Did Victoria's Secret Just Make Another Body-Image Blunder?

Photo: Sara Sampaio

A few weeks ago, Victoria’s Secret received backlash for its latest campaign. The main image featured the brand’s traditionally willowy models lined up with the caption: The Perfect Body. While it was meant to highlight the brand's Body line of underwear, the visual sparked an outcry as critics claimed that the ad perpetuated unrealistic body standards. More than 32,000 people signed a petition asking Victoria’s Secret to apologize for and change the campaign. Ultimately, the brand shifted the slogan to “A Body For Every Body.” Today, they posted a short video in an attempt to join a more worthwhile conversation, one around body positivity.

Labeled “Know Your Body,” the video urges viewers, “Don’t stress about what someone else has—love what u got!”

Great advice, except that the video goes on to show model Sara Sampaio comparing her body to a fellow model’s. The 23-year-old says, ”Knowing your body type. If I put a picture of Candice [Swanepoel] and, like, I want to have that body. Not in a million years I’m gonna have that body because my bone structure is not built like her amazing…” She then gestures as though she’s given up, which, well, isn’t the positive message we’re pretty sure they’re aiming to spread.

Related: On Calvin Klein’s “bigger” model 

It’s obvious that Victoria’s Secret is trying to make up for its earlier PR disaster, but unfortunately they’ve just sent another mixed message. Viewers are probably expected to empathize with Sampaio’s honesty, but no one wants to watch a professional lingerie model compare her body to the so-called ideal. Sure, models may be just like us, but hearing that they feel less than great about their bodies is a huge bummer. We think they—and non-models, too—are spectacular.