but I do get panties from there when there's deals going on. Or I hit up the outlets for the cheap shit heh.

[Mama Mia]

It's fruit of the loom. Technically they're juniors and placed with the other junior/women's stuff , so there is some limit to how young a girl can wear them.

For some strange reason you can't find them on the main website online, they have their own (creepy) website.

http://www.shopfruit.com/

Um... how is that remotely the same thing as thongs in the little girls section in little girl sizes :roll:

[snarkyjan]

LOL. Mine talks. It says "Sheesh, lay off the Reese's peanut butter eggs already!"

Your is more eloquent. Mine just says "Godiva is NOT your friend".