COLUMBUS, OH, March 28, 2013 (LifeSiteNews) – “Bright Young Things” sounds as if it might refer to a classroom full of budding intellectuals, but to Victoria’s Secret, it means barely pubescent girls running around in neon lingerie, including thongs, emblazoned with phrases like “call me,” “wild,” and “feeling lucky?”
The retailing giant just released its spring break campaign featuring video of coltish young models running around scantily clad at the beach, and marketing underwear that many parents say is inappropriate for young girls.
While the company denies the “Bright Young Things” line is meant for girls younger than college age, Chief Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoerfer said at the company’s January conference that the PINK line, for which “Bright Young Things” was designed, is aimed squarely at younger teens. “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,” said Burgdoerfer.
As of this writing, just under 5,000 people have signed two separate petitions asking Victoria’s Secret to pull the campaign. One, sponsored by a group called The Mommy Lobby, says, “VS claims that their target demographic is college age women. All one needs to do is look at the product line, go into their stores or see who they use to promote their products (Most college aged girls have grown out of their Justin Beiber stage) to know that they are obviously targeting younger teens.”
Adds the group, “You have our children's entire adulthood to make a profit off of them and we simply ask that you respect the innocence of this portion of their lives. Please allow them to reach an age of maturity before pushing this on them. They're under enough pressure from society as it is.”
Another petition created by a mother of four in Seattle says, “I don’t want a brand like Victoria’s Secret telling my daughters what sexy should be and my son that girls have to look or dress a certain way. Sexualization of girls by marketers has been found to contribute to depression, eating disorders, and early sexual activity — and this new ad campaign is a glaring example of a culture forcing girls to grow up too fast.
“Our children are not sex objects; not things. Please join me in asking Victoria’s Secret to stop being part of the problem and be part of the solution by pulling their ‘Bright Young Things’ campaign.”