Actor Priyanka Chopra, football star Megan Rapinoe and five other women have joined Victoria's Secret as the brand gears up to make a change to its image. Victoria's Secret is replacing its supermodels, or Angels as they were referred to, to focus on women empowerment, providing a platform to female athletes, activists and entrepreneurs.
For some time, the 'hypersexualised' models have been under scrutiny for their embodiment of male fantasy as against what women actually seek in undergarments.
Welcoming Priyanka and the other new members, Victoria's Secret wrote on its Instagram page, "We are proud to announce an exciting new partnership platform, #TheVSCollective, designed to shape the future of Victoria’s Secret. These extraordinary partners, with their unique backgrounds, interests and passions will collaborate with us to create revolutionary product collections, compelling and inspiring content, new internal associate programs and rally support for causes vital to women".
Martin Waters, chief executive of the brand, said in an interview to The New York Times, "When the world was changing, we were too slow to respond. We need to stop about being what men want and to focus on what women want".
The NYT report also states that Priyanka and others will model for the products, advise the brand and promote it on social media. Speaking about the initiative Priyanka Chopra said in a statement, "A new era always brings a sense of freedom, and the opportunity to play a part in shaping the evolution and future success of a heritage brand like Victoria’s Secret is so exciting. I’m not only looking forward to developing future collections that are inclusive of all people, but I am most excited for new customers and for those who have always been a customer of Victoria’s Secret to feel represented and like they belong."
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